History

1910 – Eight Tallinn businessmen founded the Tallinn Yacht Club and adopted the club’s statutes.

1911 – At the first general meeting, Heinrich Badendick was elected as the first commodore.

1912 – The first clubhouse and berths were built on the southern pier of Tallinn harbor. The first sailing season was opened. The club had 92 members and 8 boats.

1913 – TJK had 200 members, 10 sailing yachts, and 7 motor yachts. The first races and longer joint sea voyages were organized.

1916 – TJK’s activities were interrupted due to World War I.

1918 – The club resumed its activities.

1923 – A new statute was adopted, making maritime sports the primary focus. Yachtmaster courses were introduced, a youth department was established, and various regattas were organized. One of the most unique competitions was a fishing boat race.

1931 – Ahto Walter was ceremoniously presented with the TJK flag, cap, and badge before embarking on a round-the-world voyage.

1935 – TJK celebrated its 25th anniversary with an international regatta. The Tallinn City Government donated a silver cup for the event, and the mayor attended the evening banquet.

1937 – TJK organized the Väina Race, which later evolved into the Muhu Väina Regatta.

1940 – The occupation authorities banned TJK’s activities, distributed its assets, and destroyed some yachts. At the time, the club had 234 members, 32 sailing yachts, 13 motorboats, and 11 ice yachts. Many club members were executed or deported to Russia.

1988 – TJK was re-established by Otto-Sven Raud and 18 sailing enthusiasts, including former club member Professor Ilmar Öpik.

1999 – TJK’s home harbor became Lohusalu, and several boat owners joined the club.

2001 – The first TJK Cup regatta for young sailors was organized, quickly growing into an international event.

2006 – The TJK Sailing School was founded, which has since become the largest in Estonia.

2010 – TJK celebrated its 100th anniversary with guests at the Estonia Theatre. The Tallinn Old Harbor, where the club’s first premises and berths were once located, became one of its official home harbors.

2011 – Haapsalu Grand Holm Marina became TJK’s third home harbor.

2019 – Haven Kakumäe, Estonia’s most modern marina, became TJK’s home harbor.

At the beginning of the last century, there was only one yacht club in Tallinn – the Estonian Sea Yacht Club. Its membership mostly consisted of the Baltic nobility, and many people interested in the sea and sailing could not join.

In 1910, some such sailing enthusiasts decided to establish a new association – the Tallinn Yacht Club. On September 8, 1910, the founding meeting of the club took place at the initiative of Harry Schröder, with 8 Tallinn businessmen in attendance. At the same meeting, the first constitution of the new club was adopted, which was approved by the governor on March 3 of the following year with only minor changes. The first constitution of the Tallinn Yacht Club included some strict requirements. For example, women were not allowed to be members, and minors were only admitted if they belonged to a certain social class. Soldiers of lower ranks were also not welcome. The first regular general meeting was held on March 8, 1911. The meeting was chaired by the founding member Heinrich Badendick, who was later elected commodore. The club’s emblem, flag, and cap insignia were also approved at this meeting. According to the regulations of the time, the symbols had to be approved by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in St. Petersburg. Due to opposition from some members of the Estonian Sea Yacht Club, this approval was never received. After a year, at the suggestion of the commodore, it was decided to ask Count Orlov-Davydov, who lived in Maarjamäe, Tallinn, to become an honorary member of the club. The count, known for his liberal views, accepted the proposal, and with his help, the approval process was quickly resolved. At the same time, the construction of the club building at the Tallinn harbor began. Several new sailing yachts were also acquired.

By 1912, the club had its building and moorings at the southern pier of the Tallinn harbor. On June 17, the flag was hoisted, and the first season was officially opened. The club had 92 members and 8 vessels. There was very precise record-keeping for the outings. In 1913, 143 trips were made with sailing yachts and 145 trips with motorboats. It was noted that motorboats even dared to travel to Aegna Island. Sailing yachts made trips to Paldiski, Haapsalu, Pärnu, Helsinki, Bärösund, and Hanko. On some trips, such as to Aegna, ladies were even taken along. By the end of 1913, the club had almost 200 members, and under the club’s flag sailed 10 sailing yachts and 7 motorboats. That year, the first regattas were also organized. This lively activity was interrupted by the outbreak of the war the following year, and the club’s activities were halted for several years. Tallinn Yacht Club resumed its activities on May 6, 1918, initially only for internal activities, as the yachts still had to remain docked. The construction of the club’s building was completed the following year, and from the 1920 season, the club resumed full activities. New symbols were developed and approved, and foreign connections were established, with the Finnish SPS Yacht Club becoming a key partner.

From 1922, the yachts of Tallinn Yacht Club began participating in regattas held in Finland, and the SPS yachts competed in regattas held in Estonia. In 1923, the club’s constitution was revised, and this led to the departure of members who were not directly interested in maritime sports. The remaining members became more active in their efforts. The club started organizing yacht master courses, created a youth section, and acquired more new vessels.

From 1929, yachts began being built at the Jakob Kiili boat factory in Tallinn. At the same time, the club played an active role in the founding of the Estonian Yacht Clubs Union. The leading role in the union was taken by the Tallinn Yacht Club, with its representative, the well-known state and public figure, lawyer August Peet, being elected president of the union. During the 1930s, offshore sailing flourished in the club. In 1937, the club’s yachts sailed a total of 16,875 miles on long voyages, with the yacht “Boy-Roy” covering 2,752 miles. The club organized several regattas each year, including the national Väina regatta, which later became the most popular and largest regatta in Estonia – the Muhu Väina Regatta. During these years, the club’s members won numerous prizes in both local and international competitions. The club’s membership also included Estonia’s first round-the-world sailor, Ahto Valter, whose yacht “Ahto” proudly flew the Tallinn Yacht Club flag. According to the club’s last yearbook published in 1940, the club had the largest membership in Estonia, with 3 honorary members, 209 members, and 22 junior members. The club had 32 sailing yachts, 13 motorboats, and 11 ice yachts registered. The club’s commodore was Friedrich Tofer. After the occupation of Estonia, the club’s activities were interrupted for decades.

The club was re-established on December 29, 1988, when 18 sailing enthusiasts gathered, including the only pre-occupation member of the Tallinn Yacht Club, Professor Ilmar Öpik, who was living in Tallinn at the time. At the same meeting, the club’s constitution was adopted and the symbols were confirmed. The famous sailor Otto Raud was elected commodore. The newly re-established club’s constitution was registered on May 25, 1990. Since the club initially did not have its own harbor and premises, its activities in the following years were mostly limited to internal operations and the organization of a few major sailing events. Notably, the technical organization of the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race was one of these events. On June 26, 2000, Toomas Luman was elected as the new commodore during the general meeting, and since 2001, the club has been operating in Lohusalu harbor, which offers all the conditions necessary for sailing and other water sports activities.

At the turn of the millennium, the club members started meeting regularly and exchanging their maritime experiences. Many old activities were restored, and joint fleet sails began. One of the first trips was to St. Petersburg and Savonlinna in 2002. Sailing to Russia was not very easy. In order to sail in front of the Winter Palace and Aurora, the blue, black, and white flags had to be taken down, and the signs of Tallinn had to be covered. In 2003, they sailed to Gotland and Stockholm, where they took a group photo of the yachts in front of the Swedish royal palace. In 2007, board member Armin Karu visited America, where a friendship agreement was signed with the Seattle Yacht Club. The world was once again open to Tallinn Yacht Club. In 2008, the tradition of sailing together to Naissaar Island for a picnic during the summer was restored.

The Tallinn Yacht Club Cup, which started in 2001 in Lohusalu, has grown year by year. While in the first year only two classes of yachts competed, by the anniversary regatta in 2010, there were already 10 classes.

In 2006, the Tallinn Yacht Club Sailing School opened its doors, offering both introductory sailing courses for the youngest “sea bears” and training for top sailors. The sailing school now has branches in Haven Kakumäe, the Tallinn Olympic Sailing Center, and Lohusalu harbors. Today, the sailing school has grown to become the largest in Estonia, with 150 sailors.

In 2010, Tallinn Yacht Club expanded to the Old Harbour Yacht Port, and in 2011, Grand Holm Marina in Haapsalu became a flagship harbor of the club.

Since 2019, the club’s home harbor has been Haven Kakumäe, the most modern yacht harbor in Tallinn, which houses the club’s captains’ cabin and the sailing school.

The founders of the Tallinn Yacht Club defined the promotion of maritime activities as one of their goals in 1910. This goal has been pursued with dedication by the club members. There are few harbors on the Baltic coast where our club flag has not reached. The coasts of Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Lithuania have been sailed. The North Sea, the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, and the oceans have been reached. In 2022, Tallinn Yacht Club members Veiko Pedosk and Anneli Taal began their round-the-world voyage aboard their yacht Picasso.

The Tallinn Yacht Club flag is always on its way…