History of yachting

Choosing yachting as your hobby, it is worth learning more about the history of sailing. Who was the first to suggest organizing a race for time? When and where was the first regatta? And how did sailing yachts appear in Russia?

Where did yachting begin
The first sailing ships were known in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia more than 5000 years ago, where, perhaps, the origin of navigation took place. The fleet served for the transportation of goods and people as well as for warfare. Up until the 16th and 17th centuries, ships were seen solely as a tool for naval combat or a form of transportation. Any excesses and luxury were out of the question, and shipbuilders were oriented on other functions. It was important that the ship was reliable and capacious.

But by the beginning of the 16th century small pleasure sailing yachts began to appear in Europe. This happened in such countries as Holland, England, Norway, Sweden, where seafaring was developing most actively, and the inhabitants had long been accustomed to the water element. Such yachts were considered a privilege of rich aristocrats, as the maintenance together with a professional crew was expensive.

It is believed that it was in Holland that people started sailing for their own pleasure, so there lies the origin of the history of sailing. The very word “yacht” also comes from the Netherlands. There was found a document from April 19, 1601, where a Dutch doctor Henry de Vogta asked to allow him to personally go out on his sailing yacht on the route from Flissingen to London (it is 130 miles).

It is not known who first got the idea to organize a speed contest, but officially the first sailing race dates back to October 1, 1661. It happened on the River Thames. King Charles II Stuart of England, while he was in exile, became interested in sailing yachts. He was largely influenced by the experience of Holland. After the English king managed to regain his rights to the throne, he ordered a yacht “Catherine” for joy.

One fall afternoon during another outing, he bet 100 guineas with his brother, the Duke of York, that he would overtake his yacht “Anne”. The first sailing race took the route from Greenwich to Gravesend. In the end, the king won, who did not limit himself to one yacht and built himself 17 more. This event went down in the history of yachting.

First regattas and yacht clubs
After a while, gentlemen yachtsmen realized that the more participants, the more interesting it is to compete. In 1674 the Royal Navy Club was founded. And in 1720 the first sailing regatta was held in Ireland, organized by the Cork Harbour Water Club.

It took about a hundred years for sailing races to become commonplace in England. More and more yacht clubs appeared, where yachtsmen united by interests, shared their experience, discussed plans for the next competitions. To this day it is the yacht clubs of Great Britain that can boast a rich history of yachting and traditions. Despite the apparent availability of sailing, members of such clubs often become members only after several recommendations. For example, one of the most prestigious is the Royal Thames Yacht Club, founded in 1823.

Gradually, the number of yachtsmen increased in other countries. International competitions began to take place. In 1851 an unusual event in the history of sailing sports was a sailing regatta held in England. Even then English sailors were famous for their skill in sailing, so they decided to challenge American yachtsmen.

The Americans, apparently, were determined to rub their noses in the English, otherwise would it have been worthwhile to cross the Atlantic Ocean on their yacht at all? They were not even lazy to build a new schooner for the occasion, which they named “America”. The Americans won the regatta, beating the entire British fleet of 20 yachts participating in the race. Soon the competition was renamed into the legendary “America's Cup”, which is held every four years and attracts the attention of the yachting world. Much later, in 1900, sailing races were included in the list of disciplines of the Olympic Games.