History of the Royal BVI Yacht Club

The British Virgin Islands Yacht Club was officially formed on 25 July 1973. The first Commodore was Peter Wright with 76 'hearty souls' comprising the membership.  The new club had four Sunfish dinghies for the use of it's members and regular Squib racing  .  

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The first official club house was a houseboat which was moored in the carreening hole at Road Reef. Unfortunately hurricane David decided the fate of the houseboat in August 1979 and it would be another 14 years before the club was able to build it's own permanent home.  The club house at Road Reef was officially opened on 30 June 1993 by then chief minister H Lavity Stoutt.

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Since the very early days the club has hosted a strong racing calendar.  The annual Round Tortola Race has become a rite of passage for BVI racers and continues to also attract boats from neighbouring islands and visiting sailors.  The strength of the racing scene is diversity and evolution with a dinghy racing calendar complimenting the yacht races.  

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In 1984 the BVI was represented at the Olympic Games for the first time with Keith and Peter Barker competing in the 470 class and Robin Tattersall, Keith Thomas and Elvet Meyers competing in the Soling.  

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In January 2000 a royal warrant was granted in HM Queen Elizabeth II's New Year Honours List and we became the Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club.

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In 2023 the Club celebrated 50 years of BVI sailing with activities on and off the water.  A beautiful coffee table book was created exploring the vibrant history of sailing in the BVI and celebrating the successes of BVI sailors on the international stage.

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