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From the Founding of the Empire's Most Majestic Yacht Club in the East in 1846 to the Present Day |
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is the first ever published chronicle of the oldest and most majestic Royal Yacht Club in Asia. Founded in 1846, the Bombay Yacht Club was commanded to be styled 'The Royal Bombay Yacht Club' in 1876 by Queen Victoria. In 1880, the (waterfront) Club House was built. In 1894, the Commissioners of the Lord High Admiral bestowed upon the Club, the Blue Ensign of Her Majesty Fleet with a Star of India surmounted by the Imperial Crown. The Residential Chambers of the Club were completed in 1896. |
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This unique delineation of the evolution of yachting from Lateen to Bermudian rig, from wood to fiber glass hulls and aluminum spars, and standardization of the regattas also has delightful nuggets of the halcyon days of a languorous bygone era. Through scintillating prose and rare photographs, beginning with that of the MacFarlane Cup in 1854 and, the stained glass in 1886, Gulshan Rai delves into the social mores of the elite British yachting society: Scotch kippers on ice, sailing in the Tomtits in the brisk afternoon breeze, dinner to the chorus of the balladic 'Roast Beef of Old England', and staging of the risqué Ziegfeld Follies revue. |
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Some of the highlights of the Clubs were: Resignation of the Governor Sir James Ferguson, as Patron of the Club; Lord George Harris meeting with Mr. W.K. Vanderbilt, winner of the America's Cup; tragic loss overboard of Commodore Charles Scovell; the Royal Engineers stellar participation in the sailing races; admission of the first honorary lady member, the only recipient of Florence Nightingale, Royal Red Cross and the Kaiser-i-Hind (Empress of India) medals; pursuit of wealth by the Sassoons - the only Asians to be members of the Club; request from Hotel Taj Mahal to schedule the Club dances on different dates as it affected their business; the mutinous Royal Indian Navy ratings swinging their ship's gun turret in the direction of the Club; touching farewell reception on the Club lawns to the Somerset Light Infantry - the last British battalion in India to leave for England; the acquisition of the (waterfront) Club House by the Bombay Port Trust; merger of the 'only Europeans' Bombay Club with the RBYC; building of Suhaili, by Philip Bragg - the first yacht to solo sail non-stop around the world; Indian members excelling in sailing; renaming of the Adams (the British architect of the Club) Street to an Indian poet's name with no relevance to the Club or sea. |
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Steeped in nostalgia, this authentically researched book makes for exhilarating reading, reconstructing the resplendent times of the Club from its inception up to its present status as a premier Royal Yacht Club. |
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About the Author: Gulshan Rai, IRS, Padma Shri & Arjuna Awardee, was professor of European history, and scholar at the Indian School of International Studies. He has authored three books on yachting: Breeze in the Sails, From Southampton to Bombay and, Sailing Around the World. He was the yachting correspondent of the Times of India and writes for many foreign periodicals. He is a former Joint Commissioner of Customs, a past President / Commodore and a member of the Club for over 40 years. |
| Email: gulshanrai27@hotmail.com |
| Weblink: www.indiayachting.com |
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