Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Clu
The Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club, patron - HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh KG KT GBE
The Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club was inaugurated on 16th. April 1859 when a number of “boating gentlemen” met to discuss the formation of a club and an entry fee of two guineas with an annual subscription of one guinea was established. Col. George Wilson of Beccles was elected the first Commodore and a Sailing Committee was formed with representatives from Great Yarmouth and the rivers Bure, Yare and Waveney. The first club burgee was a white flag bearing a red cross of St. George. Sailing fixtures were initially organised at Cantley in June, Wroxham in July and Oulton Broad in August, these regatta dates have remained largely unchanged to this day. Club cruises remained popular until the development of ‘machines for racing’ were built without accommodation.
In 1884 it was decided to build a clubhouse at Lowestoft and members formed a company to fund the building, the land being leased from the Great Eastern Railway until 1960. The original Clubhouse was completed in 1886 but soon proved too small and George Skipper of Norwich produced the winning design of an early butterfly or ‘X’ plan building. Edward VII formalised the Royal Warrant, backdating it to its original issue date of 1898.
At the turn of the nineteenth century when the Club was still sailing most of its regattas on the Broads, with only six races a year at Lowestoft, Naval Architect Linton Hope was commissioned to design a half decked one design yacht for sailing on the Broads but equally able to deal with the coastal conditions off Lowestoft. The Broads One Design Yacht, affectionately known as the ‘Brown Boat’ has proved a mainstay of Club racing ever since 1901.
The Broads One Design yacht is the oldest one design class racing at the Club. The yacht is 24ft. (7.3m) overall, 5ft. 1in. (1.55m) beam, 3ft. (0.9m) draft with a waterline length of 16ft. 6in. (4.9m) and a gaff rigged sail area of 262 sq.ft (24 sq.m).
The first five yachts were delivered by train on flatbed trucks from Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex where the majority of the timber yachts were built. The first race was held on Oulton Broad on Whit Monday, 1901. Thirty one timber yachts were built over a period of 38 years. Twenty seven still remain, including the first five built. The first twelve were carvel built in cedar and the remainder in mahogany.
The Broads One Design Class also became known as ‘Brown Boats’ due to their varnished hulls as opposed to other one design classes arriving on the Broads with their white painted softwood hulls.
During 1933 and 1934 a Bermudian rig was tried on Number 7 'Kingfisher', however it was beaten by the original gaff rig yachts and the idea was dropped.
A unique feature of the class is that each yacht is allocated an individual racing flag. Initially the yachts were allocated a flag from the International Code of Signals flags, progressing to the numeral pennants and substitutes until all had been used. Currently house flags and others are allocated. The first twelve yachts used their flags for identification during racing until 1911. Sail numbers were used in the 1912 sailing season for the first time, under protest from the class members, after the Club asked them to use numbers for better identification whilst at sea. Brown sail numbers were used first, changing to black for the 1927 season.
As the yachts proved so manageable, in 1908 a lady became an owner and several others followed. This became a problem for the Club, membership at that time being male only. It was not until after World War II that the Club relaxed its rules to allow female members.
In 1987 a glass fibre yacht was built, undergoing trials before being accepted. The introduction of the glass fibre yachts has rejuvenated the class. A further 55 glass fibre yachts have currently been built. The design lends itself well to fibreglass. Whilst the spoon bows and flat counter belonged to the period of its design, the short keel and shallow midships would not look out of place thirty years later.
Over the years, Linton Hope’s design has proved to be very safe and capable at sea, coping with the sometimes rough conditions experienced off Lowestoft while also racing successfully on the Broads against yachts designed specifically for Broads sailing.
In 1959 at the Club’s Centenary, Commodore Michael Johnson was able to boast that the only two gold medals won by Great Britain for yachting in the previous fifty years had both been won by members of the RN&SYC.
In 1998 a grant was secured for a marina, and in partnership with Waveney & Oulton Broad Yacht Club recognition as an RYA/Volvo Centre of Excellence for sail training was achieved.
In 2009 the Club celebrated its 150th. birthday, commencing with a reception and supper at the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich in commemoration of the meeting held to initiate the formation of the club in the the same hotel in 1859.
Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Clu
The Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club, patron - HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh KG KT GBE
The Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club was inaugurated on 16th. April 1859 when a number of “boating gentlemen” met to discuss the formation of a club and an entry fee of two guineas with an annual subscription of one guinea was established. Col. George Wilson of Beccles was elected the first Commodore and a Sailing Committee was formed with representatives from Great Yarmouth and the rivers Bure, Yare and Waveney. The first club burgee was a white flag bearing a red cross of St. George. Sailing fixtures were initially organised at Cantley in June, Wroxham in July and Oulton Broad in August, these regatta dates have remained largely unchanged to this day. Club cruises remained popular until the development of ‘machines for racing’ were built without accommodation.
In 1884 it was decided to build a clubhouse at Lowestoft and members formed a company to fund the building, the land being leased from the Great Eastern Railway until 1960. The original Clubhouse was completed in 1886 but soon proved too small and George Skipper of Norwich produced the winning design of an early butterfly or ‘X’ plan building. Edward VII formalised the Royal Warrant, backdating it to its original issue date of 1898.
At the turn of the nineteenth century when the Club was still sailing most of its regattas on the Broads, with only six races a year at Lowestoft, Naval Architect Linton Hope was commissioned to design a half decked one design yacht for sailing on the Broads but equally able to deal with the coastal conditions off Lowestoft. The Broads One Design Yacht, affectionately known as the ‘Brown Boat’ has proved a mainstay of Club racing ever since 1901.
The Broads One Design yacht is the oldest one design class racing at the Club. The yacht is 24ft. (7.3m) overall, 5ft. 1in. (1.55m) beam, 3ft. (0.9m) draft with a waterline length of 16ft. 6in. (4.9m) and a gaff rigged sail area of 262 sq.ft (24 sq.m).
The first five yachts were delivered by train on flatbed trucks from Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex where the majority of the timber yachts were built. The first race was held on Oulton Broad on Whit Monday, 1901. Thirty one timber yachts were built over a period of 38 years. Twenty seven still remain, including the first five built. The first twelve were carvel built in cedar and the remainder in mahogany.
The Broads One Design Class also became known as ‘Brown Boats’ due to their varnished hulls as opposed to other one design classes arriving on the Broads with their white painted softwood hulls.
During 1933 and 1934 a Bermudian rig was tried on Number 7 'Kingfisher', however it was beaten by the original gaff rig yachts and the idea was dropped.
A unique feature of the class is that each yacht is allocated an individual racing flag. Initially the yachts were allocated a flag from the International Code of Signals flags, progressing to the numeral pennants and substitutes until all had been used. Currently house flags and others are allocated. The first twelve yachts used their flags for identification during racing until 1911. Sail numbers were used in the 1912 sailing season for the first time, under protest from the class members, after the Club asked them to use numbers for better identification whilst at sea. Brown sail numbers were used first, changing to black for the 1927 season.
As the yachts proved so manageable, in 1908 a lady became an owner and several others followed. This became a problem for the Club, membership at that time being male only. It was not until after World War II that the Club relaxed its rules to allow female members.
In 1987 a glass fibre yacht was built, undergoing trials before being accepted. The introduction of the glass fibre yachts has rejuvenated the class. A further 55 glass fibre yachts have currently been built. The design lends itself well to fibreglass. Whilst the spoon bows and flat counter belonged to the period of its design, the short keel and shallow midships would not look out of place thirty years later.
Over the years, Linton Hope’s design has proved to be very safe and capable at sea, coping with the sometimes rough conditions experienced off Lowestoft while also racing successfully on the Broads against yachts designed specifically for Broads sailing.
In 1959 at the Club’s Centenary, Commodore Michael Johnson was able to boast that the only two gold medals won by Great Britain for yachting in the previous fifty years had both been won by members of the RN&SYC.
In 1998 a grant was secured for a marina, and in partnership with Waveney & Oulton Broad Yacht Club recognition as an RYA/Volvo Centre of Excellence for sail training was achieved.
In 2009 the Club celebrated its 150th. birthday, commencing with a reception and supper at the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich in commemoration of the meeting held to initiate the formation of the club in the the same hotel in 1859.