The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron (RNSYS) is a yacht club, the oldest in the Americas, and is located on the Northwest Arm of Halifax Harbour in Halifax, Nova Scotia. [1]
Originally established as the Halifax Yacht Club in 1837, the club was granted permission by Queen Victoria to use "Royal" in its name in 1861. [2] That year, the Prince of Wales presented the club with its most prestigious trophy, the Prince of Wales Cup. [2] In 1862, it received its first Admiralty warrant, allowing its yachts to display the blue ensign for privileges including exemption from harbour dues. [2]
On November 25, 1875, a group of yacht-owning members broke off and formed the Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, following a dispute over racing rules. [2] In November 1880, the Admiralty finally acknowledged that nearly all the yachts from the Royal Halifax Yacht Club had moved over to the Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, and granted the Squadron's request for a warrant. [2] The club was re-named the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in 1880. [3]
The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron has been incorporated as a not-for-profit society in Nova Scotia, Canada, and has legal status to operate in Nova Scotia.
The Yacht Squadron is home to the RNSYS race teams coached by head coach Agustin Ferrario, as well as 2012 Olympian Danielle Dube, and 2004 and 2008 Olympian Lisa Ross, the Squadron has sent at least one youth sailor to every ISAF Youth Worlds since 2010. In 2013, the RNSYS sent 5 Youth sailors to Youth Worlds.[ citation needed ]
RNSYS has, since 1905, partnered with the Boston Yacht Club of Marblehead, Massachusetts in organizing the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race held biennially in odd-numbered years. It is believed to be the world’s longest-running offshore ocean race. The Squadron hosted the International Federation of Disabled Sailing (IFDS) World Championships in 2014, and has become a centre of excellence for disabled sailing. [4]
Yacht racing is a sailing sport involving sailing yachts and larger sailboats, as distinguished from dinghy racing, which involves open boats. It is composed of multiple yachts, in direct competition, racing around a course marked by buoys or other fixed navigational devices or racing longer distances across open water from point-to-point. It can involve a series of races with buoy racing or multiple legs when point-to-point racing.
Bluenose was a fishing and racing gaff rig schooner built in 1921 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. A celebrated racing ship and fishing vessel, Bluenose under the command of Angus Walters, became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia and an important Canadian symbol in the 1930s, serving as a working vessel until she was wrecked in 1946. Nicknamed the "Queen of the North Atlantic", she was later commemorated by the Bluenose one-design sloop (1946) and a replica, Bluenose II (1963). The name Bluenose originated as a nickname for Nova Scotians from as early as the late 18th century.
The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted to wear the White Ensign of the Royal Navy rather than the merchant Red Ensign worn by the majority of other UK registered vessels. The club's patron was Queen Elizabeth II.
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other water-borne craft for as long as such watercraft have existed.
A yacht club is a boat club specifically related to yachting.
The Northwest Arm, originally named Sandwich River, is an inlet in eastern Canada off the Atlantic Ocean in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality.
Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax is Canada's east coast naval base and home port to the Royal Canadian Navy Atlantic fleet, known as Canadian Fleet Atlantic (CANFLTLANT), that forms part of the formation Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT).
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbours in the world. Before Confederation it was one of the most important commercial ports on the Atlantic seaboard. In 1917, it was the site of the world's largest man-made accidental explosion, when the SS Mont-Blanc blew up in the Halifax Explosion on December 6.
The Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race (MHOR) is a biennial sailing race which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005. It runs between Marblehead, Massachusetts and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is believed to be the longest running offshore ocean race in the world and is considered one of the pre-eminent ocean races of the North Atlantic.
The Royal Perth Yacht Club (RPYC) is a yacht club in Perth, Western Australia. It is the third oldest yacht club in Australia after the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. It is based at the Crawley Marina on Pelican Point and at the Fremantle Annexe in Challenger Harbour.
William James Roué was a naval architect famous for his design of the fishing schooner Bluenose, which sailed to victory in the Halifax Herald International Fisherman's competition in 1921, 1922, 1923, 1931 and 1938, and held the record for the largest catch of fish ever brought into Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, with the largest urban population in Atlantic Canada, is a major sporting centre.
HMCS Oriole is the sail training vessel of the Royal Canadian Navy based at CFB Halifax in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a sailing ketch, currently the oldest commissioned vessel in the Royal Canadian Navy, and also the longest serving commissioned ship. Originally the yacht Oriole IV, the vessel was acquired by the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War, then returned to private ownership at the end. Oriole IV was reacquired during the Cold War for use on the East Coast of Canada before switching to the West Coast of Canada in 1956. In 2018, the training vessel returned to the East Coast.
Ebenezer Moseley was a Boston-born ship builder in 19th century Nova Scotia. His best known ship is the barque Stag.
The Royal Cape Yacht Club is one of South Africa’s most active and oldest yacht clubs. Located in Cape Town, the Club plays host to many important national sailing events, including South Africa’s premier ocean yacht race, the internationally renowned Cape to Rio.
Jacob Saunders is a Canadian sailor. Along with his partner Graeme Saunders, he competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 470 event, finishing in 22nd place. He represented Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics together with Oliver Bone of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, finishing in 17th place in the men's 470 event. He started his early training and career with the Chester Yacht Club, competing as Jacob Chaplin-Saunders.
Route Halifax Saint-Pierre Ocean Race is an ocean race held in late June or early July, every two years, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for a distance of approximately 350 nautical miles (650 km) to Saint-Pierre, in the French archipelago of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon off of coastal Newfoundland. It is raced by crews of two or more people, most commonly in sailboats in the 30 to 40 foot range, but boats from 21 feet (6.4 m) to 60 feet (18 m) have been raced in the past.
The American frigate USS Hancock was captured by the British Royal Navy in a 1777 naval battle during the American Revolutionary War. The two highest ranking naval officers of the war battled each other off the coast of Nova Scotia. HMS Rainbow, under the command of British Admiral George Collier, captured USS Hancock, under the command of Captain John Manley.
Oliver Bone is a Canadian sailor, who specialized in two-person dinghy (470) class. He represented Canada, along with his partner Stéphane Locas, at the 2008 Summer Olympics, finishing last from a fleet of twenty-nine entries. Currently, Bone trains for the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Chester Yacht Club (CYC) is a private yacht club located in Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada, established in 1902. The Chester Yacht Club is home to Canada's largest keelboat regatta, Chester Race Week, which occurs every August. Notable members of the Chester Yacht Club include Olympians Jacob Saunders and Graeme Saunders, who started sailing with the club's junior sailing school in 2002, and philanthropist Sir Christopher Ondaatje, who owns a nearby island. The club is also active in one-design racing, highlighted by the Bluenose one-design sloop and International One Design (IOD) fleet.