[Royal Squadron]. Signals for the use of the members of the - Lot 128

[Royal Squadron]. Signals for the use of the members of the Yacht Club London, Printed by G. Hayden, Brydges street, Covent Garden, 1817 RARE AND ASTONISHING FIRST CODEBOOK CREATED FOR MEMBERS OF THE MOST EXCLUSIVE OF YACHT CLUBS, FOUNDED IN 1815: THE ROYAL SQUADRON. IN 1851, THIS CLUB INITIATED THE FAMOUS REGATTAS THAT LATER BECAME THE AMERICA CUP. A FINE COPY IN NAVY BLUE MOROCCO, PERFECT FOR THE POCKET OF A WATCH JACKET. ORIGINAL EDITION In-12 (170 x 105mm) Printed on fine laid paper, unpaginated, but 144 pp. ILLUSTRATION: numerous hand-colored flags CONTEMPORARY BINDING. Midnight blue morocco, spine ribbed. At the head of the title page, it says: "This book belongs to the club: and is to be returned to the secretary whenever the holder of it ceases to be a member." This was not the case. Worldcat can find no copies in the USA. COPAC lists only three copies in England: one in the National Maritime Museum, another in Cambridge and the third in Kingston Lacy Castle (National Trust). There is also a second edition of this book, dated 1822. The book presents itself as an intense combination of numbers and letters conjugated by a codified system of flags, here watercolored, to establish a conversation at sea between members of one of the chicest of clubs. The pages are not numbered. But you'll notice that the letter "T" is followed by signals corresponding to the number 2525 for "Tea", or 1055 for "French". The Royal Yacht Squadron is the world's most prestigious yacht club. It was founded on June 1, 1815 as The Yacht Club in London's Thatched House Tavern. The name The Yacht Club appears on the title page of this volume. In 1817, it welcomed the Prince Regent as a member. After becoming king under the name of George IV in 1820, the club was renamed the Royal Yacht Club, adopting its definitive name in 1833. Members' yachts took on the suffix RYS and were authorized to fly the Royal Navy White Ensign rather than the Red Ensign used by most other UK-registered vessels. The club was responsible for the creation of the America's Cup in 1851. This famous club, founded two hundred years ago, is today based in Cowes Castle.