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British Yacht Club and Sailing Clubs index

British yacht clubs may fly a white ensign (the Royal Yacht Squadron), an undefaced blue ensign (32 clubs), a blue ensign defaced with the badge of the club (57 clubs) or a red ensign defaced (14 clubs). There is also a defaced RAF Ensign for the RAF Sailing Association. Other sailing clubs may have their own flag or burgee.

Current clubs
Model yacht clubs
Obsolete Special Ensigns of yacht clubs that no longer exist
Obsolete flags of clubs that have merged with, or been absorbed by, current clubs
Overseas Yacht Clubs Currently (2009 Navy List) Entitled to a Special Ensign
Overseas Yacht Clubs formerly entitled to a Special Ensign
Clubs in Northern Ireland
Clubs in Ireland
Yacht Club Special Ensign Minimum Tonnage
Royal Patronage and "Royal" clubs

See also:

British Yacht Clubs
Blue ensigns used by yacht clubs (full list, as per The Navy List (2005), including overseas clubs)
Red ensigns used by yacht clubs (full list, as per The Navy List (2005), including overseas clubs)
White ensign used by yacht club
A History of Yacht Club White Ensigns
United Kingdom
Royal Yachting Association website
Burgees of yacht clubs on the Norfolk Broads

Obsolete Special Ensigns of yacht clubs that no longer exist

Obsolete flags of clubs that have merged with, or been absorbed by, current clubs

Royal Clyde Yacht Club. Merged into Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club
Royal Eastern Yacht Club. Absorbed by Royal Forth Yacht Club
Royal Northern Yacht Club. Merged into Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club
Royal Portsmouth Corinthian Yacht Club. Absorbed by Royal Albert Yacht Club
Royal South Western Yacht Club. Absorbed by Royal Western Yacht Club of England

Overseas Yacht Clubs Currently (2009 Navy List) Entitled to a Special Ensign

Bermuda
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club

Gibraltar
Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club

Australia. Available to Australian registered vessels when in Australian waters
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
Little Ship Club (Queensland Squadron)
Royal Australian Navy Sailing Association
Royal Brighton Yacht Club
Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club
Royal Geelong Yacht Club
Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron
Royal Motor Yacht Club of New South Wales
Royal Perth Yacht Club
Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club
Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club
Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
Royal Victorian Motor Yacht Club
Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania
Royal Yacht Club of Victoria

Overseas Yacht Clubs Currently Entitled to a Special Ensign for Members who own a British Registered Vessel

Bahamas
Royal Nassau Sailing Club

Canada
Royal Hamilton Yacht Club

China
Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Fiji
Royal Suva Yacht Club

India
Royal Bombay Yacht Club

Jamaica
Royal Jamaica Yacht Club

Malta
Royal Malta Yacht Club

New Zealand
Royal Akarana Yacht Club
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club

Republic of Ireland
Royal Irish Yacht Club
Royal St George Yacht Club

South Africa
Royal Natal Yacht Club

Overseas Yacht Clubs formerly entitled to a Special Ensign

Australia.
Glenelg Yacht Club
Holdfast Bay Yacht Club

Canada.
Royal Canadian Yacht Club
Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club
Royal Kennebecasis Yacht Club
Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club
Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron
Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club
Royal Vancouver Yacht Club
Royal Victoria (BC) Yacht Club

China
Shanghai Yacht Club

Egypt
British Boat Club

Singapore
Royal Singapore Yacht Club

South Africa
Royal Cape Yacht Club
Point Yacht Club

Tanzania
Dar es Salaam Yacht Club

Yacht Club Special Ensign Minimum Tonnage

14 August 1950. Request from Lieutenant Colonel Foyle of Royal Engineer Yacht Club regarding yacht of less than 2.5 tons.

The Admiralty consulted some yacht clubs about reducing minimum tonnage; Household Brigade, Royal Anglesey, Royal Naval Sailing Association, Royal Thames, Royal Northern, Little Ship, and Royal Yacht Squadron. Only Royal Thames against.

Minimum tonnage requirement for special ensign reduced from 2.5 tons to 2 tons except for White Ensign.

Implemented 7 March 1951. NL 2851/50. [National Archives ADM 1/21971]
David Prothero, 5 July 2014

Royal Patronage and "Royal" clubs

The practice of ‘Royal Patronage’ was widely misunderstood. ‘Patronage’ was a personal arrangement between a member of the royal family and, in these cases, a yacht club. It did not entitle the club to use the title ‘royal’. The latter was the result of an official procedure conducted via the Home Office.
David Prothero, 15 February 2015