Club history

Hal Wagstaff OBE was a man who insisted that things always be done right but was never bound by convention. He maintained his bright intelligence and involvement in the sport up to the time of his death, and definitely lived up to the name “Hurricane” Hal.

In 1883 a group of Wellington sailors called a meeting in the Pier Hotel to discuss the formation of a yacht club. The result was the creation of Port Nicholson Yacht Club.

Digital NZ has posted over one thousand items of RPNYC history online as part of a project led by the National Library. The collection includes newspaper articles and photos from the past and is well worth a look.

The Wellington Classic Yacht Trust have put online a series of photos that were first pubished in the Auckland Weekly News from the early 1900’s through to 1940. They provide an excellent snapshot of early sailing life in Wellington with a lot of shots of Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club events.

The rivalry in boat building in Wellington goes back a long way. Gavin Pascoe from the Wellington Classic Yacht Trust continues his story telling about the yachts and their sailors in Wellington with the story of Mawhiti and Kotiri and the people who built and sailed them.

Gavin Pascoe from the Wellington Classic Yacht Trust continues his story telling about the yachts and their sailors in Wellington. This time he focuses on the Arawa Sailing Club and the Half Raters.

Gavin Pascoe from the Wellington Classic Yacht Trust continues his story telling about the yachts and their sailors in Wellington. This time he focuses on the little ship that could … Isca.

Gavin Pascoe from the Wellington Classic Yacht Trust continues his story telling about the yachts and their sailors in Wellington. This time he focuses on the boat builder Roydoin Ross and on the yacht Taipare.

Gavin Pascoe from the Wellington Classic Yacht Trust has posted another article on the history of yachts and their sailors in Wellington. This time he focuses on the Thorndon Dinghy Sailing Club which was one of the early sailing clubs in Wellington.

Gavin Pascoe from the Wellington Classic Yacht Trust has posted another article on the history of yachts and their sailors in Wellington. This time he focuses on Ethel.

Gavin Pascoe from the Wellington Classic Yacht Trust tells the story of Pet, the leading boat in the Wellington fleet back in the 1880s.

Many of our members served in both World War one and World War two and and as always ANZAC day is an opportunity to remember them. One such person was RPNYC Life Member Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg VC GCMG KCB KBE DSO*** KStJ (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963).