The Nainital Yacht Club (NTYC) is situated at an altitude of 2,084 metres (6,837 ft) above sea level and is one of the highest sailing club in the world.Nainital is set in a valley containing a pear-shaped lake, approximately two miles in circumference, and surrounded by mountains. Barron, a sugar merchant from Shahjahanpur, discovered Nainital in 1841 he remarked "It is by far the best site I h
ave witnessed in the course of a 1,500 miles trek in the Himalayas." was founded soon after in 1910.Linton Hope (18 April 1863 - 20 December 1920),an English naval architect and yachtsman built yachts specially suited to the specific wind conditions found on the Naini Lake.These yachts,known as he ‘Linton Hope Half-Raters’ are still in use in Nainital.The only other place in the world where these yachts are found is the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club in England.The original yacht club,however, almost shut down in 1947 when the British left India..The British members of the Nainital Yacht Club decided to sell all the yachts and shut down the club.This led a few sailing enthusiasts to rally round and use their own savings to buy the yachts and transfer the club lease to the Boat House ClubTill date both the Nainital Yacht Club and the Boat House Club Ltd. co-exist at the northern end of the lake. Until 1970, sailing was an exclusive privilege of the members of the NTYC.Later, the N.T.Y.C. opened its gates to outsiders as well and now, everyone is entitled to experience and enjoy this beautiful sport. Ever year in June the N.T.Y.C. organises a ‘Summer Regatta’ which is a series of yacht races spread over a period of ten days.In the last decade or so, sailing in Nainital has experienced a drastic fall in enthusiasm from the regular sailors.Only a handful of the members continue to sail today.With lack of funds to maintain the yachts and the jetty, the N.T.Y.C. faces a serious risk of shutting down.This page has been created with the hope of spreading awareness about the needs of the club as well as to encourage the youth of Nainital to take up this wonderful and exciting sport.If we are able to rope in more and more youngsters to take up this sport, we can effectively secure the future of sailing as an adventure sport in Nainital.
