Nainital Yacht Club
 An 1899 image of the boathouse and yachts | |
| Short name | NTYC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910 |
| Location | Boat House Club, Nainital, Kumaon Uttarakhand, India |
| Website | Official website |
Nainital Yacht Club is a yacht club that was founded in 1910 by the British, and is located at the Boat House Club in Nainital, a hill station in India. Situated along Nainital Lake at an elevation of 2,084 m (6,837 ft), it is the highest yacht club in India and among the highest in the world.[1][2]
History
[edit]
The earliest records of sailing on Nainital Lake are from 1880, when lead keels Cutter type yachts were used.[2] In 1897, Nainital Sailing Club was established and the "Sorceress" type of yachts were used for many years. The Nainital Yacht Club was founded in 1910 by the Carey brothers: C. W. Carey, a Major in the Corps of Guides, and F. Carey, a captain in the Royal Artillery.[2] The brothers introduced one-design sailing and yachts, and Linton Hope designed many of the new yachts.[1] Known as "Linton Hope Half-Raters", they were specially designed to suit the wind conditions on the Nainital Lake, and apart from India are only found in the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club in England.[1]
Boat House Club
[edit]The Boat House Club manages the affairs of Nainital Yacht Club and was founded two decades prior in 1890.[3] It was controlled by the British until 1948, when it passed into the hands of Indian management. The last British commodore was Sir Francis Verner Wylie.[4] The first Indian commodore, Raj Kumar Giriraj Singh, was appointed in 1957. Yachting on the lake was reserved for members till 1970, but today non-members and tourists can sail for a fee.[4] The Boat House Club hosts a Summer Regatta in June every year.
Nainital Regatta
[edit]After the British left India, sailing declined in the region. To encourage yacht sailing and boost water sports tourism, the Governor of Uttarakhand in 2014 launched, after a gap of four decades, the Governor's Gold Cup Sailing Regatta, an annual three-day event where sailors from across India compete in the races.[5][6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Return of the Nainital regatta".
- ^ a b c Shah 1999, p. 109
- ^ "To the hills we go". Livemint. 20 May 2018.
- ^ a b Shah 1999, p. 114
- ^ "Indian Navy wins Sailing Regatta in Nainital". The Pioneer. PTI. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ "nainital: Fourth edition of Nainital regatta to kick start today | Dehradun News - Times of India". The Times of India.
Bibliography
[edit]- Shah, Giriraja (1999). Nainital: The Land of Trumpet and Song. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 9788170173243.