[8] At the end of the Nineteenth Century yachting was mainly a pursuit of the rich and the only people engaged in cruising were a handful of pioneers such as Edward Frederick Knight, Claud Worth,[9] Frank Cowper, Richard Turrill McMullen, Erskine Childers etc.

[10] The leader of this group, many of whom lived far from the sea in or around Wolverhampton was a 29-year-old Barrister, Arthur Underhill, who had just had his first fully decked yacht built – a two and a half ton sloop.

On the other hand, there were boatmen around the coast who were quick to realise that a good profit could be made out of this developing pastime, and cruising yachtsmen were becoming frustrated.

A letter from A. D. Hownam-Meek to the Editor of Yachting Weekly suggested that "Surely it would be possible to form some Union as obtains in the cycle and motor world to compile a register of honest boatmen at the various ports who would, I feel sure, consent to work or supply moorings at a standard fee, in return for the advertisement which they would thus receive, and a most important benefit would be obtained, at a very small cost".

5 Arundel Street in the Strand and agreed that: "It is desirable to have an Association, not formed upon the lines of an ordinary club, to give increased facilities to cruising yachtsmen."

If anyone had probed his background they would have discovered a man who had led a varied and wandering life from the linen trade in Dundee, to storekeeping, lumbering and private banking at Grenfell and Saskatchewan in Canada.

Herbert J. Hanson (1875–1958),[12][13] who became Treasurer and was virtually to run the Association for forty years, and a number of keen experienced sailors, G. Burnett, F. Dugon, D. M. Haig, C. J. Harrison, W.T.R.R.

"[14] Once the Armistice was signed in 1918, many yachtsmen wasted little time in getting afloat again and as early as April 1919 Frank Cowper, who was then the Cruising Association's Local Representative at Fowey reported that many small boats were fitting out, some already being in the water.

The CA went on to a Care and Maintenance basis, with a Committee taking over from Council and meeting once a year to approve the accounts and elect Officers.

The collection of rare maritime books was sent away for safety, though the doors of the Library at the then headquarters at Chiltern Court in Baker Street, London, were never closed.

The restrictions on cruising in these immediate post-war years are obvious from the sort of questions referred to Council, in the hope that official rather than individual representations would prove to be valuable.

Typical examples ranged from the difficulty of obtaining milk at Falmouth (rationing of course was still being imposed) to worries about oil discharge at Milford Haven, the threat to Southwold harbour from proposals to build a dam for land drainage and the height of electricity cables on the river Axe.

As early as September 1924 Hanson could write: "Already we have a collection of great interest, containing a number of beautiful books, among which every reader and many a student can satisfy his taste.

Hanson himself loved browsing in bookshops, but in building up the Library it was important that he had expert help from one of the two booksellers in London who specialised in books about Travel and the Sea.

[16][17] Ironically, these rare and valuable books, manuscripts, and charts are now more readily available for inspection by members than they were when they were kept in secure storage at the Association's own premises.