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Sailing: The Sport of Royalty

There are many ways to spend your leisure time on the beach, especially if you think that you have tried every beach activity there is. Starting from scuba diving, snorkeling, water surfing, kayaking, beach volleyball, and swimming—perhaps, you’ve tried them all. But how about we tell you about another popular beach sport you might think is an elite sport but you, too, can actually enjoy? We are talking about sailing which is the activity of moving the boat by using the power of the wind.

Is Sailing More Than Just A Hobby?

For many sailors in the world, sailing is more than just a hobby or a wonderful leisure activity you can enjoy during the holidays. Many things are going on when you do sailing as well as how one can be a better sailor in order to enjoy further sailing both as a hobby or sport. For starters, there is a rich historical background to sailing as a sport and we can trace it back to the time during the royal kings and queens are into it. Yes, you read it right! Sailing started as a sport patronized by the royals of the world.

Sailing sport: a trip down memory lane of a patronized sport of the royalty

According to historians, sailing was perceived to be a hobby exclusive to the elites or privileged families in Greece, Rome, Asia, and Egypt. These privileged classes would sail the oceans in their massive ships until it became a sport in Holland way back in the 17th century. The Dutch would use boats to sail and compete with other sailors. When the word spread, sailing was recognized as a sport in England and then in America as well.

Is Sailing More Than Just A Hobby

Moreover, for centuries, sailing has also been deemed as a means of transportation. It has been used as well for fishing and other recreational activities you can do in the ocean. But it was only until the 17th century that people saw the beauty of having the sport of sailing. And just like what was mentioned previously, sailing as a sport also came to England. It was King Charles II who brought it to England after his exile in the 1600s. From there, a royal sailing yacht was used by King Charles II. Moreover, it was noted that King Charles II was gifted an extravagant sailing yacht which was named Mary. According to historians, the late King Charles II often used Mary as a racing vessel before he donated it to the Royal Navy. However, the said royal sailing yacht met a tragedy in 1675 when it hit a rock on an island called Skerries near Northern Island.

The Tradition Of Sailing

Despite the said tragic event, the monarchy was able to preserve the tradition of accumulating royal yachts. For the sake of providing comfort for the royal leaders because of their leadership and service, royal yachts were given to the royalty. As a matter of fact, there were 82 royal yachts given to the royalty since the death of Mary. Moreover, some of the most extravagant yachts have been used as well for practical purposes such as the deployment of the royal leaders to domestic missions.

The said usage of royal yachts for the deployment of the monarchs was quite popular back then, especially before airplanes came into the picture since the only means that these monarchs can reach other nations was by traveling the seas. Royal yachts also evolved along the times. One of Queen Victoria’s ships, Victoria and Albert, became the first royal yacht in Britain to be fitted with a steam-propelled engine. Unfortunately, Victoria and Albert was decommissioned three years later. This was the time when Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI rose to the throne.

This is why in 1952, King George VI decided to replace Victoria and Albert with HMY Brittania. This royal yacht was meant to become a hospital ship if ever the country go to war again. However, before this purpose came to pass, King George VI passed away. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip still pursued the building of HMY Brittania but they did not go for the original plan which is meaning it to be a hospital ship.

And since then, yachting has become a beloved pastime of the monarchs. King George IV, for instance, joined the Yacht Club in 1817. There’s King Edward VII who also watched the first America Cup in 1851. Because of this, King Edward VII developed a passion for sailing as a sport at an early age. Brittania then became the royal defining of yachting. It has been through various deployments, luxurious competitions, and pleasant relaxations.

Sailing The Sport of the Royalty

This is where Prince Philip found greater enthusiasm for sailing. He is often found sailing in royal yachts. Furthermore, Prince Philip is known for attending Cowes Regatta regularly. Cowes Regatta hosts the so-called Cowes Week which is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. It was noted that there are 1,000 to 8,000 competitors from different classes of cruiser-racers. Every year, there are at least 10,000 visitors from all around the world joining Cowes Week. These visitors go for Cowes Week both for entertainment and for competition.

But of course, there has also been a point in history where the sailing of the royals was put to a halt. This started when King George V died in 1936. When he died, no other member of the royal family stepped up to take good care of Brittania. Moreover, when the aftermath of the Second World War was felt, yachting for the royals has been slow to recover. Good thing, Queen Elizabeth has developed a passion for yachting so it helped in preserving the sport of sailing for the monarchs. As a matter of fact, aside from using Brittania for their deployment and relaxation, couples from the royal family also took Brittania with them during their honeymoons.

The same setup is also applicable to other monarch nations. Kings and Queens from Norway are also fond of taking their royal yachts for racing. They also pass this culture to their children. There’s this culture as well where they are enrolled in clubs so that they will be trained on how to be sailors. This is why most of the royal families from all over the world are members of the Royal Yachting Association.

Conclusion

For centuries, sailing has always been deemed the sport of the elites. We have seen it in the history of the monarchs and how they lavish their luxuries on extravagant royal yacht competitions. Even prominent universities in Western countries are now offering courses for honing aspiring sailors. Royal families also hire private teaching sessions for their royal children. At an early age, they are also encouraged to enroll in exclusive sailing associations to grow their network. All of these works are part of preserving the culture and passion for sailing. Indeed, the social side of sailing as a sport is its strength as well. The only difference is that sailing can now be accessed by all classes. If you have no idea about how to do sailing, you can easily learn the basics of it.

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