Jan. 7, ipoS-T 
Prince Alfred Y* C* of 
Australia* 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
17 
BY LOUIS H. WYATT, SECRETARY PRINCE ALFRED Y. 
"Mosquito Y. Q— Boat owners wishing to join, plea«€ 
meet at McGrath's at 8 to-night." 
The above exhortation appeared in the advertising 
columns of the Sydney Morning Herald of Tuesday, 
Oct. 15, 1867, and on the evening of the same day, in 
the commercial room at the above-named hotel in 
King street, Sydney, a number of boat owners and other 
aquatic supporters assembled to discuss the advisable- 
ness, or otherwise, of forming a mosquito yacht club, 
with tile object of promoting aquatic sports in Port 
Jackson. 
The reason for the inauguration of such a club was. 
stated to be that the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron,, 
which had been in existence some four or five years,, 
did not cater for the smaller boats, and that some- 
organization for the proper control of racing among 
such craft was considered to be necessary. Nowadays, 
there are numerous sailing clubs which foster the smalli 
boats of all classes, and the Prince Alfred Y. C, to- 
gether with the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, look after 
the interests of the yachts only. In this connection there 
has been much argument of late as to what constitutes, 
a yacht, and the question has proved quite as vexatious 
as tlie problem of arriving at a satisfactory definition 
of an amateur. 
At the inaugural meeting it was decided that the 
title of the new body should be "Prince Alfred Y. G.," 
in 1-n.nor of the then recent visit of His late Royal 
Highness the Duke of Edinburgh; and royal patronage 
has uten extended to the club ever since its inception. 
Success appears to have attended the beginnings of 
the chtb, for in less than two months no less than 
twenty yachts were registered and eighty members en- 
rohed, and for thirty-two years this latter number was 
not exceeded. 
On application to the admiralty some eighteen months 
after inauguration a warrant was issued authorizing 
the yachts of the club to fly the blue ensign with a 
ducal coronet in the lower fly. At the same time it 
was decided that the burgee be blue ground with broad 
red cross, and these flags have been in use up to the 
present day. Another interesting matter about the 
same time, was the adoption of a distinctive uniform, 
and the rig-out, which seems to have met with the ap- 
proval of the members was: ' Blue coat (sack, double- 
breasted) and vest, with white trousers_ and straw 
yachting hat with blue ribbon. If the sailing weather 
thirty odd years ago was anything like it is nowadays — 
and theee is reason to believe it was — there were: 
probably innumerable straw hats floating about Port. 
: Jackson' on Sunday morning after the previous day's: 
race: and, if the for'ard hands wore the said straw- 
bonnets, the language was doubtless peculiarly yachty.. 
Nothing has been chronicled as to whether such uni- 
form was extensively worn, and, as it is not remembered', 
by any of the present members, probably did not last 
long. 1'lie distinctive outfit at present in vogue is. 
similar to the undress uniform of naval brigade officers.. 
While commenting on the early records of the club, 
one cannot pass without mentioning a man whose name 
has been associated with yachting ever since the com- 
mencement of the sport in these parts. The late Mr, 
Richard Harnett was the first commodore of the Prince 
Alfred Y. C. Not only was Mr. Harnett a keen sports- 
man, but one with original notions regarding yacht 
design and construction. So far back as 1868 he con- 
ceived and put into practice the idea of a boat with 
cutaway ends and a fin-keel — truly a primitive form of 
the present day racer. One these lines he produced 
Australian, a boat that had a remarkable record ex- 
tending over nearly twenty years, despite the fact that 
when the model was shown to such eminent builders 
us HaUher, of Southampton; White, of Cowes, and 
Ratkc, they ridiculed the possibility of such a craft 
being able to sail. 
In the e.bsence of evidence of great vitality and en- 
thusiasm, it can only be concluded that from 1872 on- 
ward the club's affairs drifted on in a steady kind of 
way for a number of years, continuing with the ortho- 
dox opening and closing functions and ordinary racing 
events in the sailing seasons untjl toward the end of 
1899, V, hen we find the commencement of a new era. 
For tlie last quarter of the nineteenth century the 
club had jogged along with an average meiiierbship- 
ranging between seventy and eighty; and while it may 
be said that the Prince Alfred Y. C. continued to exist, 
thete were not any striking manifestations' oi advMice- 
ment, and it was patent to some of the youngei' and. 
more enterprising members, that if progress was to be 
made and the club to expand something in the shape 
of a club house must be established. 
The outcome of much discussion was the opening, on. 
Dec. 4, 1899, of spacious rooms in the heart of the city.. 
These are liberally decorated with yachting and 
other pictures, while the comfort and convenience of 
the memlDers is . studied in every respect. Such ac- 
quisitions as billiard tables and the necessaries for other 
indoor games are provided, in addition to a library con- 
taining all the latest yachting literature, and all popular 
sporting and other magazines are always available on 
the reading table. 
The little band who had formulated the scheme were 
full of go-ahead-ism, and from the date of the es- 
tablishment of the rooms the Prince Alfred Y. C. has 
had year after year of phenomenal success. So great 
was the influx of new members it was found necessary 
to double the accommodation in the following August. 
Between the annual meetings of 1899 and 1900, the 
membership increased nearly 100 per cent.. The num- 
ber on the roll in 1899 was 77; to-day it is 232. 
The fleet, according to the register, has also increased 
from seventeen to forty-six, and it is gratifying to ob- 
serve that the majority of these are boats of an up-to- 
date type. 
The introduction of half a dozen new yachts of 
modern design— 30-rating—wes also _ an important 
auxiliary to the club's progress, and this served to re- 
vive interest in yacht racing in these parts — a tonic that 
was badly needed in this branch of the sport. And as. 
indicating the increasing popularity of the contests con- 
ducted by the "Alfreds" — as the club is colloquially 
known — it may be mentioned that the committee have 
found it necessary during the last couple of seasons tO' 
■engage a steamer capable of accommodating 400 to 
BRONZCARING. 
Com. S. Hordern's steam yacht, flagship of Prince Alfred Y. C. 
Photo by S-wain & Co., Sydney, N. S. W. 
foreshore (including all bays and coves) that show the 
touch of nature's best handiwork; all these, with an 
environment of unimaginable color, constitute a spec- 
tacle that must be seen to be appreciated. 
In September, one by one the yachts, all resplendent 
in new paint and varnish, forsake their winter^ quarters, 
and there is about a month or six weeks of sail stretch- 
ing and tuning up before the commencement of the 
racing, which is conducted under the rules of the Sydney 
Yacht Racing Association, which are really those of the 
British Yacht Racing Association somewhat modified 
and altered to suit local conditions. 
The Prince Alfred Y. C.'s programme generally opens 
toward the end of October; and for many years it has 
been the custom for all the yachts to assemble in 
THE FLEET OF THE PRINCE ALFRED Y. C. ON THE OPENING DAY, 1903. 
Photo by Swain & Co., Sydney, N. S. VV. 
500 members and friends who wish to witness the 
various events. 
About the ups and downs of the club since its in- 
ception, the writer might go on ad infinitum; but he fears 
the editor's blue pencil, which is mightier than many 
other weapons. However, it would be well just to 
briefly describe how the Alfreds carry out the season's 
programme, and entertain the members all the year 
round; but first of all it will be necessary to inake a 
little digression, by drawing a local sketch to give the 
reader an idea of where such programme is enacted. 
Though it would be superfluous, here, to dwell at 
length upon the adaptability of Port Jackson, upon the 
waters of which the members of the Prince Alfred Y. 
C. disport themselves whenever opportunity offers 
throughout the summer, in passing, it may be men- 
tioned that upon Saturdays, Sundays and all holidays 
for eight months of the year (September to April) the 
world renowned harbor is a scene of aquatic animation. 
Steam yachts, powerboats, and sailing craft of every 
size and description, from the stately old-fashioned 
cruiser to the tiny 6-footer, in hundreds flit about a 
beautiful expanse of water bounded by 170 miles of 
Farm Cove, then form a procession^ — headed by the 
commodore — and proceed in order of tonnage to some 
sheltered rendezvous, where the whole fleet (numbering 
as many as 40 on some occasions) come to an anchor 
round the commodore and dress ship, forming an 
unique gathering that is symbolical of festivity. A good 
band on the club steamer enlivens the pi^oceedings, and 
there are always numerous aquatic sports, such as 
sailing dingey races and rowing contests. There is 
also much exchanging of visits between the various 
craft, and the well-known signal (which, by the way, 
is much appreciated) inviting members to "come on 
board" flutters at the masthead of the commodore's 
yacht during the whole function. About a fortnight 
later the real business of the season begins — racing. 
In the last few years, the principal events have beera 
the 30-rating competition, for which there are three 
rounds, points being given for each race — 3 for first, 
2 for second and i for third place. In this class there 
are about nine or ten yachts competing regularly, and 
in the past season, in order to thoroughly test the 
merits of the boats, one of the three matches was sailed 
over an ocean course, and the other two in the harbor. 
EASTER CAMP- OF THE PI^JNCET ALFRED Y. C, AT THE BASIN BROKEN BAY ENTRANCE TO HAWKESBURY RIVER, 
I ; - Photo by Talma, Sydney, N. S. W. 
