In March 1914, the newly-named Cape Yacht Club applied for a Royal Warrant via the South African Governor-General, Viscount Gladstone.

To fly a Blue Ensign was, and still is, considered a great honour and a privilege for a yacht club, certifying British maritime guardianship.

The RCYC’s defaced Blue Ensign was flown from the flagstaff at the Clubhouse until 1966, being replaced by the South African national flag.

[1] The RCYC hosts and organises numerous sailing events, including the Lipton Challenge Cup and South Africa’s premier ocean yacht race, the Cape to Rio.

Held roughly every three years, the Cape to Rio is the only transatlantic race in the Southern Hemisphere and covers nearly 4,000 miles of the South Atlantic Ocean.