BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MANILA YACHT CLUB

It was the 20^th of January, 1927, when five yachtsmen met at the Polo club (then situated beside the bay).  They gathered together to sign their names on a document representing the By-laws of the Manila Yacht Club.  These plans had been in the making since 1926 and the signatures were those of James C. Rockwell, Joseph A. Thomas, Aubrey P. Ames, Stewart A. Tait, and A. S. Heyward.  Along about 1933 or 34, the Philippine Navy Patrol, which up till then had been located in Canacao Bay in Cavite, moved to Manila and installed itself on the grounds previously solely occupied by the Manila Yacht Club.  They did not, however, totally oust the Club from the premises, but filled in a strip of additional land and moved the Clubhouse bodily to that location.  The last day of the Manila Yacht Club was the 28^th of December, 1941, before it was occupied by a Japanese marine detachment.  With the liberation of Manila in 1945, the Club started to rebuild its Clubhouse and other facilities and on April 1^st, 1947 the Manila Yacht Club was officially opened using the Quonset hut as a Clubhouse.

THE COUNTRY'S PREMIER YACHT CLUB

The Manila Yacht Club, considered as a social and sporting Mecca, is a member's only Club. Most of the sailing in the Philippines is based in MYC. It remains today as the country's premiere yacht club, owing to its strong reputation and rich historic past. The Club is a yachting hub in Southeast Asia committed to the promotion of sailing as a sport.

The racing season of the Club runs from September through May every year. One of its main events is the President's Cup Regatta which is held after. Easter. This eagerly anticipated event began in 1993 as the Philippine Easter Regatta. It came to be known as it is today when then President Fidel V. Ramos requested the Manila Yacht Club to hold an international regatta during APEC Summit held in the country in 1997. From then on, the event was renamed as the President's Cup Regatta.

It is a well-publicized and enjoyable sailing competition that gives the Club the opportunity to welcome overseas sailors to our shores and for our local yachtsmen to compete against world-class competitors. The Manila Yacht Club also co-organizes and encourages its members to join other major international and Philippine yacht racing events. This includes the China Sea Race began by the Royal Hongkong Yacht Club in 1962. The other Asian regattas that MYC sailors join include the King's Cup of Thailand and Rajah Muda of Singapore. The Manila Yacht Club is affiliated with the Philippine Sailing Association and aims to compete in local and international sailing events.