HISTORY
The Yacht Club of Greece (YCG) is the leading yachting institution in the country, established in 1933 by a group of prominent Athenians, with an aim to promote sailing and yacht racing in Greece and to develop love and respect for the sea and nautical traditions. By 1940, and under the patronage and Admiralty of the Greek Royal Family (King George II, King Paul and King Constantine II, all keen yachtsmen in their own right) the club, as ROYAL YACHT CLUB OF GREECE (until 1973), became the most important yacht club in the country and currently continues its successful operations under the patronage of the President of the Hellenic Republic.
The Club currently has 1250 members which include Olympic Medalists, leading international and Greek sailors, as well as prominent members of Greek society, the business community, and senior diplomatic circles.
YCG is located in Piraeus, overlooking MICROLIMANO, the historic port of the ancient Athenians, on a secluded private peninsula with impressive landscaped gardens and a panoramic view of the Saronic Gulf and the nearby islands, the city of Athens, the Parthenon and the surrounding mountains.
YCG is focused on yacht racing and sail training for youths and adults, organizing inshore and offshore racing all aimed at developing top level athletes. Due to its prominent membership, strategic location and high quality of services, the Club is also used extensively for numerous social, cultural and business events, and has always been a point of interest to many important visitors and delegations in Greece.
The Club offers its members the following extensive facilities:
- The Main Clubhouse and the Port Clubhouse with formal and informal lounges, restaurants, bars as well as reception rooms and verandahs with panoramic views, all served by a well-known traditional Mediterranean cuisine.
- Port facilities including berthing slips and cranes as well as boat house storage for sails & equipment, workshops, sail loft, and shops for nautical clothes &equipment.
- Sail Training centre with classrooms, changing rooms with showers, and a fully-equipped gymnasium.
- Extensive fleet of owned sailboats including Optimists, Lasers, 420s, 470s, Yngling, Lightnings for its athletes and members to use. It also houses and supports teams that race in Dragons, Platu 25, and larger offshore yachts.
The Sail Training School provides instruction for all ages and levels of experience, and includes:
- Dinghy sailing School that trains children and develops top athletes.
- Match Race Academy that trains teams and individuals specifically in the art of match racing.
- Offshore sailing School that provides training and Licences for offshore yachtsmen.
The Club organizes numerous yacht and dinghy races and events throughout the year, including 5 multi class Dinghy racing weekends, 7 Match Racing races, 9 Offshore regattas to the nearby islands including the famous International Andros Yacht Race, and in keeping with its mission of maintaining traditions, organizes the Spetses Classic Yacht Regatta and the International Dragon class racing program for Greece.
The YCG’s proudest moment was reached in 1960 at the Rome Olympic Games where the then Crown Prince Constantine and future Admiral of YCG, won the Gold Medal in the International Dragon class, this being the first Olympic gold medal Greece had won since 1912 in any sport, launching the sailing career of numerous Greek Olympian sailors.
The achievements of YCG members at both National and International Offshore racing Competitions are also noteworthy with numerous International Trophies and World Championships being won by YCG members (such as Sidney to Hobart Race, Bermuda Race, Middle Sea Race, 3/4 Ton Cup, 1/2 Ton Cup, ILC40 Worlds, Corel 45 Worlds, ORC Worlds etc.).
As a leading Yacht Club in the Mediterranean, YCG has organized many World, European and International Regattas including:
- YCG, as squadron owner for the Lightning Class, regularly hosts World, European, Junior and Masters Championships for the class
- Olympic and Dinghy classes European Championship (Soling, Finn, 420)
- Offshore Yacht racing World & European Championships (1/2 Ton, 3/4 Ton, J24, ILC 40, & COREL 45)
Yacht Club of Greece is sistered with a number of the most prominent Yacht Clubs in the World, such as the Yacht Club of Monaco, Yacht Club of France, Yacht Club Italiano, Yacht Club of Gstaad, Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia, St. Barths Yacht Club, etc. and has mutual agreements with numerous other international clubs.