Wightlink joins centenary celebrations for its neighbour, the Royal Lymington Yacht Club
16th June 2022
Wightlink’s ferries linking Lymington with Yarmouth are flying the pennant of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club to mark its centenary. Club members will mark the occasion on their summer Regatta Day – Saturday 18 June 2022.
The Club was founded in 1922 and was originally based in a disused Coastguard Boathouse. It gained Royal patronage in 1925 and its name changed to the Royal Lymington in 1938. HRH The Princess Royal is the current patron.
In a message to the Club published on its website, Her Royal Highness writes: “The Royal Lymington Yacht Club is one of the most active ‘Royal’ Clubs founded in the hopeful days after the first World War. Since then, the club has gone from strength to strength, promoting racing, cruising and social events as more members joined … I send you my very best wishes for your Centenary in 2022.”
The first purpose-built ferry to link Lymington and Yarmouth was the wooden paddle steamer Glasgow which entered service in 1830 and carried 51 passengers. As late as 1922, many of the early steamers also carried a sail to aid navigation in the Lymington River. In 1897, Marconi carried out some of his early experiments with wireless communication between the Royal Needles Hotel at Alum Bay and one of the ferries.
The pennants are flying next to the Red Ensign on the masts of Wightlink’s ferries Wight Light and Wight Sky as they cross the western Solent making up to 15 round-trips a day.
“We have been friendly neighbours on the Lymington River for 100 years,” says Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield. “We are delighted to join the celebrations by flying the Club’s pennants and hope everyone has a wonderful time over the anniversary weekend.”
Picture caption: Steve Harridge from the Royal Lymington Yacht Club joins Captain Phil Husband to hoist the Club’s pennant on the mast of Wight Light
For more information, please contact:
Duty Media Officer
07870906189
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