Motorboats

It must be remembered that The Royal Motor Yacht Club is an amalgamation of the Motor Yacht Club, founded by the Royal Automobile Club “to encourage and foster the sport and industry of motor boating” and of the British Motor Boat Club.

As such the club continues to support this tradition by organising power boating and cruising events, as it has done for more than a century and remains "The premier motor boat club in the UK".

The clubhouse is the home of many highly coveted Powerboat trophies, probably the best known being the British International trophy for motor boats, known as the “Harmsworth Trophy” which is believed to be the first trophy to be presented for a race for power boats when it was won by an English boat “Napier 1” who, in 1903, achieved a speed of 19.53 miles per hour. I wonder how the competitors then would react if they could witness today’s race speeds of in excess of 100 miles per hour!

Over the years the club has been host to many national and international powerboat races and, with the possible exception of World War periods, throughout the Club's history there have been members compete in this sport.

In 2008 three club members took part in the “Round Britain Powerboat Race” James Sydenham who crossed the finishing line in the 2008 race in first place in his class and second overall, Chris Strickland who came third in class, and Jan Falkowski, who came second in class and was the first boat to arrive in Plymouth from the start in Portsmouth on the first leg. Click here to read more.

On a more sedate note the Motor Boat Committee also organises a number of rallies, and get-togethers for all boat owning members to enjoy – be it a motor or sailing boat, the camaraderie is extended to all.