Royal Bombay Yacht Club

The Royal Bombay Yacht Club (RBYC) was founded in 1846 in the Colaba neighborhood of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra.

The club offers a bar and restaurant, in addition to sailing facilities.

The Bombay Yacht Club was founded in 1846 with Henry Morland as club commodore and 30 years later, on the recommendation of Sir Philip Edmond Wodehouse, Queen Victoria permitted it to add the word Royal to its name.

The seafront clubhouse was built in 1881, and received a number of prominent visitors within its first ten years, including: H.R.H. Prince Arthur, their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and American railroad tycoon and yachting enthusiast Mr William Kissam Vanderbilt – part owner of the 1895 America’s Cup winner, the 37.5m sloop Defender.

In 1894, the Commissioners of the Lord High Admiral bestowed upon the club the Blue Ensign of Her Majesty's Fleet with a Star of India surmounted by the Imperial Crown.

Another clubhouse was built in 1896, a blending of Venetian Gothic with Indian Saracenic, to provide accommodations for members and visiting associates.

Yachting received a major stimulus in 1911, when King George V and Queen Mary landed in Bombay from the Royal P&O liner, S.S. Medina.

In 1958, the Bombay Club was closed for not accepting Indian members. The RBYC granted honorary memberships to all Bombay Club members and provided a new home for their furniture and other effects.

The 1960s saw a new race introduced after H.R.H. Prince Philip visited the club and presented the Challenge Cup for a Combined Class race not less than 21 miles. RBYC at that time owned a fleet of four 21 foot Seabird Class boats, whilst its members’ owned boats including Chindwin (Bermudian cutter), Iona (a Gunter sloop), Silver Oak (a Yachting World keel boat), Tir (a yawl), Merope (Stor-Draken Class) Griffon and Wynvern (two International Dragons). The club was selected to host the 6th National Regatta for the Yachting Association of India.

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