Royal Windermere Yacht Club (RWYC)
Encyclopedia
The Royal Windermere Yacht Club
is a sailing club
, situated at Fallbarrow Road, Bowness-on-Windermere
, Cumbria
, England.
The first recorded yacht race was to be held on Windermere
in 1818, using, as its land base, the inn at Ferry Nab. However, the race was not to be, the wind was then, as it is now, and that is unpredictable! (or in the case of 1818, absent). Undeterred, the hardy souls who wished to race were not put off and racing in an 'ad hoc' manner, continued for many years. Indeed, the regatta of 1824 was witnessed by an illustrious company, including such luminaries of the time as Sir Walter Scott, William Wordsworth
and Robert Southey
. This 'ad hoc' affair gained in popularity and became increasingly organised.
The Windermere
Sailing Club was founded in 1860 and started to organise yacht racing
on Windermere in a more formal manner. In doing so, it introduced limits on size and handicapping
for different types of yacht. However, the club members were not averse to stretching the rules on size, apparently taking the line that everything not mentioned in the rules was permissible. This rule bending resulted in the construction of a 'one design' class, where all racing yachts had to conform to rather more stringent parameters than had hitherto been the case. This resulted in the first 'Windermere' class racing yacht, having a waterline of 22'
In 1887 Sir William Forwood
acquired the Royal Warrant for the club. This was on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee
of Queen Victoria.
The 22' Windermere Class continued to be the only racing yachts on the lake for many years. But, in 1904 a new class was proposed. The design brief for the boat was that it should be cheap, easy to handle, suitable for amateurs, capable of being taken out quickly and may be sailed single handed if necessary. The design evolved into the Windermere 17' class yachts, or as they were called in those days, the 'second class' yachts.
The 22' and 17' fleets co-existed quite nicely for several years, but eventually the 22' class dwindled, with fewer and fewer new boats being built. This apparent malaise also set in with the 17' class, so that by 1914, the entire fleet of the club numbered 14 boats.
In 1922, the club introduced the 19' class. This was not a popular class as construction prices had increased markedly, following the Great War and there were plenty of 17' boats still in use. The 19' fleet often sailed in handicap races with the 17' fleet.
In 1951, the club agreed to introduce a second dinghy class. The GP14 fleet came into being. The GP was seen as a much more suitable family boat than the firefly, which was designed solely for racing. The GP Fleet remains popular with club members and a strong racing fleet can be seen on the lake during the season.
Windermere 17' class yachts
Flying Fifteen (keelboat)
GP14
RS400 (Dinghy)
Laser dinghy
Mirror (dinghy)
Yacht club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...
is a sailing club
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
, situated at Fallbarrow Road, Bowness-on-Windermere
Bowness-on-Windermere
Bowness-on-Windermere is a town in South Lakeland, Cumbria, England. Due its position on the banks of Windermere the town has become a tourist honeypot. Although their mutual growth has caused them to become one large settlement, the town is distinct from the town of Windermere as the two still...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England.
The first recorded yacht race was to be held on Windermere
Windermere
Windermere is the largest natural lake of England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:-Australia:* Lake Windermere , a reservoir, Australian Capital Territory * Lake Windermere...
in 1818, using, as its land base, the inn at Ferry Nab. However, the race was not to be, the wind was then, as it is now, and that is unpredictable! (or in the case of 1818, absent). Undeterred, the hardy souls who wished to race were not put off and racing in an 'ad hoc' manner, continued for many years. Indeed, the regatta of 1824 was witnessed by an illustrious company, including such luminaries of the time as Sir Walter Scott, William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
and Robert Southey
Robert Southey
Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic school, one of the so-called "Lake Poets", and Poet Laureate for 30 years from 1813 to his death in 1843...
. This 'ad hoc' affair gained in popularity and became increasingly organised.
The Windermere
Windermere
Windermere is the largest natural lake of England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:-Australia:* Lake Windermere , a reservoir, Australian Capital Territory * Lake Windermere...
Sailing Club was founded in 1860 and started to organise yacht racing
Yacht racing
Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...
on Windermere in a more formal manner. In doing so, it introduced limits on size and handicapping
Handicapping
Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated...
for different types of yacht. However, the club members were not averse to stretching the rules on size, apparently taking the line that everything not mentioned in the rules was permissible. This rule bending resulted in the construction of a 'one design' class, where all racing yachts had to conform to rather more stringent parameters than had hitherto been the case. This resulted in the first 'Windermere' class racing yacht, having a waterline of 22'
In 1887 Sir William Forwood
William Bower Forwood
Sir William Bower Forwood was an English merchant, shipowner and politician. He was a wealthy businessman and a local politician in Liverpool who raised money for the building of the Liverpool Overhead Railway and Liverpool Cathedral.-Early life and business:Forwood was born in Edge Hill,...
acquired the Royal Warrant for the club. This was on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
of Queen Victoria.
The 22' Windermere Class continued to be the only racing yachts on the lake for many years. But, in 1904 a new class was proposed. The design brief for the boat was that it should be cheap, easy to handle, suitable for amateurs, capable of being taken out quickly and may be sailed single handed if necessary. The design evolved into the Windermere 17' class yachts, or as they were called in those days, the 'second class' yachts.
The 22' and 17' fleets co-existed quite nicely for several years, but eventually the 22' class dwindled, with fewer and fewer new boats being built. This apparent malaise also set in with the 17' class, so that by 1914, the entire fleet of the club numbered 14 boats.
In 1922, the club introduced the 19' class. This was not a popular class as construction prices had increased markedly, following the Great War and there were plenty of 17' boats still in use. The 19' fleet often sailed in handicap races with the 17' fleet.
Dinghies
On 23 October 1948, the club decided that something must be done to encourage more people to sail on Windermere. The decision they took on that date was to introduce sailing dinghies. The decision was not accepted with universal jubilation; the proposed club dinghy was to be the 'Firefly' many members were of the opinion that a dinghy would be unsafe on the lake and that catastrophe was inevitable. They might also attract 'young people'!In 1951, the club agreed to introduce a second dinghy class. The GP14 fleet came into being. The GP was seen as a much more suitable family boat than the firefly, which was designed solely for racing. The GP Fleet remains popular with club members and a strong racing fleet can be seen on the lake during the season.
Racing Fleets
Racing at RWYC is divided into six classes. They are;Windermere 17' class yachts
Flying Fifteen (keelboat)
Flying Fifteen (keelboat)
The Flying Fifteen is a 20-foot two person keelboat.Designed by the legendary Uffa Fox in 1947, the 6m Flying Fifteen has maintained its reputation as an exciting and competitive two-man racing craft...
GP14
RS400 (Dinghy)
RS400 (Dinghy)
The RS400 is a light-weight sailing dinghy designed by Phil Morrison and manufactured by RS Sailing. The dinghy is sailed by 2 people and has a main, a jib and an asymmetric spinnaker. It has a PY of 949.-Performance and design:...
Laser dinghy
Mirror (dinghy)
Mirror (dinghy)
The Mirror is a very popular sailing dinghy, with more than 70,000 built.The Mirror was named after the Daily Mirror, a UK newspaper with a largely working class distribution. The Mirror was from the start promoted as an affordable boat, and as a design it has done a great deal to make dinghy...