![[Brooklyn Yacht Club]](../images/u/us~ycbrk.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 19 December 2019
Last modified: 2020-05-17 by rick wyatt
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image by Ivan Sache, 19 December 2019
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The Brooklyn Yacht Club, organized in 1857, was incorporated on 5 April 1864.
The club disappeared at an unknown date between the two World Wars. The
modern Brooklyn Yacht Club, established in 1946, does not appear to be connected
with the original one.
On 10 October 1877, Club's Commodore John S.
Dickerson informed James O. Woodruff that "the Brooklyn Yacht Club, by an
unanimous vote, have authorized me to permit you to fly the 'Club Flag' during
your cruise around the World on a scientific expedition [...] and would ask that
this flag be preserved and given to the club as a memento of a great and
important achievement".
<https://www.hipstamp.com/listing/ux5-postl-card-ny-duplex-1877-woodruff-scientific-expedition-brooklyn-yacht-club/16000373>
The preliminary announcement of the "scientific expedition around the
world" stated: "The Expedition will fly the flag, and adopt the uniform of the
Brooklyn Yacht Club". The expedition, indeed "a university at sea" for 200-250
paying students and 10 invited professors, was postponed and eventually
cancelled in 1879.
Ivan Sache, 19 December 2019
At Atlantic Yacht Club is mentioned that in 1866
the Atlantic Yacht Club was founded by members of the Brooklyn. That would
appear a rather early development, but with Lloyd's 1903 confirming that the
Brooklyn was in fact from 1857, splitting off in 1866 doesn't seem as unlikely
any more.
By 1896, the same flag was shown in the American Yacht List, but this time
the page also contains four officer's flags. Commodore: Blue, a centred white
upright five-pointed star with a circle of 13 smaller such stars pointing
outward around it. Vice Commodore: Red background but otherwise the same design.
Rear Commodore: Reversed from Vice Commodore, but with a narrow red border along
the free edges. Fleet Captain: Blue, a star as from the Commodore's flag in the
upper hoist.
Lloyd's Register for British and Foreign Shipping - Yacht
Register 1902-1903 still shows that same design. Then a different burgee appears
in Lloyd's 1903: us~ycbkl857.gif. So far, I've been unable to find a reason for
this change.
In 1911, Motor Boating writes about the Brooklyn's history,
how it's the oldest incorporated Yacht Club in the USA, (1864, which is before
the NYYC, 1865), and how internal disagreements have have caused multiple
splits. It then reports the club have decided to change their name to "National
Yacht Club". Indeed, in 1912 the club is listed as the "National Yacht Club" and
"(Formerly Brooklyn Yacht Club)", with the same burgee.
Lloyd's 1914,
however, only lists a club called "Brooklyn Yacht Club", and while it shows the
Red, White, and Blue burgee, the description points the reader to a late entry,
where the "Brooklyn Yacht Club" is once again represented by the white star on
red. In 1917, these are still the name and the burgee, according to Lloyd's.
Brooklyn Yacht Club Ia
I'm not certain what happened to
the club after that, though it would seem telling that the Bermuda race, which
was originally organised by the Brooklyn, did not return to New York after the
War. However, Lloyd's 1927 and later still showed a Brooklyn Yacht Club white
star on red. This may have been a continuation or recreation or a
re-establishment of the original club.
By 1949, Lloyd's lists two Brooklyn Yacht Clubs: One
the star on red, and the other a burgee blue before red per hoistward chevron
with a centred white capital B, and smaller white capital Y at the hoist and C
at the fly.
In 1950, neither of the two is shown in Lloyd's. Then in
1951, Lloyd's shows the blue-yellow burgee shown above. By 1954, it's no longer
shown. In Lloyd's 1963, the Brooklyn Yacht club of 1946 is listed for the
address of the current BYC, making it likely the 1951 burgee belongs with the
current club, even if they don't picture a burgee themselves.
Peter
Hans van den Muijzenberg, 1 July 2019
The signals of The Brooklyn Yacht Club are prescribed in Article VIII of the club's By-Laws.
image by Ivan Sache, 19 December 2019
Sec. 2. The Club burgee
shall be a broad-pointed flag of red ground, with a five-pointed white star in
the center, and be carried at mast-head or peak. Its length shall be one inch
for every foot of length on deck of the yacht, and the base or hoist two-thirds
of its length.
![[Brooklyn Yacht Club]](../images/u/us~ycbrkco.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 19 December 2019
Sec. 3. The Commodore's pennant shall be rectangular, one and one-half inches for every foot of deck length, width two-thirds of its length; it will be of blue ground, with large white five-pointed star in center, surrounded with thirteen smaller five-pointed white stars.
![[Brooklyn Yacht Club]](../images/u/us~ycbrkvc.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 19 December 2019
The Vice-Commodore's pennant shall be the same as Commodore's, excepting the ground be red.
![[Brooklyn Yacht Club]](../images/u/us~ycbrkrc.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 19 December 2019
The Rear-Commodore's pennant shall be the same as Commodore's, excepting the ground be white and the star be red.
![[Brooklyn Yacht Club]](../images/u/us~ycbrkfc.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 19 December 2019
The pennant of the Senior Captain, when acting Rear Commodore, shall be the same
as Commodore's, excepting without any stars.
Size of all the flag officers'
pennants shall be determined as prescribed by Commodore.
[The color plate
indeed shows a blue flag with a white star in canton for the Fleet Captain].
Sec. 4. The night signal of the Club is Coston's patent signal, showing red,
white, green and red in succession.
Sec. 5. Members' private signals
shall be swallow-tailed, and of less breadth at end than at hoist; size: one and
one half inch for every foot of deck length; width at hoist two-thirds its
length. May be of any color or device desired by the members; but the device
must not be a symbol of any yacht, as the signal is intended to represent the
man, not a boat, and the device must not be a copy of any registered private
signal of members of any clubs in New York or eastern waters. A duplicate of the
signal selected must be made twenty-four inches long on paper, and colored true
to the signal, and deposited with the Secretary of the Club, to remain its
property.
Private signals must be shown when signaled by another yacht.
Sec. 6. Each enrolled yacht shall have its name legibly painted on outside
the stern, and shall carry private signal of owner when under way (provided
duplication has been filed with Secretary of the Club); in the absence of
private signal shall carry the Club burgee while under way. Every yacht may
carry the American Yacht Ensign adopted by act of Congress and approved by
Secretary of Navy.
The Brooklyn Yacht Club Constitution and By-Laws,
adopted April 23rd 1890
<https://archive.org/details/constitutionbyla00broo/page/n5>
The burgee is shown by different sources of the time:
Burgee as represented, slightly erroneously, in The American Ship List
1874:
![[Brooklyn Yacht Club]](../images/u/us~ycbrk74.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 19 December 2019
Burgee as erroneously represented on a T59 Flags of all Nations
tobacco card:
![[Brooklyn Yacht Club]](../images/u/us~ycbrk11.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 19 December 2019
