Princess Royal Sailing Club was formed in 1909 by Frank Dymes with the Club’s first meeting held at the Royal George Hotel on Stirling Terrace. Club races were conducted in those days from the Albany Town Jetty. During the 1950’s the Shire of Albany granted the Sailing Club a lease of land at Pagoda Point in Little Grove, where we are now located. Over many years the Clubrooms and Marina have grown to what we see today. The Princess Royal Sailing Club forms part of the proud maritime history in the city of Albany.

During 2009, we celebrated our Centenary with a highlight, the reinstatement of WA’s most prestigious and challenging ocean race, the Fremantle to Albany Yacht Race. The first Fremantle to Albany Race was conducted in 1968 and during the 1970’s & 1980’s became the States’ premier Ocean Race. The last race was held in 1997 so it was a welcome return after an absence of 12 years.

Maritime Background

"The finest harbour in the Southern Hemisphere," ... was the appraisal of King George Sound by George Vancouver when he sailed into its blue, protected waters in 1791. This description, further enhanced by Matthew Flinders' survey in the early 1800s, led the British to choose the site of Albany as Western Australia's first settlement in 1827 - two years before that at the Swan River.

Since then, Albany's waterways have been the focus of the region's development. Always well placed as a port of refuge from the stormy Southern Ocean, Albany became a major commercial coaling port in the late 19th century. The monument on Mt Clarence testifies to the port's role in the Anzac invasion of 1914 whilst the submarine fleet activities of the '39-45 conflict are remembered by the American lookout at the Forts. This history, overlaid on the whaling traditions of the town, make Albany's waterways a living history book of maritime tradition.