Home

Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron

Welcome aboard!

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas

The Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron' Clubhouse

The Clubhouse is located on Bell Channel, on the island of Grand Bahama. This is the members' home away from home!

The Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron is a private members' club located on Bell Channel on the Island of Grand Bahama, an island of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

The Club was established in 1925 on New Providence island and moved to Grand Bahama' island in 1969.

The Clubhouse is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 11:30pm, and is closed on Christmas Day, St Stephen's Day, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

Members Bar is open from 11:30am to 11:30pm (last order at 11:15pm) and the club' restaurant ("The Coffee Room") is open for luncheon from noon till 3:30pm, and for dinner from 7:30pm to 10:30pm. Booking is highly recommended.
The Terrace is open all day long.

The Clubhouse can be hired for private functions.

Reciprocal Agreements

ROYAL CORK YACHT CLUB

Cork, Ireland

YACHT CLUB ITALIANO

Genoa & Portofino, Italy

GSTAAD YACHT CLUB

Gstaad, Switzerland

YACHT CLUB OF GREECE

Athens, Greece

PORTO MONTENEGRO YACHT CLUB

Tivat, Montenegro

CLUB NAVAL DE CASCAIS

Cascais, Portugal

HEBE HAVEN YACHT CLUB

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

ROYAL VARUNA YACHT CLUB

Pattaya, Thailand

ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

YACHT CLUB COSTA SMERALDA

Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy

Yacht Moorings

Mooring and berthing facilities are offered to Members and Guests throughout the year. At the Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron, we proudly provides moorings spots which are respectful of the environment and local biodiversity.

Contact the Secretary for more details at secretary@rbys.club

RBYS Freeport beach

About Freeport

Located 40 miles from Florida, Freeport is the main city on Grand Bahama, which is part of The Bahamas. With white sandy beaches and fair winds, Freeport is the sailor's paradise and the Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron the yachtsman's ultimate retreat!

Club' Rules & Dress Code

Dress Code

The Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron Dress Code is intended to maintain the standards and traditions of the Club. Members and their guests are invited, and strongly encouraged, to embrace the spirit and intent of the Club’s Dress Code.

In general terms, Members are asked to wear smart looking attire including collared shirts, trousers and shorts free from rips, tears, and frays. Not permitted is blue denim, athletic wear, beach wear or shorts/skirts shorter than 3 inches from the knee inside the Clubhouse.

Gentlemen shall wear jackets at all time. Club' tie is welcomed. After 6pm, jacket and tie must be worn and on Fridays and Saturdays evening, Black Tie is encouraged.

The Dress Code will be monitored and enforced by the Club Management and selected staff members. Members will not be permitted to board the Club Launches or enter the Club’s Formal Areas if they are not appropriately attired.

Certain “launch compliant” clothing items will be offered for sale at the Club Shop to help Members who would otherwise be non-compliant.

Juniors aged ten and over shall dress in accordance with the adult regulations. Children aged nine and under should wear neat and clean casual clothes.

Mobile Phones, PDAs, Laptops, Tablets and eBook Readers.

Mobile phones, or any other of the personal electronic equipment under this heading, may not be used to make or take voice calls, text messages or emails, or to access and surf the Internet, or to read eBooks in any public room of the Clubhouse.

These restrictions do not apply if the public room is used for a private event. Personal electronic equipment could only be used outdoor or indoor in the Library only, and not to make nor receive voice calls when other Members are present.

For any further information, please contact the Secretary.

Membership

Full Membership of the Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron is open to ladies and gentlemen alike. The Clubhouse and its facilities are also open to members of other clubs with which the Club has reciprocal arrangements and guests of the Club’s Members. Members, Reciprocal Members and their guests are very welcome to use the Clubhouse which provides a place in which to relax and an elegant and convivial rendez-vous for families and friends to meet.

In principle, potential members are invited to join the Club by their proposer - who should be a current member of at least one years' standing. They should then be introduced as widely as possible, perhaps by taking part in a Club event or two. Otherwise it is a good idea to come to the Club and meet several members. Members’ Drinks Evenings, which take place on last Thursday of each month and are always attended by members of the Membership Committee are ideal for introducing potential members to the Club.

Once the joining process is begun, it is the Proposer who carries it forward - but if you are thinking you might like to join the Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron it will help you to know the procedure.

These are the steps:

At the request of the Proposer, the Membership Administrator will send to the prospective member a Membership Nomination form, along with an information leaflet detailing the various membership categories and subscription rates as well as Club' Regulations.

The prospective member completes the form and returns it, along with a Yachting CV to the Membership Administrator, who will hold it until other formalities have been completed.

The Proposer, probably with the help of the prospective member, will identify another Full Member to second the application.

The Proposer, again probably with the help of the prospective candidate, will identify two more members to support the application. It is not necessary for the incoming member to have known them as long he or she has known the Proposer. These Supporters sign the form that is held by the membership Secretary or the Proposer.

There are some internal rules about who may propose candidates for membership. At least one of the four members involved must be a current or past Flag Officer, or a member of the General Committee, the Membership Committee or the Sailing Committee. Both the Proposer and the Seconder must each write a letter to the Chairman of the Membership Committee at the Club stating how long the candidate has been known and the reasons why he or she would be a suitable member of the Club.

When the Membership Committee approves the application, possibly after a personal interview if the new member has not been able in the meantime to attend any Club events, the candidate will be nominated for election to the Club. The names of all nominees are displayed in the Clubhouse hallway for a period of three weeks, to give all the members the opportunity to comment on the applications.

Assuming there are no objections or other difficulties, most candidates are elected within a two to three month period. They are then sent a letter confirming this and welcoming them to the Club and invited to settle the Joining Fee along with their first year's subscription. Once the subscription is paid the process is complete and the candidate confirmed as a member of the Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron, entitled to fly the Club's colors, wear its privileged ensign and generally enjoy all the other benefits that membership brings.

For more information, please contact the Secretary at secretary@rbys.club

About the Club, our History & Values

Our Club' history

The Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron is a private members' club located on Bell Channel on the Island of Grand Bahama, in The Bahamas.

The Club was established in 1925 on New Providence island and moved to its current premises on Grand Bahama' island in 1969.

rbys regatta 01

Our Club' Values

The yacht club is one of the oldest and most historic institution in sport. Steeped in tradition, members share in a special bond, both on and off the water. Yacht clubs have played important roles in the evolution of yacht racing. But above all, Yacht Clubs are special: they are homes. Homes for families who love the sea. People who sail and race on the sea. This common thread, the love of the sea, is what makes a yacht club work. The members of the Club often act like a family. At the Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron, we passionately love the ocean and we would welcome warmly every people sharing our passion, even without a boat, to enrich ourselves of mutual experiences and build a great friendship between all Members.

Royal Bahamas Yacht Squadron

14 Bell Channel Bay Subdivision, P.O. Box F-42056 Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas GPS Coordinates: 26.519008, -78.629534 Clubhouse opening hours: Monday to Friday: 10am - 11:30pm Saturday: 11am - 11:30pm Sunday: 11am - 4pm For further information, please contact the Secretary: SECRETARY@RBYS.CLUB (242) 727-8759 From overseas: +1 (242) 727-8759