Royal Yacht Squadron to allow female members
A tradition of restricted male only membership dating back almost 200 years has been swept aside by the Royal Yacht Squadron on the Isle of Wight after the membership voted to allow women in as full members
Sign of the times: After 198 years Royal Yacht Squadron votes to allow women as full members
By Kate Laven
12:26PM BST 05 Aug 2013
A meeting on Sunday, attended by 150 of the 475 members, voted unanimously in favour of the motion to extend membership privileges to women. There was not a single vote in opposition though the decision still has to be ratified by the full membership.
Officials at the Squadron, which is housed in a grand castle in Cowes and billed as one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world, said they had been lobbying members on the issue of women’s membership for four years before yesterday’s ballot.
There was no announcement from the RYS which established their ‘gentlemen only’ membership in 1815 when the club was founded and the club declined to comment.
Even lady associate members, the wives of existing full members, who were not eligible to vote, were unaware of this dramatic change of policy.
RYS invites candidates to join but the only known criteria for membership is an active interest in sailing.
