The Royal Cork Yacht Club, is the oldest in the world and its fascinating history reveals the economic and social fortunes of Cork over three centuries, writes Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent.
A crisis it wasn't, but for the ladies of Cobh, Co Cork, it constituted a disaster. Their letter of warning is addressed to the gentlemen of "Cove", as it was then known, and dated August 10th, 1831.
"We understand that some of the females in the lower ranks of life have been induced to take a part in public rowing matches, and expose themselves to the laughter and contempt of the assembled multitude," they wrote.
"It seemed at first incredible that any woman could so far forget her proper sphere as to consent to such an act - but when we consider the poverty and the ignorance of those who have been selected - and the rewards, the promises and the threats which have been used, we can only pity them and deplore their condition - while our astonishment is turned from them to you.
"Can it be possible that men of education and refinement could wish [the following was underlined] to lower our sex! That they could take pleasure in seeing the coarse and masculine attitudes of a boatman assumed by a woman! Will a refined mind take delight in beholding the blush of shame and degradation on the cheek of these poor females! Can a brother, a husband or a father exult in the thought that he has made an inroad on virtue by breaking down its outworks of delicacy and modesty and reserve! We entreat you as men of taste, of feeling, and of sense - do not suffer this exhibition to dishonour the South of Ireland. Set an elevating example to others. Do not meanly follow a precedent which in your hearts you must despise. And prove to the world that you know how to value, to respect and to cherish the virtues that adorn the female breast . . ."
The brutes, the brutes - they ignored the entreaty. So did some 30,000 spectators, who watched the last day of the Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) regatta. The main event was a four-oared whale boat race, rowed by women and steered by men, for prizes valued at £10.
Two crews were selected by de Courcy O'Grady of Carrigmahon, and by Capt RN Connor of Ballybricken. There were many wagers on shore. After a race that was described as "amusing" in the Constitution or Cork Advertiser, the Carrigmahon women won "amidst the plaudits of the assembled multitude".
Not surprisingly, women weren't exactly active participants of the RCYC at the time, but the club welcomed their limited presence for some years and admitted them as members from 1938. Money was at the root of the momentous decision in the late 1930s to create a new category of "lady member", as traced by Dr Alicia St Leger in her recently published book, A History of the Royal Cork Yacht Club. A special afternoon card and tea party was held in the club to commemorate the event, with Mrs J Bagwell of Eastgrove, Queenstown, Co Cork, the first of a number of members from November, 1938.
Dr St Leger has unearthed some fascinating detail in her extensive record of the world's oldest yacht club - and, after years of debate, she has also verified that very claim.
Dermot Burns, a former rear-admiral, had felt a little uncomfortable about answering inquiries from around the world from 1991, when he was asked to take over responsibility for the club's archives. Burns thought about writing a modest booklet, but such was the quantity of material available that he soon realised he would need help. Just before Christmas 1994 he invited historian Dr Alicia St Leger to the clubhouse for a chat. The rest is history.
AS SHE RECORDS, it was largely due to King Charles II's exile in the Netherlands in the previous century that the Water Club of the Harbour of Cork was founded in around 1720 on Haulbowline island. While in the Netherlands, the young king was introduced to the developing sport of yachting - derived from the Dutch word jaghtschip, or "ship for chasing".
Fast, efficient craft had been designed for the miles of Dutch canals and rivers, primarily for military purposes. Inevitably, they were also used for trade, for travel and for sport. Manoeuvring vessels in certain formations was already part of naval training, and racing became an extension of this.
The Dutch East India Company presented Charles II with his first yacht, named Mary, in 1660. The sixth Baron of Inchiquin, Murrough O'Brien, was one of the noblemen infected by the king's enthusiasm, and he is credited with introducing the sport to Cork harbour, where he lived in Rostellan Castle.
As Dr St Leger notes, O'Brien was as fickle as the winds of his native coastline. During the wars in Ireland in the 1640s, he fought first for the royalists, then switched to the parliamentarian cause, and then changed back to the royalists in 1648. Not surprisingly, he went into exile in France in 1650, but returned to England in 1660. He was favourably received by the new king, who restored the monarchy in May, 1660, and had his Irish estates - which had been confiscated by Cromwell - returned to him.
Dr St Leger isn't sure if Murrough or his son William were active on Cork's waters, but their children and their family name had close associations with the club until 1855. The early rules were similar to the guidelines issued in 1697 by Dutch Admiral Gillis Schey, architect of a mock sea battle on the River Y in Amsterdam to mark a visit there by Peter the Great. They were, however, a little more extensive.
"Ordered that no Admiral do bring more than two Dishes of Meat for the Entertainment of the Club," read rule two, while rule three decreed that no admiral "presume to bring more than two Dozen of Wine to his treat".
THE ECONOMIC AND social fortunes of Cork over three centuries are reflected in the club's history, with a period of expansion in the 1820s and 1830s being halted by the Famine. No regattas were held between 1846 and 1849, and in 1847 the North American sloop of war, Jamestown, sailed into the harbour with relief supplies donated by Boston citizens.
The ship's captain, Robert Bennett Forbes, willingly helped all those who had applied, but wasn't impressed by one gentleman who sought aid for his tenants - the same gentleman was spotted out on the water, showing off his new cutter yacht.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited the harbour in 1849 on the royal yacht, and a deputation from the RCYC was among the visiting groups to protect their loyalty. "We hail the arrival of our Gracious Sovereign in this harbour with feelings of no ordinary satisfaction; as the port of Cork will, from henceforth, be for ever renowned as being that portion of your Majesty's kingdom of Ireland which has been first honoured by your Majesty's presence," the club's address read. To mark the queen's visit, Cobh was renamed Queenstown - a title retained until 1920 - and she donated a cup to the club for the 1850 regatta.
Political events - ranging from the risk posed to yachtsmen of late 18th-century press gangs to opposition to tithes in the 1830s - were to have an impact on the club. Dr St Leger also traces details of some of the more exotic names on the membership lists, and the history also covers an attempt to blow up the clubhouse with a landmine in 1940, the merger with the Royal Munster Yacht Club, and the move to Crosshaven in 1966. The Fastnet race disaster of 1979 - the race was hit by a freak storm and 15 competitors lost their lives - the foundation of Cork Week, associations with the Naval Service, and the achievements of more recent members - such as the legendary Denis Doyle, skipper and owner of Moonduster; yacht designer Ron Holland; and offshore racer Harold Cudmore - are also covered.
Dr St Leger dedicates a special chapter to the Cork Harbour One Design class, in which yachts were built from a standard design, which proved popular with spectators from first launch in 1896 due to the fact that each boat had its distinctive colour. The text is complemented by an extensive photographic archive, with much material donated by members and others. Tony O'Hanlon of Propeller in Galway is responsible for the 480-page book's design, which is in itself a work of art.