Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

In and around Belfast Lough, whose yachtsmen are numbered amongst the keenest and best in the whole kingdom, there have been many flourishing sailing clubs. By the fusion of two of these – the Ulster Sailing Club and the Cultra Sailing Club—in 1898, the North of Ireland Yacht Club was formed.

The club provided itself with nice quarters at Cultra, which is some five miles up the Lough from Bangor, on the south side of the Lough. Such was the prosperity of the new club from the outset, that the quarters with which it started its career soon proved altogether inadequate, and considerable additions were made some four years ago. The Admiralty warrant was granted to it in 1901.In its earlier years it was content to cater for the smaller craft only, and there are always sufficient of these in the Lough to pro­vide excellent sport. Some six years ago, however, a race for the 52-footers was included in the programme of the annual regatta, and this has been continued each year since. The club works in harmony with the Royal Ulster in giving races alternately for all of the classes which make Belfast Lough their headquarters, and these races in the course of a season number about 100.