A RARE IRISH VICTORIAN YACHTING TROPHY, Dublin 1866,...

A RARE IRISH VICTORIAN YACHTING TROPHY, Dublin 1866, mark of John Smyth, in the form of an oversized beer flagon with hinged lid, the finial with cast figure of a sailor, the body profusely decorated with repousse and chased foliate scrolls, framed by shamrocks, thistles, with engraved reserve inscribed "THE PRINCE ALFRED YACHT CLUB KINGSTOWN, WON BY THE AQUILINE, 1866" THE WORLD'S OLDEST SPECIFICALLY AMATEUR YACHT CLUB, 1857", (c. 44 troy ozs). 36cm high

Founded in Dublin in 1857, the Royal Alfred Yacht Club, then known as the Irish Model Yacht Club, was established to put an end to the passive ownership of sailing boats. The club provided Victorian men with the skills necessary for manning their vessels and encouraged the practice of good seamanship. This was completely against the norm as, prior to this, yacht clubs had essentially taken the form of social clubs in which very few sailing events were actually held. Furthermore, when races did take place, the boats were manned by professional seamen, not the owners. In rebelling against this tradition, the club became the first specifically amateur yacht club in the world.

For the first time, yacht owners could proudly call themselves sailors, with the Model Yacht Club being so named in order to encourage others to follow in their stead. As active organisers and partakers in amateur races, the club called for a regulated set of rules to be enforced. This led to the current Yacht Racing Associations Racing Rules, for which the principal authorship can be accredited to Henry Crawford and George Thomson, two flag officers of the Royal Alfred.

Whilst the Royal Alfreds members were gentleman and would not entertain the idea of being paid to sail, it is recorded that they were more than happy to accept prizes in the form of money or beautiful silverware, with the current lot being an excellent example.