Since the Royal Cork Yacht Club was formed in 1720, sailing’s members-only enclaves have enjoyed a reputation for stuffy insularity, with inscrutable traditions and prominent connections held close to the blazer crest. Today, though, even the most exclusive of these maritime cliques embrace their surrounding communities, whether through wildly popular race weeks, youth sailing programs, or taking the helm on sustainability issues. Here, six esteemed yacht clubs that are adeptly navigating the winds of change.
-
Yacht Club de Monaco
Image Credit: Supplied Years in Operation: 71
Roster Size: 2,500
Notable Member: Prince Albert II“The future of Monaco lies with the sea,” said Prince Rainier III when he established Yacht Club de Monaco in 1953. Since being crowned club president in 1984, his son, Prince Albert II, has made good on those words, combining Monaco’s standing as a superyacht haven with a growing emphasis on environmental initiatives. In 2014, Lord Norman Foster’s multitiered, ship-like structure became the country’s focal point for both—and the world’s largest yacht club. The 670-foot-long building encompasses nearly 97,000 square feet of sweeping balconies and tasteful interior spaces. With 2,500 members from 81 countries, this powerful collective has organized multiple efforts to combat pollution in the Mediterranean.
-
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
Image Credit: Carlo Borlenghi Years in Operation: 80
Roster Size: 3,544
Notable Member: Grant Simmer, captain on Australia II, the first challenger to take the America’s Cup in 132 yearsIn 1944, a fruit seller, an accountant, and a photographer were among six avid sailors who held the initial meeting to form the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, outside Sydney. Despite its name, the club is better known for its grueling offshore races, including the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, plus 16 other one-class events. Its youth sailing academy has trained some of Australia’s finest competitors in the Olympics and the America’s Cup and brings sailing to financially challenged communities that have never been on the water.
-
New York Yacht Club
Image Credit: Courtesy of New York Yacht Club Years in Operation: 180
Roster Size: 3,000+
Notable Member: President Franklin D. RooseveltLocated near Grand Central Station in a six-story Beaux Arts clubhouse featuring a Tiffany-glass ceiling and an 8,000-book library, the NYYC is arguably the most imposing of these maritime hubs. The same applies to its membership roll, a historical who’s who of financial titans, U.S. senators, and at least one U.S. president. Yet the real standouts are those who helped it retain the iconic America’s Cup trophy for an incredible 132 years, from 1851 to 1983. To that end, members Hap Fauth and Doug DeVos have funded two recent American Magic campaigns to return the Cup to where many feel it never should have left. The club’s passion for sailing will pass to future generations through its community-outreach efforts, including sponsorship of the U.S. Sailing Team and Sail Newport.
-
Royal Yacht Squadron
Image Credit: Peter Titmuss/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images Years in Operation: 209
Roster Size: 550
Notable Member: HRH Prince PhilipHoused in a medieval castle built by Henry VIII in 1539, the RYS is the grande dame of these institutions, with an unbroken line of royal members from King George IV through Queen Elizabeth II, who served as its patron. The club is replete with oil paintings of many of Britain’s most important seafarers and each year hosts Cowes Race Week, the country’s sailing equivalent to Wimbledon. Its RYS Isle of Wight Foundation provides financial assistance to local youth for career guidance, and the club has also been sponsoring the U.K.’s most recent America’s Cup campaigns in an attempt to recapture what it lost to the New York Yacht Club back in 1851.
-
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda
Image Credit: Tiziano Years in Operation: 57
Roster Size: 700
Notable Member: Aga Khan IVCofounded by the Aga Khan in 1967 as a modest nonprofit outpost for sailing enthusiasts, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, has become the Mediterranean’s most prestigious address for mariners. The club has been transformed into a five-star resort that now includes a spa, a wellness center, restaurants, and luxury residences (a superyacht marina is nearby). It’s also host to the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta, as well as home to a highly successful youth sailing school.
-
Gstaad Yacht Club
Image Credit: Sebastian Devenish Years in Operation: 26
Roster Size: 400
Notable Member: Constantine II of GreeceSwitzerland’s prestigious GYC was established in 1998 with the purpose of being “a global yacht club away from the water”—and at an altitude of 3,500 feet, its chalet is many miles from even the nearest lake. But this singular alpine iteration, with 400 members from 45 countries, has had an immense role in fostering the nation’s next generation of competitive sailors, including multiple Olympians and five members of the latest Alinghi Red Bull America’s Cup team. Its Centenary Trophy Regatta is as unique as the club itself, restricted to vessels that are 100 years of age or older.
