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Photos: Inside the Exclusive New York Yacht Club in NYC

Located on 37 West 44th Street, the New York City Yacht Club is a private social and yachting club founded by a prominent New Yorker named John Cox Stevens. Originated on July 30th, 1844, the original purpose of the club was simple: to race sailing yachts. Today, the club is composed of over 3,000 members dedicated to both yacht racing and design. As one of New York’s most elite social clubs, membership to the NYYC is very exclusive which makes photos hard to come by, but we were able to get a look inside the stunning club. 

The club was first started during an outing on Steven’s own yacht Gimcrack with eight friends. On that boat, anchored in New York Harbor, the group developed their idea to form the NYYC. They designated Stevens as commodore, and three days later, announced their launching of a yacht club cruise to Newport, Rhode Island : the beginning of the historical connection between these two cities. In 1845, the NYYC’s first clubhouse was built on land granted by Stevens in Hoboken, NJ, in close proximity to the Hudson River.

The opening of the Gothic-styled clubhouse was followed by the club’s first regatta. This turned into the club’s first tradition of the “Annual Regatta,” occurring every year with exception of a few drastic events in American history: the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I and II. Today, the NYYC is looking on its 163rd Annual Regatta.

A few years after the opening of the NYYC, Stevens and other club members bought the schooner-yacht America. In 1851, they sailed it to the Isle of Wight in the Solent- a hotbed for yachting in England . They entered a free-for-all around the Isle of Wight, of which they won the Royal Yacht Squadron’s “Hundred Guinea Cup,” further solidifying their title’s as founders of the NYYC. The trophy of the race was donated to the NYYC in 1857, renaming it the “ America’s Cup .” It was meant to be used as a challenge cup for honorable racing between nations. From this point forward, NYYC boats won 81 of 93 races held at the club, often regarded as the longest winning streak in all sports.

Around 1898, member Commodore J. Pierpont Morgan donated three lots on West 44th Street to build an entirely new clubhouse. Now 116 years old, the building was constructed in the beaux-arts style by Whitney Warren and Charles D. Wetmore. It first opened in 1901, and is most renowned for its Model Room and library. A number of races and traditions followed the establishment of the new clubhouse, including the Disabled World Sailing Championship, the Rolex IMS Offshore World Championship, and the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge. Today, the NYYC remains one of the oldest and most exclusive yacht clubs in the world.

Next, read 10 of NYC’s Oldest Historic Private Clubs and check out Behind the Scenes Look at the Wavertree Ship at South Street Seaport .

Things to Do This Week in NYC: April 10th – 17th

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New York Yacht Club

Stories from the New York Yacht Club

New York Yacht Club 37 West 44th Street New York, NY 10036-6643 (212) 382-1007

Website: http://www.nyyc.org/

The Isle of Wight in the Solent has long been the epicenter of yachting in England. In 1851, a schooner painted black arrived there looking to win races. This was the yacht America, owned by John Cox Stevens, the first commodore and other members of the New York Yacht Club.

NEW YORK YACHT CLUB BECOMES NSHOF FOUNDING MEMBER

These nine individuals agreed to form the New York Yacht Club, with Stevens to serve as commodore.  With much enthusiasm for their accomplishment, the group further agreed to assemble their yachts three days later and cruise to Newport, Rhode Island.

A summer cruise among New York Yacht Club members has been an annual event ever since, with the exceptions of 1861, 1898, and the war years of 1917-1920 and 1941-1945. In 1998, the club celebrated the 100th anniversary of its first cruise to Maine.

A rich and storied history of the New York Yacht Club is available on their website:

http://www.nyyc.org/about/history-heritage

BACK TO YACHT CLUB STORIES PAGE

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Sailing wins as nearly 100 boats gather for New York Yacht Club’s 166th Annual Regatta

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Donald Tofias has an expression he’s quite fond of. So fond, In fact, he trademarked it and put it on the back of a crew shirt for his W-76  Wild Horses . “Yachting is the winner” it said.

“The reason we came up with the phrase is when we first started racing the W-76, we didn’t win a lot of races,” says Tofias, of Newport, R.I. “But when we did win, we’d say, ‘Yachting is the winner.'”

Racing opportunities this summer for  Wild Horses , a 76-foot wooden yacht that combines a classic hull form with a modern underbody and construction methods, have been far and few between. It isn’t the sort of boat on which you can gather a few friends for a weeknight bash around some government marks. Sailing in a spinnaker division takes a crew of 20. Even racing in a non-spinnaker division, as  Wild Horses  did for the 166th Annual Regatta this weekend, requires a dozen more more people on board.

“I’ve always loved the Annual Regatta,” says Tofias, who won the Non-Spinnaker Class this weekend with two firsts and a third. “I think I’ve done it most every year for the better part of 30 years. I didn’t want to miss it. We had the boat on the mooring all summer, and it was time to race. We hadn’t sailed much on the boat at all until the Sail For Hope on September 12. We did well in Sail For Hope, so we decided to do the Annual Regatta also.”

The  Annual Regatta  was first sailed on the Hudson River on July 16 and 18, 1846. A similar competition the previous year was called a Trial of Speed. With a few exceptions for world wars and other global crises, the event has been held every year since. For the majority of its existence, the New York Yacht Club held its Annual Regatta on waters close to New York City. Since 1988, however, the event has been sailed out of the Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport, R.I., and has settled into the current three-day format, which includes a race around Conanicut Island on Friday and two days of buoy racing or navigator-course racing on Saturday and Sunday. The 166th Annual Regatta, which is sponsored by  Hammetts Hotel  and  Helly Hansen , also included the 2020 Melges IC37 National Championship.

Results:  Round-the-Island Race  |  Melges IC37 National Championship  |  Weekend Series

The Annual Regatta is traditionally held in early June, at the start of the Newport sailing season. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was pushed back first to late August before finally settling on the first weekend in October.

“We were committed to running this event,” says New York Yacht Club Commodore William P. Ketcham (Greenwich, Conn.). “Which is why we kept delaying the event rather than canceling it outright. It was challenge, but we finally got to a point where we could run it based on Rhode Island’s COVID guidelines and our own Club policies on safety. The enthusiasm on the water, both this weekend and at last weekend’s Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, was tremendous. Our team on  Maxine  (above, left) packed basically our entire sailing season into two weeks, and we couldn’t have had more fun.”

With 11 points in four races, Ketcham’s J/44  Maxine  placed second in ORC 3. At the head of the class was Tom Sutton’s  Leading Edge . While Sutton hails from Houston, Texas—where he lives and sails in the cooler months—Newport has become a second home.

With most multi-day sailing regattas in 2020 were canceled, the  Leading Edge  team cobbled together a summer of weeknight and one-day races in and around Narragansett Bay.

“We raced every race on Tuesday night and did the weekend regattas,” says Sutton. “We went to Block Island with the Twenty Hundred Club, we raced around Prudence Island two times, Conanicut Island four or five times. We’ve gotten in more sailboat racing than in most years. But we miss racing around the buoys. That’s what we really like.”

All that time on the water paid off this weekend with wins in Friday’s Around the Island Race as well as the weekend series around the buoys. Sutton was quick to share the credit, singling out his wife Diana for her work off the water and on the foredeck and the team’s tactical braintrust of Tom Meeh and Alex Crowell.

“My guys work as hard or harder than anybody,” says Tom Sutton. “We’ve sailed together since 2014 and everybody a great time this year. We’re all looking forward to coming back next summer.”

Due to the compressed sailing schedule for 2020, the second Melges IC37 National Championship was held concurrently with the Annual Regatta. The competition in the 13-boat one-design class was intense through each of the nine races. While consistency was elusive,  Pacific Yankee , co-skippered by Drew Freides (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Bill Ruh (Newport Beach, Calif.), showed that it was without a doubt the fastest boat. The only wobbles in  Pacific Yankee ‘s scoreline came today, in very light air, after they’d established an all-but-insurmountable lead through the first seven races.  Pacific Yankee  finished the championship 13 points ahead of  Midnight Blue , skippered by Alexis Michas (New York, N.Y.), and  Blazer II,  skippered by New York Yacht Club Vice Commodore Christopher J. Culver (Newport, R.I.). Those two boats finished the regatta tied on points—and only two points ahead of fourth place—with  Midnight Blue  winning the tiebreaker.

“We’ve had almost the entire team together for the past year, and it takes a team to win on this boat,” says Freides. “We spent a lot of time trying to make the boat fast and we found a number of techniques to keep the boat flat. Like the Melges 20, you have to keep the boat flat and de-powered, especially in the waves, so that’s what we strived for.”

Click  here  for the full release on the Melges IC37 National Championship

While the Annual Regatta has traditionally been restricted to larger boats, this year the Club opened the regatta up to two one-design classes that had never before competed in the event, Shields and Sonars. Over the course of three days, the two classes each completed nine races, with the Friday races being scored as a separate series. For the Shields class, which had its 2020 national championship canceled, this regatta was the next best thing.

“Our crew—Peter Schott, Rachel Balaban, Ted Hood and Matt Buechner, plus my co-skipper Reed Baer—have been sailing together for 20 years,” says class winner John Burnham (Middletown, R.I.) on  Grace  (at right). “For the last 10, more often than not, the national champions have been either  Aeolus  or  Maverick . The other boat that gives us fits is Ken Deyett’s  Bit-O-Honey  from Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, Mass. In this regatta, we were lucky to beat all three, so it felt almost like winning the Nationals we never had this year. On behalf of the class, I’d like to thank the New York Yacht Club for inviting us to race in the Annual Regatta this year.”

The 10-strong Sonar fleet consisted of boats chartered by New York Yacht Club members for the regatta. John Bainton (Norwalk, Conn.) won five of the nine races sailed and took the overall win in both the Friday and weekend series.

“It was just great to be able to do an actual event where we sailed for three days and had some good competition,” says Bainton. “Aside from missing the on-shore social part, it was a fantastic time on the water.”

With a breeze that seemed to be always in flux, and the strong current generated by a moon tide running, Bainton said the key to success was his crew’s ability to keep their head out of the boat.

“The wind was very sporadic, so being able to see the wind up the course and read what the current was doing across the course was very important,” he says. “One of my crew members, Dale Harper, is actually a harbor pilot for Newport Harbor, so he as tremendous amount of knowledge of how the water moves through the harbor.”

In past years, the Annual Regatta would signal the start of the Newport sailing season, with competitors looking forward to Race Weeks in Newport or Block Island, or a long thrash to Bermuda. This year, however, it closes out the racing season. The summer of 2020 wasn’t what anyone expected, but those fortunate enough to participate in the 166th Annual Regatta will head into winter with fresh memories of competition and camaraderie. The 167th edition of the New York Yacht Club’s Annual Regatta is scheduled for June 11 to 13, 2021.

Photos: Paul Todd/Outside Images (4), Courtesy of Team Jager

Published on March 8th, 2022 | by Editor

USA reveals core team for America’s Cup

Published on March 8th, 2022 by Editor -->

New York Yacht Club American Magic, the U.S. sailing team challenging for the 37th America’s Cup, confirmed the initial core sailing team roster: Tom Burnham, Lucas Calabrese, Andrew Campbell, Riley Gibbs, Paul Goodison, Michael Menninger, and Dan Morris.

“We are excited to announce this group of talented sailors,” remarked Terry Hutchinson, Skipper, and President of Sailing Operations for American Magic. “Our goal is to win the America’s Cup and bring the trophy back to United States and the New York Yacht Club. We are confident we are putting together a balanced team of experienced America’s Cup sailors with new blood to help American Magic accomplish this goal.”

“The America’s Cup is the pinnacle of the sport of sailing and our team is hungry.” said Tom Burnham, American Magic Head Coach. “The sailors are actively sailing in other events and regattas around the globe. We are currently planning our sailing schedule for the 37th America’s Cup, per the Rules of the Protocol all of the teams are permitted to start sailing their AC75 this September.”

• Tom Burnham (Newport, RI) – Tom joins American Magic as Head Coach. Tom has sailed on three America’s Cup teams: Young America, and twice with the Italian Team Luna Rossa. Tom was the head coach of the Swedish America’s Cup Challenger Artemis Racing in the 35th America’s Cup. Tom sailed with Quantum Racing’s TP52 program for eight years. Tom is also currently the coach for the Australian SailGP team. Tom is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and won the Student Yachting World Cup. In addition to being a professional sailor and sailing coach, Tom is very passionate about the environment and practicing ways to be more sustainable on and off the water.

• Lucas Calabrese (Fort Lauderdale, FL) – Lucas achieved an Olympic Medal in London 2012 competing in the 470 class. Lucas has won three World Championships in the Melges 20, J70, and Optimist classes. Lucas was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, moved permanently to the United States seven years ago and became a US citizen. Lucas placed 2nd at the TP52 Worlds and 2nd at the Melges 24 Worlds. • Andrew Campbell (San Diego, CA) – Andrew returns to American Magic in his third America’s Cup pursuit; this is his second campaign with American Magic and previously was with Oracle Team USA in the 35th America’s Cup. Andrew is a World Champion Silver Medalist in the Star class. Andrew is a Beijing 2008 Olympian and won a Gold Medal at the 2007 Pan American Games. Andrew is a four time Collegiate All-American, four time National Champion and College Sailor of the Year during his time at Georgetown University. Andrew is a three time US Youth Champion Gold Medalist, and a Youth Laser World Champion.

• Riley Gibbs (Long Beach, CA) – Riley is a versatile sailor and has an impressive resume of successes in a variety of fleets starting at a young age. Riley is on the US Sailing Team and sails with the United States SailGP Team. Riley represented Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the Nacra 17 class and competed at the Red Bull Foiling Generation World Finals. Riley won his first regatta at the Junior Sabot Nationals at the age of fourteen, and has since placed top five at three different World Champions: 29er, Formula Kite, and Nacra 17. Riley is the youngest skipper to win the 505 North Americans.

• Paul Goodison MBE (Lake Garda, Italy) – Paul will continue with American Magic in the team’s second hunt for the America’s Cup. Paul was a sailing team member with Artemis Racing in the 35th America’s Cup. Paul has competed in three Olympic Games, winning a Gold Medal in Beijing 2008, also he placed fourth in Athens 2004 and 7th in London 2012. Paul holds six World Championship Titles: Laser , Melges 32, Melges 20, and is a three time Moth Champion. Paul is a five-time Laser European Champion and a Melges 32 European Champion. Paul grew up in Sheffield, Great Britain.

• Michael Menninger (Newport Beach, CA) – Michael is a former helmsman of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. Michael is a Match Racing World Champion, Team Racing World Champion, and Etchells World Champion. Michael has sailed with 11th Hour Racing Team aboard the IMOCA 60 for a transatlantic crossing. Michael sailed for St. Mary’s College of Maryland, he is a three-time All-American, two-time National Champion, and twice College Sailor of the Year finalist. Michael is a two-time Governor’s Cup winner.

• Dan Morris (Newport, RI) – Dan returns to American Magic in his second America’s Cup quest. Dan is a Match Racing Tour World Champion, a Transpac Race Winner, and a Middle Sea Race Winner. Dan has been a part of the Red Bull Sailing Team in the Extreme Sailing Series, the United States SailGP Team, and participated in the Superfoiler Grand Prix. Dan grew up living and working on boats in Minnesota.

The complete American Magic sailing team and roles on the boat will be announced at a future date.

Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, the entry period opened December 1, 2021 and runs until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup may be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender is to announce Match Venue and approximate event dates on March 31, 2022. – https://www.americascup.com/en/home

Tags: America's Cup , American Magic

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New York YC Invitational Cup: Team Profiles

• By Michael Lovett, Barby Mcgowan, Dana Paxton, Dave Reed, And Stuart Streuli
• Updated: September 9, 2009

NYYCInvitational368

New York Yacht Club New York, USA

John Cox Stevens and eight other progressive New York yachtsmen founded the New York Yacht Club in 1844. In 1898, member J. Pierpont Morgan donated three lots on West 44th Street in New York to build a new clubhouse. The club acquired Harbour Court in Newport, R.I., the former summer home of commodore John Nicholas Brown, in 1987; it serves as an on-the-water clubhouse. The club was the keeper of the America’s Cup from 1851 to 1983.

Skipper: Phil Lotz Yacht: Arethusa

Phil and Wendy Lotz’s Arethusa earned the New York Yacht Club’s berth in the Invitational Cup after emerging as the top boat in an elimination series comprised of two summer regattas: the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex and the NYYC Swan 42 National Championship. In testimony to its hard-earned accomplishment, Arethusa won the 20-boat Nationals on the final day.

“We are pleased and proud to be representing New York Yacht Club,” says Phil Lotz, who will enlist wife Wendy and son Doug on the boat’s 10-person team. “The team has been sailing together since January, and [the Invitational] was a stated objective of the program. Although we had to make some key crew changes to sail the qualifying events, everyone on and off the boat contributed to the effort.”

To further bolster his squad for the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, Lotz slotted Ken Read into the tactician’s role. Read spent the last two years with the Volvo Ocean Race as skipper of the Puma Ocean Racing campaign (finishing second overall), but he’s no stranger to the waters of Rhode Island Sound, where the races will be contested.

Looking at the lineup for the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, Phil Lotz says, “We have sailed against several of the skippers and crews, mostly the teams closer to the U.S., such as Bermuda and Canada. We have certainly heard of and know the reputations of many of the other skippers and teams, and we very much look forward to sailing against them. I think every team will be sharp and tough to beat.”

St. Francis Yacht Club San Francisco, USA

The St. Francis Yacht Club was founded in 1927. Through the years, the club served the sport, and it anchored yachting on San Francisco Bay. The club, which is situated on San Francisco Bay, just east of the Golden Gate, inaugurated its Perpetual Trophy Regatta in 1963, and this annual September gathering-the Rolex Big Boat Series-is its signature event.

Skipper: Craig Healy Yacht: Interlodge

According to St. Francis Yacht Club Commodore John McNeill, the club’s decision to participate in the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup was unanimous. The club promptly assembled a team with one-design racing experience. At the top of the roster is skipper Craig Healy, a dentist by trade, but one with a Soling World Championship title to his credit. Called “one of the best amateur helmsmen in the world,” his driving skills are in demand by top one-design programs.

Alongside Healy on the chartered NYYC Swan 42 Interlodge will be two notable tacticians: U.S. Olympian Russ Silvestri and U.S. Olympic bronze medalist Jeff Madrigali. Other crewmembers include John Callahan, John Collins, Joe McCoy, Matt Noble, Chris Perkins, and Chris Smith. Noble fulfills the club’s goal of incorporating a junior sailor on the team. “It’s an extraordinary event and we are honored to be invited,” says Commodore McNeill. “We see this regatta as something that will have a long history. We expect to arrive and be competitive. It’s going to be fun. The Scandinavian and European clubs are very serious from what I’ve heard, and they are coming to show their force. Sailing is a much more broadly popular sport in Europe and Scandinavia than here in the States. For them, it’s national pride. For us, it’s pride of club.”

Royal Ocean Racing Club London, England

The Royal Ocean Racing Club, founded in 1925, is the principal organizer of offshore yacht races in the United Kingdom. The RORC was founded to encourage long-distance yacht racing, and the design, building, and navigation of sailing vessels in which speed and seaworthiness are combined. Among the races it organizes are the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Caribbean 600 in Antigua.

Skipper: David Aisher Yacht: The Cat Came Back

“We have entered the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup as the event promises to be both competitive and fun and will give us all the chance to meet members of other influential yacht clubs from around the world,” says Royal Ocean Racing Club past commodore David Aisher. “Sailing in Newport, with the professional level of race management the club is known for, has the makings of being an event not to be missed. We are all very much looking forward to taking part and to representing our club.”

Aisher will skipper the club’s entry with current commodore Andrew McIrvine serving as trimmer. Other crewmembers are RORC admiral Chris Little, Chris Fry, Steve Thorpe, Jonathan Goring, and Eddie Warden-Owen.

Royal Thames Yacht Club London, England

Established in 1775, the Royal Thames Yacht Club is the oldest royal yacht club in the United Kingdom. Among many other events, the club still runs the Cumberland Cup, the world’s oldest sporting trophy, as a biennial team-racing event. The club also takes part in the organization of Cowes Week.

Skipper: John Greenland Yacht: Mustang

“Since hearing about the Invitational Cup, I’ve always imagined it to be a fantastic event, providing the opportunity to compete against some of the best Corinthian sailors the world has to offer,” says John Greenland, who will skipper the Royal Thames Yacht Club’s entry. “Looking at the United Kingdom’s teams alone, it’s quite clear my expectations will be met-Eddie Warden-Owen calling the shots for Royal Ocean Racing Club sets the bar pretty high, and there are many other teams for us to worry about.”

Other crew members representing the Royal Thames Yacht Club are Andrew Collins, Lizzie Vickers, Doug Harckham, Jon Blackburn, Nick Hornby, rear commodore John Dallimore, Jamie Houston, Sammy Evans, and Simon Morris.

“The Royal Thames Yacht Club, as one of the oldest clubs in the world, is looking forward to taking its place amongst other senior clubs in Rhode Island,” says Houston. “New York Yacht Club is known for its hospitality off the water and its competitiveness on it. This, combined with the chance to race against such a great collection of sailors from other leading clubs around the world, is an opportunity not to be missed. We can’t wait to get on the water and start racing.”

Royal Yacht Squadron Isle of Wight, England

The Royal Yacht Squadron is the most prestigious yacht club in the United Kingdom. Its clubhouse is located in Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight. The club’s patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and its admiral is Prince Philip, who is also a former club commodore. There is a long and interesting history of collaboration between the Royal Yacht Squadron and the New York Yacht Club.

Skipper: Oscar Strugstad Yacht: Apparition

The Royal Yacht Squadron does not take any international competition lightly, and it comes as no surprise that they have culled a team rich with talent for the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, from which they intend to carry home the silverware and be the first to engrave their club’s name on the Cup.

Oscar Strugstad, an Etchells 22 world champion (2007), will skipper the team’s entry, with assistance from Mike Ewart-Smith, Geoffrey Stocker, and Dries van der Laan, serving as tactician, main trimmer, and trimmer, respectively. Other crewmembers include Graham Simpson, Oliver Stanley, Rupert Syme, Charlie Sichel, Laetitia Campbell, John Dare, and Tony Singer (shore manager).

Royal Yacht Squadron commodore, The Lord Iliffe, is extremely positive about the initiative, as well as his team’s chances of success. “The Royal Yacht Squadron congratulates the New York Yacht Club on initiating this very special inter-club regatta and is delighted to be taking part along with many other yacht clubs from around the world,” he says. “We will be following the progress of our entry closely. The New York Yacht Club are legendary hosts, and the event promises to be a highlight of the 2009 racing calendar.”

As team manager for the Squadron’s entry, John Dare is equally upbeat. “We are most attracted by the Corinthian nature of the event,” he says, “particularly as we do not have any Category 3 crewmembers. Nevertheless, we have put together a keen team of experienced amateurs and we all look forward to a great competition.”

Japan Sailing Federation Tokyo, Japan

Founded in 1875, the Japan Sailing Federation is an organization with two different purposes: serving as sailing’s national authority in Japan and an ocean-racing yacht club. Among the events it hosts are the Oshima Race (since 1951), Pearl Race (since 1960), Japan Cup (since 1985), and the Melbourne-Osaka Doublehanded Race (since 1987). The Federation challenged for the America’s Cup as the Nippon Challenge in 1992.

Skipper: Makoto Uematsu Yacht: Downhill Express

The Japan Sailing Federation’s team is comprised of two championship programs headed by successful one-design sailors, Makoto Uematsu and Takashi Okura. Both are familiar with Newport and conditions on Rhode Island Sound, having competed many times in New York Yacht Club’s Annual Regatta and Race Week at Newport, both presented by Rolex. In 2006, Okura’s Farr 40 Sled won its class at Race Week and then won the Farr 40 North Americans.

Uematsu has campaigned his NYYC Swan 42 Esmeralda since 2007, when it debuted at Key West Race Week with a IRC class win. His longtime crewmates Kazuhiro Takatsuki, Matsukichi Nishikawa, Manabu Yoshida, and Eiichiro Hamasaki will join with Okura and his frequent crew Masahiro Ogawa, Kenichi Nakamura, Hideki Wakayama, and Toshiro Honda, the team captain. Ogawa, Yoshida, and Honda have sailed together for many years and were part of the Nippon Challenge for the America’s Cup.

Honda, a frequent personality on the World Match Racing Tour, says the team is focused on finishing in the top five. “We have trained on Uematsu-san’s Swan 42 in Japan,” says the former America’s Cup mainsail trimmer. “We look forward to sailing against the world’s top yacht club teams.”

Yacht Club Italiano Genoa, Italy

Along with a group of sailing enthusiasts that included Italy’s King Umberto I, Vittorio Augusto Vecchi founded Yacht Club Italiano in 1879. The following year, the club’s inaugural regatta drew 177 boats and helped establish a legacy of promoting the sport, organizing national and international regattas and cruises, and educating young sailors. More recently, Yacht Club Italiano has sponsored America’s Cup syndicate Luna Rossa Challenge.

Skipper: Carlo A. Puri Negri Yacht: Mutiny

The proud racing tradition of Yacht Club Italiano suffuses the team it has assembled for the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. Skipper Carlo A. Puri Negri, vice president of Pirelli Group, is the owner and helmsman of Atalanta II, which has achieved great success on the Mini Maxi circuit. Negri’s Farr 70 dominated the 2005 Rolex Middle Sea Race, taking line honors and first overall, and won its class at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in 2006 and 2007. Other Atalanta II crewmembers joining Negri for the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup include his 16-year-old son, Tadzio, who will serve as tailer, pitman Pierangela Casarico, who raced in the 1998 ARC, and tailer Elio Petracchi, who, in 1995, won both the Admiral’s Cup and the ILC 40 World Championships sailing Brava Q8 with Francesco de Angelis, Paul Cayard, Rod Davis, and Torben Grael.

Petracchi is one of two crewmembers bringing America’s Cup experience to the Yacht Club Italiano team. He served as pitman aboard the 12-Meter Italia, which was one of 13 challengers that competed in the 1986-1987 Louis Vuitton Cup. Nicolo Reggio, who will be calling tactics during the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, is another Cup veteran, having served as mainsail trimmer aboard the 12-Meter Azzura for its 1983 and 1987 campaigns.

One obvious asset Yacht Club Italiano sailors bring to the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is considerable experience racing NYYC Swan 42s. Reggio competes in the class’s Mediterranean circuit aboard Cuordileone; as does navigator Giuseppe Montella. Mainsail trimmer Paulo Pastorino crews aboard rival boat Kora 4, the 2008 NYYC Swan 42 European champion.

The Yacht Club Italiano team is not just a collection of big-boat sailors, however. Mastman Giovanni Clavarino races ORC 40-footers, but the 21-year-old is a Laser sailor at heart. Pitman Giacomo Fossati has made a name for himself in the International 420 class-at press time, he and skipper Nicolo Briante were sitting in fifth place at the 2009 International 420 Class World Championship in Lake Garda, Italy. The team’s sole female member, Myriam Cutolo, is an accomplished dinghy racer in her own right. She crewed for Elisabetta Saccheggiani in the Women’s 470 at the 2004 Olympics, and the pair later won bronze at the 2005 World University Games. More recently, Cutolo signed on as a tailer for the Ladies First IRC campaign.

Real Club Nautico de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain

The Real Club Nautico de Barcelona was established in 1879. The flag is a blue burgee with the register ensign of Barcelona of 1845 on the canton and the Royal Arms of Spain from 1759 to 1931 (Charles III to Alphonse XIII) in the center. The Real Club Maritimo de Barcelona and the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona merged in 1902 to form the Real Club Barcelona, but the relationship only lasted until 1909, when they broke apart. Both clubhouses are next to each other on Barcelona’s harbor.

Skipper: Jorge Del Tarre Yacht: Quintessence

For Jorge Del Tarre, skipper of the team representing Real Club Nautico de Barcelona, the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup ranks amongst the world’s great regattas. “We are proud to be invited and to represent the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona in this important event,” he says. “Of course we hope to do as well as we can, and to enjoy the opportunity of sailing this regatta.”

The team was selected by the Real Club Nautico de Barcelona Sports Committee and includes tactician Alejandro Perez Calzada, owner/skipper of Charisma, an S&S 57. Calzada has competed in the Rolex Middle Sea Race (class win in 2006), the 2008 Newport Bermuda Race (finished fourth), and the Rolex Fastnet Race.

“The crew has been training for several years in international races with Charisma,” says Calzada, referencing crewmembers Jose Manuel Valades, Federico Garcia, Luis Mas, Josep Pujol, Luis Pujol, Francisco Bacquelaine, and Joan Palli.

Since the end of 2007, Charisma has sailed around the world taking part in the most prestigious regattas, such as Antigua Sailing Week, Newport to Bermuda, Transpac, and Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Porto Cervo, Italy

What the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda lacks in history-it was founded in 1967 by the Aga Khan IV, Andre Ardoin, Giuseppe Kerry Mentasti, and Luigi Vietti-it more than makes up for in other ways, not the least of which is its impressive facility. In 1977, the club moved to new premises overlooking the Porto Cervo marina, a modern and functional structure ideal for hosting numerous members and the ever-growing regatta calendar.

Skipper: Vittorio Codecasa Yacht: Barlycorn

This September will be one of the busiest on record for the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda on the Italian isle of Sardinia. There’s the Perini Navi Cup and the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup-which will bring unprecedented tonnage into the cozy harbor-followed by the final leg of the Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series and then the Audi Melges 32 World Championship.

It’s a string of events that will test the club’s race management team and its hospitality and dock staff. As for the club’s sailing skills, those will be on trial too, but 3,000 miles away.

“The New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is a wonderful opportunity for the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. We are very pleased to participate in an event of such a high level,” says skipper Vittoria Codecasa. “The fact that all of the participants will be amateurs, and the number of top clubs competing, means that this regatta represents a sort of world championship for yacht clubs.”

While he doesn’t have a tremendous amount of experience with the NYYC Swan 42, Codecasa is quite familiar with the brand-he’s a Swan 45 owner and president of the Swan 45 class association. He describes his team as not his regular crew, but “a group of friends who have occasionally raced together.” Working to their advantage, however, is access to Nautor’s Swan CEO Leonardo Ferragamo’s NYYC Swan 42 Cuordileone.

The team was planning for three days of practice on the boat, including competing in the Trofeo Mario Formenton, a random-leg race through the Maddalena Archipelago. You’d be hard pressed to find a veteran professional sailor that hasn’t trod through the club’s bustling Piazza Azzura. From May through September few clubs in Europe, or even the world, are as busy with as many high-profile events. However, says Codecasa, the Corinthian aspect of the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup is one of its most appealing attributes. “We are particularly happy to compete in the Corinthian spirit,” he says, “the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda strongly believes in promoting true Corinthian sailing. This is a very important part of yachting, which in recent years has perhaps been overshadowed given the large number of professional sailors competing on board in many regattas.”

Among the crew are Stratis Andreadis, whose father, George, is well known throughout sailing for his series of boats named Atalanti, and 2008 X-35 world champion Alberto Signorini. Another name of note is Newport local Dyer Jones, who was the regatta director for the 32nd America’s Cup. The rest of the crew includes Vuono De Gerardo, Maria Filippo Faruffini di Sezzadio, Stefano Liguori, Patrizio Monaco Furio, Niccolo Porzio di Camporotondo, and Alessandro Maria Rinaldi.

Royal Danish Yacht Club Hellerup, Denmark

The Royal Danish Yacht Club (originally named the Danish Association for Pleasure Sailing) was founded in 1866 with its first clubhouse built in 1884 in Copenhagen. In connection with the 25-year jubilee in 1891, King Christian IX granted the club his permission to use the name Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub (Royal Danish Yacht Club). The club, today with its main facility in Hellerup, has about 2,200 members.

Skipper: Marie Klok Crump Yacht: Conspiracy

Though she will be impressed by some prominent names entered in the New York Yacht Club’s Invitational Cup, you can be sure Marie Klok Crump can hold her own in a room full of sailing standouts. From Århus, Denmark, and now living in Newport, R.I., the tall, blonde Scandinavian has been a top-ranked women’s match racer since the mid-nineties, ranking as high as No. 2 in the ISAF Women’s World Match Race circuit and crowned twice as the Danish Match Race Champion (’94, ’96). As a member of the Danish national team, she also pursued an Olympic campaign in the Yngling women’s keelboat for the 2004 games in Athens. This September, however, she will lead the Royal Danish Yacht Club’s co-ed entry in the Invitational Cup.

“This will be a very special event,” says Crump, who is a partner in a management consulting company and will no doubt utilize her sailing skills as well as her business acumen to lead the 10-plus crew. “Not only will I have my husband, Will Crump, and brother, Thomas Klok, who are both accomplished sailors, on my team, but also the event will resurrect the true spirit of amateur racing, which big-boat sailing seems to have been lacking for a long time.”

Nylandska Jaktklubben Nyland, Finland

Nylandska Jaktklubben, established in 1861 in the province of Nyland, is the most prominent and most successful yacht club in Finland. With more than 2,500 members and more than 700 registered boats, it is also the largest sailing club in the country. The club also operates the Nylandska Jaktklubben Sailing Centre at Bjorkholmen, in the western part of Helsinki.

Skipper: Leonardo Ferragamo Yacht: Better Than

Leading the Nylandska Jaktklubben challenge is Leonardo Ferragamo, president of Nautor’s Swan, builder of the NYYC Swan 42, and one of Finland’s most iconic companies. Ferragamo, who is also inextricably connected to the luxury goods industry by virtue of a career spent in his family’s fashion business, recently won first overall and second in IRC class at Semaine Nautique Internationale de Mediterranee, the first event on the 2009 Club Swan 42 Mediterranean Circuit.

Though Ferragamo’s crew was primarily Italian at that event, he will happily sail with the required majority of Finnish crew at the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, including Nylandska Jaktklubben commodore (Ms.) Gunilla Antas, vice commodore Erik Wallin, former Finnish Finn champion Christian Andersson, experienced offshore sailors Johan Ahlstrom and Patrick Andersson, and noted skiff sailor Miikka Pennanen, who teaches junior sailing at the club.

Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Hamilton, Bermuda

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is the third oldest club holding a royal warrant outside the British Isles. Established in 1844 by a party of 30 members, consisting largely of officers in the British Army, it now has approximately 850 resident and non-resident members. In 1933, after almost 60 years of occupation at No. 52 Front Street, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club acquired a waterfront site at Albuoy’s Point, in Hamilton, and then built a large clubhouse on the new property.

Skipper: Mark Watson Yacht: Tiburon

“Why wouldn’t I?,” says Peter Bromby when asked to serve as tactician aboard Mark Watson’s NYYC Swan 42 Tiburon, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club’s entry in the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. “Mark [a member of both the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the New York Yacht Club] is the driving force behind the team, and I guess he thought I knew what I was doing.”

Bromby is not new to sailing for his club or his country: he represented Bermuda at four Olympic Games (’92, ’96, ’00, ’04) in the Star class. “I think we have a good crack at it,” he says.

Watson secured his club’s berth in the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup after winning the 2008 NYYC Swan 42 Nationals. “I was thrilled when the flag officers invited me to skipper the team,” he says. “It’s a tremendous honor to represent the club. I’m looking forward to competing against many of the best sailors in the world, including Terry McLaughlin, who is a member of the Tiburon Racing Team, and Ken Read [who will sail with the New York Yacht Club entry Arethusa, skippered by Phil Lotz], who originally encouraged me to join the Swan 42 Class at its infancy.”

In July, Watson steered Tiburon to a 15th in a fleet of 20 at the hard-fought NYYC Swan 42 Nationals. His crew included Bromby, with whom he has sailed only once before, and Tom Wadson, with whom he has sailed for 30 years. “That’s what this week was all about,” he said after racing. “To mix with the crew and get ready for the Invitational.”

Royal Canadian Yacht Club Toronto, Canada

The Royal Canadian Yacht Club was founded in 1852 in the British tradition of having a recreational yacht club that would serve unofficially as an auxiliary to the navy. The club was established as the Toronto Boat Club, but in 1854, with Queen Victoria’s permission, the club was renamed the Royal Canadian Yacht Club.

Skipper: Terry McLaughlin Yacht: Daring

Terry McLaughlin, the designated helmsman for the Royal Canadian Yacht Club’s entry into the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, is familiar with representing his country. At the 1984 Olympics, he won a silver medal sailing a Flying Dutchman, a class in which he is also a world champion. He was the skipper of Canada 1 in the 1983 America’s Cup Trials and helmed the Farr 40 Defiant during the 2001 and 2003 Canada’s Cup victories.

And if McLaughlin’s resume is not enough to intimidate the other New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup teams, the backgrounds of his crew mates may be. Allan Megarry and John Millen both sailed with McLaughlin on Canada 1 and continued their America’s Cup campaigns on Canada II (1987), while Megarry, Millen, and Rob Gale all have claimed multiple Canada’s Cup victories as crew. Millen is also a two-time Olympian and Olympic medalist from 1988 (bronze in the Flying Dutchman class).

“When I first heard about the Invitational, I thought, ‘Great! We’re getting the band back together!'” says McLaughlin, who has also sailed with Daring’s owner, John Hele, himself an accomplished helmsman and national champion in International 14s, who will be part of the crew. “I just hope there are a lot of good sailors at the event who are rusty like me. Our average age might be up there a bit, but it will be a lot of fun, and this will be a different kind of sailing from what we’ve been used to lately; it will be like a collegiate regatta in 42-footers, since you can only use one set of sails and the boats are exactly alike.”

McLaughlin sailed impressively with his New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup team to a sixth place at the NYYC Swan 42 Nationals in July. “To be asked to skipper by John (Hele) is an honor,” says McLaughlin, “and tells me that I’m not dead yet.”

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Hong Kong, China

One of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in Hong Kong, the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club has a rich, colorful history, which stretches back over 150 years of social and competitive sailing and rowing. The club today has evolved into a multifaceted and cosmopolitan organization, and its membership enjoys a comprehensive range of facilities, both afloat and ashore. Kellett Island in Causeway Bay is the club’s principal base and acts as the parent site to the two smaller branches of the club, at Shelter Cove near Sai Kung, the base for cruisers, and Middle Island in Repulse Bay, home to dinghy sailors, sail training, and rowing.

Skipper: Jamie McWilliam Yacht: Impetuous

The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s team for the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup was selected by the club’s sailing committee and consists of members who have all competed in international sailing regattas over the years.

“The New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup offers our club some international prestige amongst similar clubs around the world,” says commodore Warwick Downes, who will serve as tactician. With the local Doyle Sails loft servicing Southeast Asia, Downes has been racing for more than 50 years. “I feel that we should be represented at this inaugural event, as it looks like a lot of fun along with very good class racing in these NYYC Swan 42s. I have raced in Newport before and look forward to coming back.”

Downes and team skipper Jamie McWilliam have competed against each other many times and this will be only the second time that they have paired up on the same boat.

Pre-regatta preparation for the team includes practice in a Mills 41, a boat similar to the NYYC Swan 42. The boat, called Ambush, is owned by two of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club crew, Joachim Isler (rear commodore sailing) and Drew Taylor (honorary treasurer). Other crew members are Nick Burns, Ben Williams, Gary Gilbert, Glenn Kim, Gaston Chan, and Suzanne Downes.

Royal Cork YC Cork, Ireland

The Water Club of the Harbour of Cork was established in 1720. That club, said to be the oldest yacht club in the world, is the Royal Cork Yacht Club. Today, total membership is around 1,600. Its facilities are unparalleled in Ireland, and it continues to expand as it hosts world, European, and Irish championships every year. Cork Week, its biennial regatta, is regarded as one of Europe’s premiere events.

Skipper: Anthony O’Leary Yacht: Blazer

The Royal Cork Yacht Club’s Anthony O’Leary needed little persuasion when his club invited its members to vie for the club’s one berth at the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. “To sail in such a renown place doesn’t come around very often,” says O’Leary.

Six skippers expressed their desire to represent, but in consideration of the success O’Leary and his teammates have enjoyed over the past few years, particularly at the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s amateur-based Commodore’s Cup competition, the 53-year-old skipper was selected.

While they’ve done plenty of Cork 1720 sailing, O’Leary says they will have had zero experience with the NYYC Swan 42 leading up to their practice sailing sessions in Newport, planned for the two days in advance of the first race.

“I’ve seen the 42 in Key West, and done enough sailing in A-sail boats,” says O’Leary, “but not having sailed the boat before, the event for me will be a bit of R&R. I’m just looking forward to the competition. There will be plenty of other teams that won’t have experience in the boat either, so it will be great fun.”

To fill out his squad for the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, O’Leary didn’t have to look too far down the club’s membership roster; he has tapped his regular crew from the Cork 1720 Antix, a 26-foot sportboat that the O’Leary family has campaigned over the years. He then plugged in some top crew from Ireland’s Commodore’s Cup squad, and was sure to add his 23-year-old son, Nicholas, an Irish Sailing Association All Ireland Sailing Champion, as tactician. Longtime crew Tom Durchan will tend to the mainsail, and Clive O’Shea will be in the jib trimmer’s slot. The father-and-son duo of Clive and David Love will tend the jib and mast, respectively, and Brian Lennon will finesse the spinnaker sheets. Ritchie Watkins will command the bow.

“It wasn’t hard at all to convince them to come,” says O’Leary. “We are arriving the week before, and like many others we’ll be novices. But we’ve sailed one-design and small boats for a number of years, so hopefully it won’t be dramatically different.”

Royal St. George Yacht Club Dublin, Ireland

The Kingstown Boat Club, from which the Royal St. George Yacht Club evolved, was founded in 1838 by a small group of boating enthusiasts. Initially, the members’ main interest was in rowing, but membership grew rapidly, and amongst them were many well-known yachtsmen of the day. In 1847, the club became the Royal St. George’s Yacht Club. It subsequently became the Royal St. George Yacht Club. All who know it fondly refer to it as “the George.”

Skipper: Michael Cotter Yacht: Bandit

“We don’t have any Swan 42s in Ireland,” says David McHugh, a member of the Royal St. George Yacht Club’s entry, one of two Irish clubs competing in the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, “but we don’t feel it’s necessarily a total disadvantage because with a roller-furling jib, asymmetric spinnaker, and no rig tuning or electronics, it will be a very level playing field.”

Instead, he says, success in this 19-boat one-design fleet will come down to “positioning, strategy, and getting around the racecourse in the most efficient way possible.”

To accomplish this task, McHugh and his teammates will rely heavily upon the skills of their skipper, Michael Cotter, a Dragon class champion and regular on the Mediterranean Maxi circuit with his 80-footer Whisper. In accepting the invitation to represent “The George,” Cotter tasked McHugh, an experienced one-design sailor himself, to cull the best talent from the club’s membership.

“We put together the best we could,” says McHugh. “We were somewhat limited by strength and depth in one-design, 40-foot keelboats in the club, but we have managed to draw from a wide range of talent, both dinghy and keelboat, with a really good mix of youth and experience from many different classes.”

Their selected pro is Maurice O’Connell, a former Olympic Star sailor and head of North Sails Ireland. “He has a lot of experience with this size and type of boat,” says McHugh.

And while many teams may chose to sail with the maximum 11 crewmembers, Cotter’s squad will sail with nine. The roster includes Michael Liddy, who has broken two speed-sailing records, singlehanded and crewed, and has won the doublehanded Round Britain and Ireland Race. Other team members include three veterans of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s amateur-based Commodore’s Cup competition: Kevin Johnston (Fastnet Race winner), Barry Byrne, and Brendan Fafaini. Andrew Fowler, an experienced team- and match-racing sailor, and Whisper’s mainsheet trimmer, Peter Wilson, complete the team.

Rich in youth and experience, but lacking in time in the NYYC Swan 42, McHugh acknowledges they have a steep learning curve to climb upon their arrival in Newport two days before the event, but, he adds, they’re keen for the experience of competing in an unfamiliar boat in an unfamiliar venue. “We’re really looking forward to it, and we’re interesting to see how everyone competes on a level playing field,” he said. “I imagine there will be a good social side as well. It’s a part of the world a lot of us have never been to.”

Yacht Club de France Paris, France

The Yacht Club de France was established in 1867 and bestowed royal patronage by Napoleon III. In 1907, the club merged with the Union des Yachts Français, which was founded in 1891. Among its most famous members are author Jules Verne and French ocean racer Eric Tabarly.

Skipper: Bruno Trouble Yacht: Hoss

Local knowledge, whether it be in regards to deciphering Newport’s famous sea breeze or navigating the city’s equally well-known nightlife, won’t be a problem for the team from Yacht Club de France.

Skipper Bruno Trouble spent many summers in Newport in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the skipper of Baron Bic’s French America’s Cup challenges, and has been back numerous times since in his role as Louis Vuitton’s main connection to the America’s Cup.

“While everything changes in Europe with a lot of new developments going on everywhere, Newport doesn’t change much,” says Trouble. “It’s the same atmosphere, same bars and restaurants-Black Pearl, Candy Store, etc.-same sticky fog, same smell. Going there is like returning to the 1977 America’s Cup with Turner and Jobson.”

Like the America’s Cup competitions of the ’60s, ’70s, and early ’80s, the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup will have a strong amateur focus, something that Trouble thinks is important for the sport.

“This event is, in fact, the world championship for the main yacht clubs of the world,” he says. “Sailing is now fully professional at the top level and we need events where the quality of racing is amazing without so many pro sailors around. We are very pleased to participate. It is important for us to come and fly our colors even if we will come with no training.”

But don’t discount the French team just yet. In addition to Trouble, who sailed in the 1968 and 1976 Olympics, the team will also feature tactician Henri Samuel, a 16-year veteran of the French National Team, and mainsheet trimmer Pierre Le Maout, a Formula 40 world champion and an advisor for Dennis Conner’s multihull defense of the America’s Cup in 1988.

And even if things don’t go well on the water, with Trouble as their guide, the French team should have little trouble making the most of their time in Newport.

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Auckland, New Zealand

Founded in 1871, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is the country’s oldest and most prominent yacht club. Over the years, boats flying the club burgee have won just about every world-class racing event, including the America’s Cup, the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Kenwood Cup, the Admiral’s Cup, and the Sydney Hobart Race. With the support of more than 2,800 members, the club hosts up to a dozen regattas each year and continues its legacy of racing success, hospitality, and sailing education.

Skipper: John Melville Yacht: Celeritas

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron team may be new to the NYYC Swan 42, but these sailors certainly aren’t new to each other. The majority of the team has sailed together as part of the “Melville Family,” a group of Kiwi racers bound less by blood than by a shared love of competitive racing. John Melville is the family’s patriarch and skipper.

In 2003, New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup team members Jayson Herbert, Andrew Wills, and Jack Melville (John’s son) helped Melville win the Farr 1020 New Zealand National Championship sailing Max Headroom.

For his 2008 BMW Sailing Cup campaign, Melville enlisted his son, Jack, and fellow New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup team members Alastair Gair, Michael Naulls, and Jonathan Rankine. The Bobby’s Girl crew won the New Zealand stage and advanced to the finals in Dubai, where they finished third.

The 2008 China Cup, hosted by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, brought the Melville Family together again. John Melville’s crew aboard the Beneteau First 40.7 Yachtfinders Global included son, Jack, at the mastman position, Wills calling tactics, Rankine and Herbert as trimmers, and Matt Kelway on the bow.

When they’re not racing as part of the Melville Family, the individual members of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron team still manage to find their way to the podium. Gair is one of New Zealand’s top small-boat racers. He won the 1998 Laser Radial Youth Worlds, the 2002 OK Dinghy New Zealand National Championships, and the 2006 Etchells New Zealand Nationals, and finished second at both the 2002 OK Dinghy World Championships and the 2006 Etchells Worlds.

Gair isn’t the only Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron team member to have enjoyed racing success outside of the Family. Wills won the 2007 Etchells World Championship crewing for Jud Smith, and is the 2008 Young 88 New Zealand national champion; Rankine is currently ranked 183rd on the Open ISAF World Match Race Rankings; Kelway won the 2007 Asian Match Racing Championship.

The team’s sole female member, Danielle Bowater, is an accomplished dinghy sailor. Crewing for Susannah Pyatt, Bowater placed 10th at the 2007 Open Women’s World 420 Championships and 11th at the 2009 Governor’s Cup. She works for North Sails New Zealand alongside Wills and Kelway.

Rounding out the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron team are Robin McGregor and shore manager Chris Collins.

Norddeutscher Regatta Verein Hamburg, Germany

With more than 2,000 members, the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein is Germany’s largest sailing club. It was founded in 1868, and has been dedicated to yacht racing and to sailing ever since. The club’s home waters are the Outer Alster, a small lake-just 1.5 miles long by half a mile wide-created by a damming the river of the same name. The club also has a youth clubhouse on the Elbe River and a facility on the Baltic Sea, in Gramkow, Germany.

Skipper: Achim Griese Boat: Orbit

NRV skipper Achim Griese is no stranger to success around the buoys. And he certainly has no trouble sailing well in the United States. In 1983 he won three races and finished second overall at the Star World Championships in Marina del Rey. In 1984, he won the silver medal in the class at the Los Angeles Olympics. Of late, Griese has been an active participant in the X-35 class, finishing eighth in the class’s 2009 world championship earlier this summer. Griese’s son Max Griese will be a member of his crew.

Also onboard the boat will be Gunter Persiehl, admiral of the NRV. Persiehl is a top-notch judge who’s worked two America’s Cup regattas and the 1996 Olympics. Other crewmembers include Dr. Wolfgang Kaefer, Dr. Albert Diesch, Niels Henschtel, Jan Welken, Maximilian Ziegelmayer, Malte Paesler, and Klaas Hoepcke.

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The top 50 most exclusive yacht clubs in the world honored with platinum status.

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Royal Yacht Squadron in England

The rich and famous are not merely looking for the best place to anchor their yachts; they are also seeking out exclusive memberships in stunning destinations, all offering luxury amenities and, of course, bragging rights. These exclusive yachting clubs with often outrageous initiation fees, provide luxurious clubhouses, and provide accommodations for yachties who want to get their land legs. Most of them provide high-end concierge service to its members as well as Michelin-star quality restaurants and more.

Yacht Clubs have been recognized in the Platinum Clubs of America elections for more than 20 years. According to the Platinum Club, “Recognition in the following categories is important in the selection of Platinum status; Tradition, history, and heritage, a respected membership, excellence in amenities, exceptional service, adapting to changing times, and overall experience.

I spoke with the President of Club Leaders Forum, David V. Smith, about the selection, and he says, “we created an alphabetical selection this time as opposed to by rank because we felt that it was challenging to compare a yacht club in Ireland with a yacht club in Singapore, as amenities, location and facilities do vary quite a lot. The yachting and boating world is a different and unique culture, typically a little more relaxed and not as formal as country clubs and golf clubs. However, many of the world’s finest yacht clubs have wonderful history and traditions, with a great sense of camaraderie among their members. Certain yacht clubs were selected by the Panel not necessarily for their facilities and amenities but in their recognition of hosting world class sailing regattas and events.”  

Here are the top 50 most exclusive yacht clubs worldwide being awarded the ultimate Platinum Status for 2021.

Annapolis Yacht Club

Surrounding the Spa Creek Bridge in Annapolis, the Club boasts over 75 wet slips and dry dockage. The club began in 1886 as an informal canoe club, and today has 1600 regular members active in social, racing, and cruising programs.

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Aerial view of Beach Point Club

Beach Point Club

Beach Point Club is a member-owned, family-oriented private club. The elegant and spacious clubhouse was built in the 1890s by an industrialist as a private home. In 1925 the property was purchased by the founding members with the purpose of establishing a club on the water. The club now has more than 600 members with a full service marina.

Chicago Yacht Club

Founded in 1875, Chicago Yacht Club is one of the oldest and most respected yacht clubs in the world. The Club is home to more than 1,400 members, including a winning America’s Cup skipper, and Olympic medalists.

The stunning Grosse Pointe Yacht Club

Grosse Pointe Yacht Club

Grosse Pointe offers a 261-slip certified Clean Marina, state-of-the-art Marine Activity Center, newly renovated Bowling Recreation Center and Family Recreation Center, new Fitness Center, and Olympic-sized pool. The 75,000-square-foot Clubhouse features Italian Renaissance architecture and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2015. Initiation fees can go as high as $12,500 with $650 monthly dues

Larchmont Yacht Club

Located in Westchester County, New York, the Club has been in existence since 1880 when it was purchased by Benjamin A. Carver, a railroad magnate. The original Carver residence was much smaller than the present clubhouse – the east and west wings were added following the purchase. The Junior Clubhouse was the Carver stable: the basement was the cow barn, while the first floor housed the horses.

Lauderdale Yacht Club

Founded in 1938, Lauderdale Yacht Club is invitation only and host to 65 dock slips that wrap around the marina. The club is also home to one of the most elite junior sailing programs in the nation.

Naples Yacht Club

Founded in 1947 and situated on Naples Bay, the Club has the proud distinction of being the city’s first and oldest private club and its marina has 75 concrete floating docks. Membership has grown from three founding yachtsmen to over 530.

Newport Harbor Yacht Club

Established in 1916, the club is located on the Balboa peninsula in Southern California. A newly remodeled clubhouse was also created to replace the original building. Initiation fees range upwards of $20,000

Palm Beach Yacht Club

Palm Bea ch Yacht Club

Founded in 1890, the marina has 45 slips to accommodate boats up to 150 feet. All annual dockage contracts (from $1 per foot per day), include a membership to the prestigious Yacht Club.

Pelican Isle Y acht Club

With 190 wet slips and direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, the club can accommodate vessels up to 55 feet. Equity social membership is by invitation only with an initiation fee as high as $15,000, and annual dues at $5,500.

Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club

Founded in 1959, the club has been part of the Boca Raton landscape for over 50 years with membership by invitation only. The state-of-the-art Marina boasts a TimberTech floating dock system, accommodating vessels up to 130 feet. 

Sailfish Club of Florida

The Sailfish Club of Florida was built in the early 1900s. It is the oldest continuously operating private club in the town of Palm Beach.

San Diego Yacht Club

In June of 1886 a group of local boating enthusiasts joined together to found what has become this cornerstone yacht club. The racing history of SDYC is as significant as the history of its location. Several members were winning races all over the country in the early to mid-20th century, however, SDYC reached a turning point starting in the 1980s when Dennis Conner won the America’s Cup. In the early 1980s, Dennis Conner won the cup once and then lost it the next time to New York Yacht Club. In 1987, Dennis won again on behalf of San Diego Yacht Club. The America’s Cup was won a third time by SDYC in 1992 by Bill Koch on the yacht,  America .

With 600 wet slips and 100 dry slips, initiation fee is upwards of $24,000 plus $200 monthly dues.

Aerial view of the San Francisco Yacht Club

San Francisco Yacht Club

In the summer of 1869, a group of active, local yachtsmen formed the San Francisco Yacht Club. The oldest yacht club on the Pacific Coast, it’s one of the most elegant and exclusive yacht clubs in the U.S. The harbor consists of 190 berths and 50 dry-storage spaces, as well as a large youth sailing dock. Membership is by sponsor referral only.

Sarasota Yacht Club

Saraso ta Yacht Club

Sarasota Yacht Club was organized in the summer of 1907 and located on the north end of Siesta Key. Facilities include a 110-slip marina, fitness center, heated pool, two indoor bars, a pool bar, multiple meeting rooms, a grand dining room, waterside terrace, and lunch dock. Membership is by invitation only.

Savannah Yacht Club

The Savannah Yacht Club was originally organized on June 14, 1869. The private, members only club is by invitation only with only 1,000 members. Amenities include a figure 8 pool, an Olympic size swimming pool, as well as floating docks.

St. Francis Yacht Club

This club was founded in 1927 when the members of the San Francisco Yacht Club decided to move their clubhouse out of San Francisco to Belvedere, California. The 2,300 member club is considered to be the most prestigious yacht club in the western U.S. and has hosted over 40 regattas on San Francisco Bay. The Mediterranean Revival-style clubhouse is in close proximity to the Golden Gate Bridge and enjoys views from the Bridge to Alcatraz Island and beyond.

Tampa Yacht & Country Club

Founded in 1904 as a place to race sailboats, ride and show horses, the marina now holds 31 covered slips and 50 open slips. Membership is sponsored and by invitation only.

Yacht Club Costa Smeralda

Circolo Canottieri Aniene

Circolo degli Esteri

Compagnia della Vela

Playing host to 10 prestigious regattas this year, including the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the Yacht Club Costa Smerelda has been tied to the Italian Sailing Federation since the 1960s. Offering a wellness center and spa, the clubhouse overlooks the Marina and the Italian coast. The club has a panoramic pool terrace, al fresco dining, and a member’s lounge and bar. There are also 24 residential suites, including the popular Presidential suite that opened in 2016.

Yacht Club Italiano

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia

Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club

Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron

Royal Perth Yacht Club

The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron

Raffles Marina

Republic of Singapore Yacht Club

Real Club Nautico de Vigo

Royal Bermuda Yacht Club

The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club has its marina close to the bustling Front Street at the heart of the historic city of Hamilton. It began as a meeting place for British military officers and Bermudian sailing enthusiasts.

Membership in the club extends to over 850 resident and non-resident members. The 130 berth marina has a full-service staff and can accommodate vessels of up to 150 feet in length.

Nassau Yacht Club

Royal Bombay Yacht Club

Royal Canadian Yacht Club

Royal Vancouver Yacht Club

Royal Victoria Yacht Club

Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the world.

Royal Cork Yacht Club

Sometime in the early 1600s, sailing for private pleasure started to to become popular in the Netherlands. Later that century, during the Cromwellian years, King Charles II of England was in exile in the Netherlands and while there he became aware of this new and exciting pastime. According to Royal Cork Yacht Club, “By 1720, interest in the sport had progressed so much that his great-grandson, the 26 year old William O’Brien, the 9th Lord Inchiquin, and five of his friends got together to formalize their activities and in so doing established ” The Water Club of the Harbour of Cork.”

This club is known today as the Royal Cork Yacht Club and it is the oldest yacht club in the world. It was originally located on Haulbowline Island before moving to the town of Cobh and finally establisged in it's current location in Crosshaven.

Royal Irish Yacht Club

NEW ZEALAND

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

Royal Southern Yacht Club

Royal Thames Yacht Club

The Royal Thames Yacht Club is one of the oldest yacht clubs in the world, founded in 1775. The exclusive Knightsbridge Clubhouse has two bars, an acclaimed restaurant, and accommodations for those staying overnight. Anyone looking to join must be recommended by current members.

The Royal Western Yacht Club of England

Royal Yacht Squadron

Royal Yacht Club Moscow

Société des Régates du Havre

Monaco Yacht Club

Yacht Club de Monaco

Founded by Prince Rainier III in 1953, the Yacht Club De Monaco is a prestigious club that holds a unique position on the international yachting scene with more than 1600 members drawn from 66 nationalities.

The reigning Club President since 1984 has been His Royal Highness, Prince Sovereign Albert II, and a suitably formal dress code for day and evening wear is enforced at all times. Membership is limited and very, very exclusive: prospective candidates must submit an application form to the club committee and be introduced by two sponsors, both of whom must be existing members. The successful applicant will be welcomed with an ice-breaking cocktail party and gala dinner in their honor.

The futuristic clubhouse was redesigned in 2013 and overlooks Port Hercules, it offers up very popular cocktail bar and Mediterranean restaurant.

Yacht Club Santo Amaro

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Sailing foundation of new york.

Friday Night Cocktail Reception Moved to Exclusive Tarpon Isle

We thank those who attended, and it was from our perspective enjoyable to participate with our fellow members in what was an unexpected and unique venue. It was also rewarding to see that almost all of you that signed up for the original venue were present, once again showing that NYYC members can navigate an occasional squall at sea and and enjoy the party ashore.

We on the NYYCF Board thank you for your continued generosity.

Kind regards,

Harry T. Rein

Chairman & President

Your support is crucial in preserving our past and safeguarding our future.

The New York Yacht Club Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charitable organization, EIN 20-8288446.

Your contributions to the Foundation are deductible to the extent permitted by law.

  This event was at capacity. Please register on the New York Yacht Club’s website.

More Information and Registration

Past Event Galleries

10 tarpon isle, palm beach fl, october 2023 175th society cocktail reception, seawall and boathouse groundbreaking ceremony.

For more information or assistance with making a contribution, please contact the Foundation by calling 401-608-1125 or [email protected] .

American Magic's Boat 3 Arrives in Barcelona

Latest news.

New York Yacht Club American Magic Names Harken Official Supplier For 37th America’s Cup

Harken announced today that it has been named an Official Supplier by NYYC American Magic, Challenger for the 37th America's Cup, the oldest trophy in international sports.

Last weekend, American Magic reached a significant milestone in its quest for the 37th America's Cup. The newly constructed AC75 boat, “B3,” successfully completed its journey from the build facility in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, to the team's base in Barcelona, Spain.

Accelerating Progress: March 2024 Training Update from American Magic Women and Youth Teams

The American Magic Women and Youth Teams continued their journey toward the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup with intensive simulator and water training sessions. With a commitment to pushing boundaries and embracing innovation, both teams are laying the groundwork for their challenges on the waters of Barcelona in September and October 2024.

American Magic Announces Transformative Agreement with the City of Pensacola

American Magic has secured a lease agreement with the City of Pensacola to establish a high-performance sailing center at the Port of Pensacola. This cutting-edge facility will serve as its headquarters for designing, building, hosting regattas, and developing the current and next generation of America's Cup, Olympic, and International sailors.

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Demolition of Cape Coral Yacht Club to begin

The Cape Coral City Council decided on a new look for the yacht club, including a new community center, an outdoor pool, a playground, a restaurant and a parking garage.