At this dinner the club must have decided to change their name, as appears from the following extract from a Vauxhall programme of July 30, 1823, announcing the match 'given by His Majesty's Coronation Sailing Society, entered into for celebrating annually the Coronation, and formed by new subscribers and members of the old Cumberland Fleet'; the last three words being printed right across the page in large type. They also changed their flag, adopting a white one with a crown in the upper corner next the staff, with the letters 'G.R. IV.' underneath, and the words 'Coronation Fleet' in the fly. This flag had a crimson border all round, with lettering of the same colour.
Officers' badge,
R.T.Y.C.
This match of July 30, 1823, is a very important one, as, owing to a dispute over the prize, the present Royal Thames Yacht Club was formed. The facts are as follows:—In the race the 'St. George,' Captain Brocklebank, came in first, and the 'Spitfire,' Captain Bettsworth, was the second boat. Captain Bettsworth, however, protested against the 'St. George' being given the prize, for the following reasons:—'That the "St. George" during the match was steered by two persons, which was contrary to the sailing articles signed by all the competitors previously to starting. The articles alluded to state that "the vessels must be sailed by their respective owners, or by any person they may think proper to appoint." The appellant states the breach of articles to have been committed between Blackfriars and Waterloo Bridges.'[22] On August 6 the Club met to consider the question at the Ship Tavern, Water Lane; and after Capt. Bettsworth had produced witnesses and the matter had been argued out, it was determined by ballot, and by a majority of one, that the race should be re-sailed on Monday, August 11. On August 7, however, a protest was sent to the commodore, signed by seven members of the club (none of whom, by the way, had a boat in the match), asking him to call another meeting of the society, to either confirm or rescind the vote on August 6, and mentioning the fact that Captain Brocklebank had not been present at the ballot. On August 8 another meeting was held, at the Ship Tavern, of the captains and owners of the pleasure boats that had been in the race of July 30; they resolved to send in a protest to Commodore Nettlefold, in which they stated 'that if such resolution be rescinded, we have unanimously determined never to enter any of our boats for any cup to be given on any future occasion by the "Coronation" Fleet,' as they considered the merits of the question had been fully and fairly discussed. This protest was signed by eight of the captains who sailed in the match. On August 9 a further meeting of the club was held, and the resolution of the 6th instant rescinded, in spite of the protest, the cup being handed over to Captain Brocklebank as the victor. On this decision the captains held another conference (probably on the evening of August 9), decided to form a new club, and to call a special meeting on the question. On August 14, 1823, at the White Horse Tavern, Friday Street, it was decided to form such new club, and to call it the 'Thames Yacht Club.' Most of the old members of the 'Cumberland' Fleet are supposed to have joined it. The 'Coronation' Fleet went on with varying fortunes until the year 1827, when it seems to have fallen into abeyance; but it was revived again in 1830 with a great flourish of trumpets, only to be absolutely dissolved on January 3, 1831, at a meeting of the club, held at the British Coffee House, Charing Cross; and that very same year their commodore, Lord Henry Cholmondeley, was racing as an ordinary member of the Thames Yacht Club. So that those members of the 'Coronation' Fleet who did not join in 1823 were finally absorbed in the Thames Yacht Club in 1831. Since that period the life of the club has flowed along pretty evenly, with a few ups and downs, like the noble river from which it takes its name. The first match of the Thames Yacht Club was held on September 9, 1823, for a cup valued at 25 guineas, when ten boats entered. They sailed the old course from Blackfriars Bridge, and finished at Cumberland Gardens; but in this case, for want of wind, the match had to be re-sailed on the 10th, when the cup was won by the 'Spitfire,' Mr. T. Bettsworth. The following year they had an above- and a below-bridge match, and this was regularly continued until 1840, after which the above-bridge match was given up. The 'Don Giovanni,' owned by Mr. J. M. Davey, won cups in 1824 and 1826; she was considered the crack boat of her day, and there is a song in existence which ends as follows:—
Now toast the Don Giovanni's crew, who bear the prize away,
And may they always sail as well as they have sail'd to-day!
Then fill each glass with sparkling wine, and bumpers let them be,
And drink to Captain Davey's health—his health with three times three:
For the cup is won, the match is done,
And settl'd is the rub;
Let mirth abound, and glee go round.
In this—the Thames Yacht Club.
In 1827 a 50-guinea cup was given to be raced for, from Blackwall to Gravesend and back, to celebrate the event of His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence becoming patron of the Thames Yacht Club. This was won by the 'Lady Louisa,' belonging to Mr. T. Smith.
The following year there was a split off from the club, caused by their refusal to give prizes for very small boats, so the seceders formed the Clarence Yacht Club, which existed for several years. On August 28, 1830, two cups were given to be raced for below bridge, in honour of the Duke of Clarence coming to the throne as William IV. The yachts sailed in two classes, the first of which was won by the 'Matchless,' 19 tons, Mr. J. Hyatt; and the second by the 'Brilliant,' 8 tons, Mr. W. Bucknall. On October 7 of the same year, at a meeting of the club, it was resolved 'that the uniform button should be altered from T.Y.C. to R.T.Y.C.'; in other words, they had become the 'Royal Thames Yacht Club.' This year the fleet of the club consisted of forty-three vessels.