Royal Vancouver Yacht Club facts for kids
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| Nickname(s) | Royal Van |
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| Short name | RVYC |
| Founded | 1903 |
| Location | 3811 Point Grey Road Vancouver, British Columbia V6R 1B3 |
| Commodore | Leigh Stratton |
| Website | http://www.royalvan.com |
The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (often called RVYC or "Royal Van") is a special club for people who love boats and sailing. It's located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The club has two main places where boats can dock, called marinas. One is at Jericho Beach in English Bay, and the other is in Coal Harbour.
At the Jericho Beach location, you'll find a clubhouse, two restaurants, and enough space for about 350 boats. There's also a special dock for smaller boats called dinghies. In 2017, a cool new building called the Dock Building was finished. It has offices for the Harbour Master (who manages the docks), classrooms for learning about boating, and workshops to fix boats and sails.
The Coal Harbour location has space for about 350 boats too, some of which are covered. It's also home to a floating restaurant called The Mermaid Inn. Besides these two main spots, the club has seven other special places along the coast of British Columbia, called offshore stations.
Club History
The club started way back in 1903 and was first known as the Vancouver Yacht Club. Just three years later, in 1906, it officially became the 'Royal Vancouver Yacht Club'.
Early clubhouses were designed by architects like J. Kennerly Bryan and Mr. Waterson. The permanent yacht club at Jericho Beach opened its doors in 1927. Fred Laughton Townley and Mr. Matheson designed this clubhouse.
During 1940 and 1941, the Royal Canadian Navy Reserves used yacht clubs like RVYC to help train their members. This helped create a system to keep track of all the trained sailors.
Over the years, the club's history has been carefully recorded in books. These books tell stories about how the club started, its famous sailors, exciting races, and all the fun activities with sail and power boats. In 2003, for the club's 100th birthday, a book called 'Racers and rovers: 100 years of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club' was written by James P Delgado.
Club Traditions
The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club has some interesting traditions. For example, they have a collection of model yachts. These are small, detailed replicas of real boats. One model, named 'My Calliope', was given to the club in 2012.
Offshore Stations
The club has several special spots along the coast where members can visit and dock their boats. These are called offshore stations:
- Tugboat Island, Silva Bay (opened in 1960)
- Alexandra Island, Centre Bay (opened in 1965)
- Secret Cove, Sunshine Coast (opened in 1972)
- Salt Spring Island, Scott Point (opened in 1977)
- Wigwam Inn, Indian Arm (opened in 1985)
- Garden Bay, Sunshine Coast (opened in 1989)
- Cortes Island, Cortes Bay (opened in 1993)
Famous Members
Many interesting people have been members of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, including:
- Colin Hansen, a former politician in British Columbia.
- Jimmy Pattison, a well-known businessman.
- Jason Priestley, an actor.
- Nardwuar, a radio personality.
- Andrew Saxton, a former politician for Canada.
- Chip Wilson, who founded the popular clothing company Lululemon.
See also
- List of International Council of Yacht Clubs members
