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Hints of the Modern Invade Royal Yacht Squadron

By Christopher Clarey

• Aug. 14, 2015

COWES, England — At the Royal Yacht Squadron, they still wear black tie and toast the queen every Saturday night. They still fire the cannons from their battlements to start the Rolex Fastnet Race and scores of other races throughout the year.

But as it celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2015, the Squadron — as it is known in Britain and in much of the sailing world — is not quite the same club of old.

It remains seriously exclusive and thickly populated by royals: from Prince Philip, the now 94-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, to Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain, to the Aga Khan.

Yet the Squadron elected its first three female full members this year, even if their names have yet to be released publicly. The club also has adopted a palpably more open approach to those who dwell outside Cowes Castle, the Squadron’s clubhouse on the Isle of Wight that was first used for defensive purposes when built by Henry VIII in 1539.

“I think we’re more relaxed about it all,” the club’s commodore, Christopher Sharples, said in a recent interview in the castle. “There used to be the feeling that you mustn’t put your head above the parapet or you’re certain to be shot. And I think they’ve got quite good parapets here.”

They do indeed, as well as a memorable, concentration-sharpening sign affixed to them: “Warning. Starting cannon may fire at any time.”

“I think there was a notion for quite a few years that the Squadron was a bunch of sort of pompous old guys together, very much the blue-blood, old-school type of thing,” said Mike Broughton, a British navigator and former British naval officer. “To be honest, I think over the last 10 years in particular, they’ve worked hard to modernize and also to modernize in terms of professional racing. They’ve modernized their racing management, which has been great to see actually, and they’ve worked hard to keep up with the times.”

That does not mean, however, that the time has come for an outsider with a profound love of the sea (and fancy dinners) to ring up the Squadron and ask to be emailed a membership application.

“The first thing to say about that is you get invited; you don’t apply,” Sharples said.

The club’s regular membership is now capped at 535, and there is a four-year waiting list. “There are also about 70 naval members who come in from a slightly different category,” Sharples said. “They come in through a side door and don’t have to queue up, and that’s because of our longstanding relationship with the Royal Navy.”

The club remains the only one whose member yachts are allowed to fly the white ensign of the Royal Navy.

The recent decision to add female members is part of a wave of similar moves by long-established British clubs: the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland elected its first female members in 2015 after 260 years of existence.

“I’m a firm believer that if a club wants to be a single-sex club only, it can be, but not if it’s connected to sport,” Sharples said. “I think if you have a social club in London, I liken it to bull elephants hanging around a watering hole. Well, nobody seems to mind about that do they? But if on the other hand you are connected to a sport where you have facilities that sportsmen use, it seems to me much better that you give equal opportunity to ladies to use and access those facilities.”

When the club was founded by 42 gentlemen in 1815 in a gathering at the Thatched House Tavern in London, prospective members were required to own a vessel of at least 10 tons.

Today, boat ownership — at any tonnage — is not a requirement. “You have to be somebody who is actively involved in sailing,” Sharples said. “If you have access to a boat or regularly sail on somebody’s boat, that’s fine.”

To become a candidate, one needs a proposer, a seconder and three other initial letters of support, plus eight additional letters: all of these from club members. Only then does one join the list with a chance to eventually face an election, which involves the full membership.

Avoid too many blackballs and you will join a club with a uniquely rich maritime history whose members and their boats played a role in both World Wars. The membership roll has included the Arctic polar explorers Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, a Russian czar, British kings, the round-the-world solo-sailing pioneers Francis Chichester and Robin Knox-Johnston, as well as Ben Ainslie, Britain’s biggest sailing star of the moment, who the club hopes can finally bring the America’s Cup back to the Squadron.

It left here in 1851 when the yacht America — owned by a syndicate of New York Yacht Club members — defeated a fleet of yachts representing the Squadron in a race around the Isle of Wight.

The Cup, a silver ewer, had been purchased for the competition by a Squadron member, Henry William Paget, First Marquess of Anglesey, who had had his right leg amputated after being wounded by one of the last cannon shots of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Cowes Castle was Paget’s summer home, and it became the Squadron clubhouse after his death in 1854.

The cup purchased by Paget was eventually renamed the America’s Cup. Though the Australians at last managed to wrest it away from the New York Yacht Club in 1983 and yacht clubs from New Zealand and Switzerland have since won it, the British have yet to reclaim possession.

Ainslie, an honorary Squadron member and four-time Olympic gold medalist, helped Larry Ellison’s Oracle Team USA retain the trophy in 2013 by playing a major role in the epic comeback in San Francisco against Emirates Team New Zealand. But he is now head of his own team, Ben Ainslie Racing, which will represent the competitive arm of the Royal Yacht Squadron in the 2017 America’s Cup competition in Bermuda.

That will come in the final year of Sharples’s four-year term, which has already included the bicentennial celebration.

“I suppose my ultimate aim, if you like, is to help Ben bring the Cup back to this club before I step down,” Sharples said.

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Gallery: the rooms, art and antiques of the Royal Yacht Squadron

• Elaine Bunting
• May 20, 2015

This photo gallery shows what it's like behind the gates of the exclusive Royal Yacht Squadron, its dining and member's rooms, artefacts, paintings, even its wine cellar, with photos by Paul Wyeth

The RYS is also very active in racing circles, has a youth programme and is the challenging yacht club for Ben Ainslie Racing’s British America’s Cup challenge. So although it may be steeped in history, the club keenly looks forward as well.

You can read more about the club, its traditions and history here.

But its closed gates continue to intigue those on the outside. Here, we take you inside, with scores of photos by Cowes-based marine photographer Paul Wyeth, of what is is really like in ‘the Castle’.

See more photos inside the RYS, and its collection of memorabilia, on the next pages…

• 1. Introduction

The History of London’s Coveted Royal Yacht Squadron

When you think of the Royal Yacht Squadron a lot probably comes to mind. Did you know that the Royal Yacht Squadron is an amazing yacht club that is nearly 200 years old? It was founded in 1815 and continues to be a rich part of living history today. The Royal Yacht Squadron was first founded in St. James’, London.

To become a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron when it first started, you had to own a vessel that could not be more than 10 tons. In today’s version of the Royal Yacht Squadron, you will find that most of the people are just interested in yachting. Interesting enough, the founder of the club was known as The Earl of Yarborough and his first member’s name was Prince Regent. When the Prince joined the RYS it became “royal.” Want to become a member in 2016? A current member has to nominate you and then you are voted in.

The members of the Royal Yacht Squadron didn’t just sit around on their yachts all day. They took voyages for miles and miles. One of the most famous voyages is known as Lord Brassey’s Sunbeam and he logged 37,000 miles! Another famous story of the RYS and their members was when Ben Boyd was actually captured and eaten by natives.

The Royal Yacht Squadron is also a rich part of history. During both World Wars, there were several yachts and their members that went to help. The Squadron offered up the clubhouse during WWII and it actually suffered damage. The damage was caused by air raids. The area was specifically targeted because it was a place where ships were made. As you can see, this would be a great target for an enemy during WWII!

Many people want to get into the Royal Yacht Squadron for several reasons. One is because of the rich history of the club. Another reason is that it is a prestigious club as they do not just accept anyone. Even though the cup has never been won back by a British challenger, 2017 is quickly approaching and things could change.  Become a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron or you could also try one of these 5 exclusive yacht clubs .

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Auckland’s hills and shores wrap around the sparkling Waitemata Harbour, making it a natural venue for boating of all types. The foundations of the city were laid in 1840 and the occasion was immediately marked by a regatta on the harbour. It was an appropriate portent of things to come as yachting and boating flourished on the harbour and ultimately grew to enjoy an international reputation.

Eleven years later, a small group of yachtsmen made the first attempt to establish an Auckland Yacht Club. It was shortlived, as were several subsequent efforts at getting a club off the ground.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron traces its origin back to the 1871 incarnation of the Auckland Yacht Club, with 30 yachts and 120 members on its register.

By then, the city had grown from a scattering of tents and shacks into a much more substantial and thriving venture, with the harbour playing a central role in its progress.

By the turn of the century, yacht racing was a thriving sport, attracting crowds of spectators and detailed reports in the local newspapers. Under the leadership of some of the city’s prominent captains of industry and commerce, the AYC showed continued growth.

A tremendous rivalry between the Logan and Bailey boatbuilding families spurred the growth of an outstanding fleet of racing yachts, most of which joined the AYC fleet.

In 1901, the AYC changed its name to the New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The following year the Squadron celebrated a major milestone when it received a warrant in the name of King Edward VII elevating its status to a Royal club.

With this recognition membership numbers almost doubled from 157 in 1901 to 300 in 1903.

During both world wars, yacht racing was largely suspended in Auckland. Members of the RNZYS served in all theatres of both wars and in all the armed services. A number of members who owned launches and were not able to serve abroad, were involved in harbour defence and patrol duties.

To accommodate steady growth, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron moved through a succession of rented premises in the city until in 1955 it bought a handsome two-storey brick house in Parliament Street with sweeping views over the Waitemata Harbour. A decade later, the RNZYS acquired its current premises at Westhaven, first as a lease and subsequently as a purhase.

From the 1960s, the RNZYS was at the forefront of a steady rise in international competition. In 1966, James Davern sailed his yacht Fidelis across the Tasman Sea and swept to line honours victory in the grueling 630 mile Sydney-Hobart Race. Fidelis set a new race record and the 17-hour margin between 1 st and 2 nd still stands as the longest in the race’s history.

Three years later, Chris Bouzaid and a RNZYS crew took on the elite of international yacht racing. Travelling to Heligoland, Germany, Bouzaid and his Rainbow II crew won the prestigious One Ton Cup against a line up of seasoned competitors from the USA, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Holland and Switzerland.

On the foundations laid by these successes, the RNZYS trophy cabinets have played host to some of the biggest prizes in world yachting including the Half, One and Two-Ton Cups, the Admiral’s Cup, the Kenwood Cup, the Champagne Mumm World Cup, the Whitbread Round the World Trophy, the Louis Vuitton Trophy and the America’s Cup.

Carrying the RNZYS burgee into battle, Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup in San Diego in 1995, then successfully defended it on the Hauraki Gulf in 2000.

After losing to Switzerland in 2003, the RNZYS became the only yacht club in the world to challenge and win the America’s Cup twice when Emirates Team New Zealand scored a 7-1 victory over Oracle Team USA in Bermuda in 2017.

Coinciding with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s 150th sesquicentenary in 2021, Emirates Team New Zealand successfully defended the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland, defeating Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli 7-3 in the America’s Cup Match and ensuring the RNZYS remains the Home of the America’s Cup.

By agreement between the RNZYS and Emirates Team New Zealand, the 2024 defence of the America’s Cup will take place in Barcelona, Spain. The Challenger of Record is the Royal Yacht Squadron.

COMMODORE Andrew Aitken

VICE COMMODORE Gillian Williams

REAR COMMODORE David Blakey

CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE Matt Cole

Marguerite Delbet

Sheryl Lanigan

Barry Martin

Anna Sullivan

Garry Scarborough

Scott Wilson

PAST COMMODORES

1871 – 1880 – Aitken, W – Daphne 1880 – 1882 – Kissling, G S – Toroa & Daphne 1882 – 1887 – Street C H – Muritai 1887 – 1888 – Stone, C B – Matangi 1888 – 1890 – Waymouth, J – Mapu 1890 – 1894 – Wiseman, J – Matangi 1894 – 1896 – Bloomfield, J L R – Viking 1896 – 1898 – Henderson, T – Volunteer 1901 – 1907 – Murdock, C P – Ida 1907 – 1918 – Bloomfield, J L R – Thelma 1918 – 1920 – Blomfield, E C – Pastime 1920 – 1922 – Johnston, J B – Waitangi 1922 – 1924 – Burt, A – Waitangi 1924 – 1926 – Gifford, A E – Rawene 1926 – 1928 – Frater, J W – Waitangi 1928 – 1930 – Endean, W P – Prize 1930 – 1932 – Macky, N L – Ariki 1932 – 1934 – Frater, J H – Waitangi 1934 – 1935 – Northcroft, E H – Ilex 1935 – 1937 – Gifford, A E – Rawene 1937 – 1939 – George, H J C – Victory 1939 – 1942 – Draffin, M K – Kotuku 1942 – 1944 – Macky, Dr F – Medina 1944 – 1946 – Tewsley, C S – Waitangi 1946 – 1947 – George, H J C – Victory 1947 – 1949 – Wilson, W S – Tawera 1949 – 1951 – Mitchelson, E J – Little Jim 1951 – 1953 – Miller, A S – Moana                                                               1953 – 1955 – Gifford, J – Rawene 1955 – 1957 – Angel, A A – Ariki 1957 – 1959 – Ellis, J S – Anthea II 1959 – 1961 – Faire, J F – Katrina

1961 – 1963 – Speight, G D – Waiomo 1963 – 1965 – Duder, A N – Spray 1965 – 1967 – Colville, S – Kahurangi                                                          1967 – 1969 – Marler, B M – Rawhiti 1969 – 1971 – Brooke, J B OBE – Kiariki 1971 – 1973 – Thompson, B B – Prize 1973 – 1975 – Beckett, W G – Panui 1975 – 1976 – McKenzie, J W – Sirius 1976 – 1978 – Littler, H A – Northerner 1978 – 1979 – White, W N – Charlemagne 1979 – 1981 – Stanton, R W – Pampero 1981 – 1983 – McDell, R M – Sunset 1983 – 1985 – Green, R H – Strategy 1985 – 1987 – Alison, D J – Eldaroma II 1987 – 1989 – Brooke, D E – Favourite 1989 – 1991 – Kerr-Taylor, E V – Amnesty 1991 – 1992 – Endean, R J – Ariel 1992 – 1994 – Maples, B L – Capella V 1994 – 1996 – Hay, P B – Zamzamah 1996 – 1998 – Heise, W J – Sambuca 1998 – 2000 – Kingston, P S – Mahia 2000 – 2002 – Taylor, P B – Seahawk 2002 – 2004 – Endean, W A – Go 2004 – 2006 – Charlesworth, D A – Oki Max 2006 – 2008 – Crawford, J C – Krystle 2008 – 2010 – Colebrook, S W – Accord 2010 – 2012 – Masters, R A – Outrageous 2012 – 2014 – Burrett, J S – V 2014 – 2016 – Anderson, A – Sure Thing 2016 – 2018 – Mair, S M – Clockwork 2018 – 2020 – Cook, I M – Ranger                                                                   2020 – 2022 – Young, A R – Checkmate

Images of each of our Past Commodores and their boats are hung in the Committee Room.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is New Zealand’s leading yacht club, with an illustrious history dating back to our formation in 1871. The RNZYS is still the official home of the America’s Cup after Emirates Team New Zealand, representing the RNZYS, defended the oldest sporting trophy in the world at the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021. The RNZYS has a wide range of events taking place to mark this momentous occasion. With thousands of races per calendar year, many social events and a Members Bar open seven days a week, we invite you to join us and enjoy what we have to offer.

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Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Inc 181 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven Marina, Auckland 1011, New Zealand (09) 360-6800

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Ahoy ladies! Britain's most prestigious yacht club which even barred the Queen will finally allow women to join after 200 years

• The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) voted to lift the 'gentleman only' rule
• The Queen was even barred from being a full member and one denied entry
• The decision to allow women follows four years of lobbying by officials
• The Princess Royal could become one of its first female members

By Tara Brady

Published: 00:18 EDT, 8 August 2013 | Updated: 20:38 EDT, 8 August 2013

View comments

Britain's most prestigious yacht club - which wouldn't even let its patron the Queen join because she was female - is finally lifting its 200-year ban on women.

The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS), on the Isle of Wight, voted to lift the 'gentleman only' rule it has upheld since it was founded in 1815.

It was such a haven for men the Queen was barred from being a full member and was once denied entry while her husband was allowed to walk through.

Fan: Move paves way for sailing enthusiast the Princess Royal to become one of its first female members

At a meeting attended by 150 of the club's 475 members, it was unanimously voted to extend membership privileges to women.

But the decision to allow women follows four years of lobbying by officials at the historic RYS still has to be ratified by the full membership.

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The move paves the way for sailing enthusiast the Princess Royal, currently an honorary member, to become one of its first female members.

In a statement, the Royal Yacht Squadron said: 'The club is delighted to confirm that, following extensive consideration and consultation within its membership, the Regatta Meeting of Members unanimously passed a resolution.

Tradition: The club has held yacht races in Cowes since 1826

A black and white photo showing the Royal Yacht Squadron at the end of the promenade in Cowes, Isle of Wight

'This will instruct the committee to bring forward rule changes to the Spring Meeting next year that will give effect the agreement that Ladies may be proposed for membership.

'This resolution further confirms the commitment the Royal Yacht Squadron has had since the early 1960s, when Lady Associate Members were introduced, to integration of ladies in all its activities and in the use of its facilities.

'This decision has come as we are preparing for our Bicentenary in 2015 and while the 50 or so young persons of both sexes that have been through our race training programme are doing so well in the ten Squadron J109s racing in Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week.'

Historic: Princess Anne making an adjustment to a sail while crewing with her father Prince Philip in 1970 (left) and King George V leaving the the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes in 1921

The club, which started the yacht races in 1826 that eventually evolved into Cowes Week, has long had close links to the Royal Family.

Famous past members include Nelson's captain at Trafalgar, Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy.

Prime Minister Edward Heath, a successful yachtsman, was controversially rejected by the Squadron in the 1970s.

Share or comment on this article: Royal Yacht Squadron finally allows women to join after 200 years

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The Defenders of the America’s Cup on behalf of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, re-launched Te Rehutai, their all-conquering boat from AC36 in a new livery and with huge changes all over whilst welcoming onboard elite cycling athletes that have undergone extensive testing to join the team.

There was almost a ‘first day at school’ feel dockside as Te Rehutai splashed. The smiles on the crew member’s faces masked an apprehension but belied the excitement at getting the most powerful America’s Cup yacht (to date) back on the water and back into commission.

For many it was their first time on AC75, but Emirates Team New Zealand is staffed equally with apex sailors of long Cup experience. Nathan Outteridge, the alternate helm with Pete Burling was one of those jumping onboard for the first time and he was enthused saying: “Yeah it was really cool. Obviously, I watched the boat sail around a lot a few years ago and had heaps of sailing on the AC40 lately, but nothing really compares to these beasts. They’re so big and so powerful and…fortunately for me it wasn’t very windy, so it was nice to sort of ease into it. The boats are still amazing how fast they go for such little wind and just the power of these boats is something that I haven’t experienced for a long time.”

Te Rehutai docked out for its commissioning sail at 11.25am and once the double-skinned mainsail was attached, hoisted, tweaked and set with the lower battening, we got a first glimpse of the new trench arrangement with five pods on either side containing the following: In the aft two pods, the cyclors are housed, tucked in a super aero position with just the arches of their backs exposed above the pod-line. Immediately forward of the cyclors are the Flight Controllers – today it was Nick Burridge in the starboard pod and Blair Tuke in the port pod. Then come the helmsmen (Burling and Outteridge) sandwiched in a brilliant communications loop with their Trimmers (Josh Junior and Andy Maloney) in the furthest pod forward.

So, in total, Te Rehutai is sailing in its current configuration with ten sailors onboard. For AC37 in Barcelona this will be reduced to eight under the current rule so presumably at some point the role of Trimmer and Flight Controller will need to be combined – or will Emirates Team New Zealand, the great innovators of the America’s Cup, come up with another solution?

Much work has been done on the mast set-up by the Kiwis to both strengthen it for the lack of running backstays and develop their thinking further at the mast ball area. The mast rotation controls were still above deck as we saw in AC36 and at the clew area of the mainsail, the mast rams were hidden by a huge blocking plate of cloth that extended far beyond the leech line. The ram itself along the deck appeared relatively standard whilst the leech tensioner was attached the traveller by a doubled strop. As we have seen with the LEQ12 of the Kiwis, much attention has been paid to the sail controls and the AC75 mainsail was topped out at the head with a straight batten closing the double skins and a lot of time was spent on adjusting the Cunningham control. Whilst sailing, and even whilst stopped, huge creases could be seen filtering down to the mainsail tack, indicating quite extreme tensioning. One to watch from a recon perspective for sure.

The Kiwis had a relatively light session today with five gybes, four foiling, and a tack that ended in displacement as the light breeze only offered really the chance for a shakedown sail. The coming days will see Te Rehutai stretched and at full kilter.

Nathan Outteridge, always terrific and open in interview gave a enthusiastic summary of the day that is worth recording here. Talking about the programme he said: “All the same principles apply, you know you’ve still got this three foil foiling monohull and all the twin skin main stuff all applies but it’s just the scale and it’s just the loads. You get used to looking at main loads of down at 3 tons or whatever and you’re well above that now…when you’re pulling stuff on, you can hear, you can feel the load, you can feel the power of these boats and that’s something that you probably don’t get at all in the AC40s or any other boat that I’ve sailed. It’s an incredibly complicated boat as well and so I think it’s a really good decision to bring the old girl back out with a bunch of changes on it and keep pushing the development of the systems and for me personally I think going straight from an AC40 into one of these is a huge jump so I’m glad I’ve had a good few months under my belt.”

With new team members onboard, Nathan commented: “I think it’s fantastic we’ve got all the sailing team now out on the water. A lot of the guys have been training for 6-9 months probably even two years since the last America’s Cup, maintaining fitness and getting ready for today essentially. And a lot of our sailing (so far) has been just the four of us going out and it was great to go through the two boating and get more sailing team members on the water, but this is the real deal, this is getting all the cyclors involved learning about the whole hydraulic system that’s going to be a huge part moving forward. There’s been quite a few rule changes on how all the systems work and so yeah this is…a perfect testing boat for us to just keep that development happening.”

The coming weeks and months are going to be fascinating. Emirates Team New Zealand joins Alinghi Red Bull Racing and New York Yacht Club American Magic in re-commissioning highly modified boats from AC36 and testing at full scale. It’s an interesting move. Is it the move that gaps them from the other teams in this America’s Cup cycle? Only time will tell.

Welcome back Te Rehutai.

Recon Unit Notes:  The AC75 came out of the shed at 09.19 and was rigged and ready to be lifted into the water at 10.05. The crew meeting run by Ray Davies was held in the same place on the centre finger of the pens with the whole team within ear shot. The meeting finished with words from Peter Burling and Curly Salthouse.

At 11.25 the yacht was towed from her berth out into the middle of the fairway and the headboards were plugged in. By 11.47 the mainsail was in its lock and the team ran through the sail control systems, checking the Cunningham and outhaul throw. The J2 was hoisted and in its lock by 13.04, here the team did similar things testing the Cunningham throw and jib leads (unseen as they are below deck). With less than 7 knots from the southwest the tow line was passed across and the race yacht was taken on a small tow down towards the Rangitoto light. Still on tow she gybed and dropped her tow, sailed for about 10 min with one good gybe and one full splash down tack. She now stopped and had chase 1 alongside at 14.13, settings were played with on the clew of the jib, and both ends of the foot of the mainsail.

At 14.31 Te Rehutai left chase 1 and self-started in 8-9 knots of SW breeze on a long-ish run North along the east coast Bays, only 2 gybes in this session were observed. She stopped and had the chase boat alongside at 14.58 with sails down and being towed home to arrive at the dock downtown at 15.50.

Probably the perfect conditions to dial in settings and start getting familiar with her operation.

Onboard today:

Helms:  Nathan Outteridge / Pete Burling

Trimmers:  Josh Junior / Andy Maloney

Flight Control:  Nick Burridge / Blair Tuke

Power Group:  Simon van Velthoven / Marius van der Pol / Louis Sinclair / Louis Crosby

Sails Used:

M1 : 3 hours 7 minutes

J1: 1 hour 55 minutes

Manoeuvres:

Total Tacks:  1 – 1 touchdown

Total Gybes:  5 – 4 foil-to-foil, 1 touch & go.

Take-off:   90° TWA (True Wind Angle) Speed not recorded

Recon Comments:  1 tow-up, 3 self. Puffy, light breeze, made it look hard.

Conditions:  Weather AM: Fine, light breeze. PM: 10% cloud. Fine, 23°c. Sea-state: Calm/slight (PM)

Dock Out:  1125  Dock In:  1550

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Want a Palm Royale experience of your own? (Hopefully one that doesn't involve a catfight with Allison Janney ?) Here are the top sights to see, places to stay and locations to stake out if you want to catch a glimpse of a celebrity.

The Breakers

Perhaps one of the most instantly recognizable landmarks in all of Palm Beach is the Breakers , which can be seen in aerial shots in Palm Royale, per the Palm Beach Daily News .

It has a storied history (having been founded in 1896 by Gilded Age baron Henry Morrison Flagler) that remains as much of a destination for the elite as it was in its early days. The Breakers has hosted the weddings of celebrities including Joanna Garcia and Nick Swisher , Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello , and Alan Jackson's daughter Mattie , as well as star-studded charity events ( Martha Stewart recently attended one ).

So what makes the Breakers such a must-visit destination, more than a century after it was built? The magnificent architecture, countless opulent touches throughout (the enormous arrangements of fresh flowers in the lobby are legendary) and the many ways that guests can receive A-list treatment, even if they don't have their own Wikipedia page.

From VIP poolside bungalows "designed to be a beachfront extension of one’s guest room," according to Sara Flight, director of communications, to memorable custom experiences ( did you see Grant Troutt's proposal to Madison Prewett ?), any amenity you dream up can be available for guests — particularly if you stay in one of the Imperial Suites, where, Flight says, "the staff dedicated to these accommodations elevate hospitality to a level that one can only find at our resort."

And visitors hoping to get a taste of the property's rarefied ambiance without staying on-site can access it through one of their restaurants, the spa or the shopping corridors. "There are visitors who fly to Palm Beach solely to enjoy the crabcakes at the Seafood Bar," Flight shares.

The Colony Hotel

The Colony Hotel perfectly embodies that bold 1960s aesthetic so vividly captured in Palm Royale — while at the same time being oh-so-current thanks to its Instagram-friendly backdrops everywhere you look.

"It is hot, hot, hot there," Rose tells PEOPLE. "The folks who own that hotel are classical Palm Beach folks going back generations, but they have done a phenomenal job bringing back the whole vibe."

Among those who agree? Celebrities including Jenna Bush Hager and Savannah Guthrie (recently seen vacationing there), the Hilton family, and Gwyneth Paltrow, who recently helped launch a Goop-designed villa on the property .

You don't have to be a long-standing member of Palm Beach society to feel like one — just walking through the doors transports you to that ultra-glam '60s jet-set feeling.

"The Colony Hotel offers guests door to door service anywhere on Palm Beach Island in either the house Volvo, Seagrape Beach Buggy, or the new pink Beach Runner Defender," says owner and CEO Sarah Wetenhall. "The hotel can also snag bookings at Palm Beach’s chicest restaurants, make tennis or golf reservations, arrange surf lessons, and even source local camps for the littles. My favorite luxe amenity is a beach picnic, where our staff packs a pink Yeti cooler with snacks and beverages."

Wetenhall recommends those who want to see, be seen and capture some killer content book a table or grab a cocktail at Swifty's, "the Upper East Side boîte now located at The Colony Hotel, originally made famous by patrons such as Jackie Onassis and Michael Kors."

Worth Avenue

When you think about Palm Beach, Rose says, what instantly comes to mind is "Mediterranean revival architecture, fabulous fashion — because obviously Palm Beach has played a very important role in resort fashion — and certainly private clubs."

Worth Avenue, then, is the epicenter of all things that make Palm Beach, Palm Beach, from the distinctive buildings to the and icon-status stores that give the town its style (often imitated, never duplicated). The first Lilly Pulitzer store opened in one of the street's enchanting "vias," or back avenues off the main street, and it's anchored at either end by the landmark Everglades Club and the second-ever Saks Fifth Avenue.

"Worth Avenue is an undisputed highlight of Palm Beach," says Erika Constantine, VP of Marketing for Discover the Palm Beaches. "But few take time to fully explore the 'vias' that wind around and behind the avenue's high-fashion storefronts. You'll even find a tiny Starbucks and a gelato shop if you look hard enough, or the tiny tombstone for iconic monkey Johnnie Brown (a pet of Addison Mizner, considered one of the founders of Palm Beach) amidst the courtyard of Pizza Al Fresco."

For an ideal afternoon, Rose recommends lunch on Worth Avenue (if you can snag a table at perennially packed BiCE or Le Bilboquet, you might spot a celebrity), followed by a little shopping, Those looking to shop à la the stylish Palm Royale doyennes can pop into Lilly Pulitzer , Maus & Hoffman or Kassatly's ; keep an eye out for stars also indulging in some retail therapy (though, as he points out, you'll want to play it cool: "Famous folks like to go to Palm Beach because they're not harassed by a lot of people," he says).

Once you've got your goods, he suggests, rent a bike and tour the area to see "the Breakers Hotel, the Lake Trail and so many of those Gilded Age sites."

Courtesy of Alex Apatoff

The Flagler Museum

Perhaps the most famous Gilded Age site is the Flagler Museum, once the residence of the oil baron Henry Morrison Flagler, who built the first hotel in the state, in St. Augustine, and then heavily invested in railroad infrastructure and hotels to encourage other wealthy Gilded Age figures to winter in Florida.

Today, visitors can explore the mansion and the Breakers via a "House and Hotel tour" (with the option to take tea in the Railcar 91 tea room, an elegant atrium that contains Flagler's personal railcar in which he traveled from New York to Florida). It gives a sense of the incredible wealth that created Palm Beach, as well as how important the titans of industry and society were to founding the area's institutions and charitable efforts.

And that sense of "high society" never left — though, as Rose said, it changed significantly in the early twentieth century.

"Prior to World War I, the French and the Italian Rivieras were where all of the very wealthy and aristocratic people were going in the winter month. Palm Beach was a destination, but it was relatively unimportant," he says. "It didn't get that jet-set feel until World War I, when all of a sudden, all those aristocrats and the royals who were going to the South of France couldn't go because there was World War I ... So there was a real active intention to recreate that Riviera."

And, as he points out, many of the founding members of that society in the 1920s would still have "ruled the roost" in the 1960s setting of Palm Royale , at a time when "the season" was much shorter before the advent of air conditioning, and "wintering" somewhere was exclusively reserved for the rich and famous — hence, the cutthroat competition to join the clubs reflected in the show.

"Back then, you still had 'pedigree,' and things like that played an important role, which allows [the show] to make more fun of that aspect of Palm Beach Having that old American pedigree, like the Astors, and the Vanderbilts, and the Posts, when that was still so important," Rose says. "Palm Beach is still very, very exclusive, but it doesn't have the same [surname-based snobbishness] to poke fun at a little bit."

The A-List Experience

More than half a century after the society heyday of Palm Royale, Palm Beach is still the premier destination for the wealthy (both Tinsley Mortimer and the Peltz Beckhams recently got married there, and stars with residences include Jon Bon Jovi, Sylvester Stallone, Rod Stewart and Rory McIlroy), titans of industry looking to relax and stylish socialites. If you're looking to indulge in that lifestyle for a weekend, what should be on your itinerary?

First, book one of the splashy suites or villas at one of the area's high-end hotels, to get to enjoy that Gilded Age extravagance, with staff attending to your every whim both in your room and by the pool or beach.

Then "a ride on Lake Trail will give you a sneak peek into how the rich and famous live," suggests Ryvis Sierra, the senior public relations manager for Discover the Palm Beaches. You can also charter a boat through your hotel ("the Brazilian Court is now including a yacht excursion as part of the hotel stays for guests," she notes), or book a cute pastel Palm Yacht to see the sights from the water.

In the afternoon, stop at one of the Worth Avenue restaurants for lunch and shopping, then pop over to the Royal Poinciana Plaza for more cute shops and coffee at celeb hotspot Sant Ambroeus, suggests Rose. A dip in the pool followed by dinner at trendy Buccan will round out your A-list day perfectly, but if you're looking for a nightcap, Swifty's at The Colony Hotel or HMF at the Breakers will be pouring to perfection.

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Ready to book a trip? "With temperatures averaging around 78 degrees year-round, anytime is perfect to plan a getaway," Constantine notes, but "for the most celeb spotting, visit 'in season' from January through April."

One stay, and you might find yourself like Kristen Wiig's character in Palm Royale , trying to scale the wall to get to be part of the club forever.