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 The
members of today's RSYC take pride in the Club's distinguished
heritage, which goes back to Singapore's early days as a British
colony. The Club's legacy is aptly symbolised by the Lipton Cup,
a trophy donated to the RSYC in 1923 by the legendary yachtsman
and tea merchant, Sir
Thomas Lipton. By joining the Club, the current members have
followed in the wake of the many socially and politically prominent
personalities who were Singapore's yachtsmen in the past.
The
RSYC is descended from the Singapore Yacht Club. The Club's most
prominent member in the 1800s was W.H. Read, a Scottish merchant
who served as commodore for many years. Read was also the president
of the Tanglin Club and a founder of what is now the Singapore
Turf Club. In 1843, Read rode the winner in Singapore's first
formal horse race.
Read
was a close friend of one of the Royal Navy's most famous officers,
Admiral of the Fleet the Honourable Sir Henry Keppel, whose name
is immortalised by Keppel Harbour. When Keppel came to Singapore
to fight pirates in 1843, he "umpired" a Singapore regatta organised
by Read. Thanks largely to Read, the Singapore sailing regattas
became a local tradition, regularly drawing large crowds to the
shore to watch the race near what is now the heart of Singapore's
financial district.
On
1 July 1919, a group of sailing enthusiasts including W.F. Nutt,
OBE, V.D. Knowles, and W.M. Blake met at the Singapore Cricket
Club to revive the Singapore Yacht Club. The meeting was a success,
and the revived Club turned its attention to the construction
of a new seaside clubhouse at Trafalgar Street in Tanjong Pagar.
In 1922, the Club was host to the Prince of Wales, later King
Edward VIII, who agreed to become the Club's first Royal Patron.
The Club thus became the Royal Singapore Yacht Club, or RSYC.
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