[7] The club's first regatta, led by Commodore Viscount Avonmore, was held in 1837 with events in Killaloe, Williamstown and Dromineer Bay and at Portumna.

[citation needed] Through the early period of the club's life, they sailed large cutter rigged keelboats of displacement between 5 and 16 tons.

[citation needed] Up until 1883 the club organised events under its own rules- thereafter it operated under Yacht Racing Association (YRA) rules.

[8] The first one-design boat adopted by the club was the Dabchick class of centre-boarder designed by Linton Hope c. 1895.

The Dabchick was followed by the Shannon one-design class designed by Francis Charles Morgan-Giles which began racing in 1922.