[2] It was the first sailing club in southern India, and was originally based in what was called the Timber Pond area of Madras Harbour.
It was accorded its 'Royal' status by the Emperor of India, King George V, and the name was changed to The Royal Madras Yacht Club on 8 June 1933.
At the international level, club members Deep Rekhi, Kuruvilla Abraham, Drona Narayanan, Navaz Currimbhoy, Sandeep Srikanth, Niloufer Jamal, Rohit Ashok and Varun Prabhakar represented India between 1970 and 2000.
The club claims that its primary purpose is "to promote the sport of sailing" in all its aspects, and caters for sailors of all ages and abilities.
The RMYC has a fleet of boats comprising Optimists, Lasers, Enterprise, Waterwags, 420 Class, 29ers, Omega and Seabirds.