image by
Clay Moss, 30 June 2014
Last modified: 2015-01-17 by rob raeside
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You can read a bit of the club's history at the
Royal Forth Yacht Club's
history site at
http://www.rfyc.org/the-history-page. The REYC was absorbed into the Royal
Forth's fold in 1969.
Clay Moss, 30 June 2014
Ironically the yacht club formed at Granton, Edinburgh, was given the option
of adopting the name of the club with which it eventually amalgamated. In the
process of forming the club, which began in 1835, King William IV agreed to be
its patron. The letter of patronage, dated 2 May 1836, stated that the club
could be called the Royal Forth or the Royal Eastern. Permission to wear a
distinguishing flag was given in an Admiralty Warrant of 30 June 1836. The
Distinguishing Flag and Ensign were described as, “Blue, triangular, with St
Andrew’s Cross (white on a red field, and an imperial crown in the centre of
cross) at the head of the flag: Ensign, blue.”
Although the letter of
patronage had indicated that the name of the club should be preceded by the
title Royal, the King, by himself, did not have the right to grant the title,
which was subject to Admiralty and Home Office approval. When the discrepancy
came to light in 1909, the Scottish Office wrote to the Home Office ‘presuming
that the use of the Royal Title can continue’. Retention of the title was
approved in December of that year.
Blue Ensign warrant withdrawn 24 March
1928 due to lack of applications for individual yacht warrants. Only three
applications had been made between 1910 and 1928.
[National Archives HO
144/1060/188870, HO 144/1060/188871]
David Prothero, 3 July 2014
image by
Clay Moss, 30 June 2014
The Dumpy Book of Ships and the Sea (1957)
shows the burgee blue, with a canton. The canton is red with a white saltire
with a crown in the centre.
James Dignan, 12 February 2008
