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The Royal Varuna: 50 years young
The first of a two-part story tracing the history and development of this yacht club
Story By Peter Cummins
The Royal Varuna Yacht Club turns 50 years of age today. It joins the ranks of such illustrious 50 year-olds as the European Union and, a little closer to home, the Pattana School. Even the Sydney Harbour Bridge is 75 this year. But, Royal Varuna is certainly not having a mid-life crisis - only some of the more ancient members are.
Royal Varuna is thriving with a new club-house and 26 years to go with the present lease on the best piece of land on the entire Eastern Seaboard.
Membership is pushing 450 with a back-up of racing events, national and world championships.
His Majesty the King in his OK TH 27 sailing off Varuna circa 1967.
But, let us start at the start. Prince Bhisadej Rajani was one of 10 people who answered Walter Meyer's advertisement in the Bangkok Post in April, 1957, seeking "Boating friends to form a boating club." The elements for one of those 'nationality' jokes were in place as the group gathered, appropriately enough, at the then Cosmopolitan Restaurant (later, Charly's), on Sathorn Road.
An Australian, an Italian, two Swiss and a Thai, among others, did not sit down to joke, however, for they had serious business on their minds.
By the end of that lunch 50 years ago, Prince Bhisatej, Sid Watkins, Robert (Rachiman) Gintzburger, Roberto Maestrini and Walter Meyer were the principal protagonists who, to use the correct nautical term, "launched" the Varuna Marine Club on the first of July 1957.
They had the aim of promoting all water sports, including power-boating, water-skiing, scuba diving and, of course, sailing, cruising and yacht-racing.
Walter was elected chairman of the board (really, the first Flag Commodore) and called the inaugural meeting of the Marine Club committee, on 7 August, 1957. The first circular issued by secretary Watkins on 22 August, 1957, pointed out that the entrance fee to the new club was 250 baht, with monthly subscriptions all of 30 baht'payable in advance. A Singha beer was then 12 baht per large bottle.
The major decision at the time was where to establish the club. Walter and his friends drove up and down a little fishing village called Pattaya which comprised of 20 fishing families and had a big tree in the middle of the road. Finally, a two-story wooden sea-side house, with a beach ideal for sail-boats was located, on a site subsequently known as Barbos V, now the Nang Nual Restaurant.
A deal was struck with the owner Nai Samrit. However, these captains of industry did not have enough cash for the deposit of 2,000 baht. Walter's wife came to the rescue with the amount and the Varuna Marine Club had a home.
Why Varuna?
The first Varuna clubhouse, sited at the southern end of Pattaya Beach.
In Hindu theism, Varuna is one of the most important gods in the pantheon. In pre-Vedic times he was the supreme lord of the cosmos, the keeper of divine order, the bringer of rain and the enforcer of contracts. The god Varuna was thus believed to possess multiple powers, ruling the oceans and the winds, and keeping under control the demons of the sea from his abode in the western vector.
"You cannot imagine how wonderful Pattaya was then," recounted Walter recently. "There was nothing there.
"There were no hotels, only two groups of bungalows around what is now Soi Eight.
"My main regret is that today's Varuna members do not know the old South Pattaya. You could leave your door open; there were no thieves.
"The water was as clear as at Koh Pai today. There were even shells on the beach from North to South Pattaya. The Varuna Marine Club was officially opened on the weekend of 15-16 February, 1958 with a dinner-dance on Saturday night where jackets and ties were forbidden.
It was in fact a water sports club, with sailing, motor boating, water-skiing and fishing sections. Walter was the first chairman but Prince Bhisatej was the first "captain of sailing", since Walter had no interest in this particular sport being a fisherman. There continues to this day to be a friendly debate as to who was really the first commodore of the club!
Indeed, the heart of Varuna was always sailing and Prince Bhisadej led its development
Angelo Gualtieri, currently the club's honorary treasurer and commodore from 1972-1974 recalls the first club facilities. One was a wooden two-storey house on the beach, and the other a wooden house across the road. The beach frontage was about 50 metres long, located next to the only bar/restaurant in Pattaya at the time, called Barbos V which has since gone.
No doubt, the popularity of sailing and racing were greatly enhanced when His Majesty and some of the royal family participated, along with such luminaries as Prince Bhisatej and the late Prince Bhirabongse Bhanubandh, better known as Prince Bira.
The first national event recorded in the Kingdom, the Enterprise National Championship, was held off the Varuna Marine Club in l964. US sailors W.A. Gleason and K.R. Thomsen were the inaugural winners, beating Rachot Kanjanavanit/Narong and Prince Bira/Princess Lom.
The press ran such headlines as "25 yachts entered in first national regatta" (Bangkok World, 14 July, 1964); "Yachting in Thailand enters the big time" (Bangkok Post, 12 July, 1964).
His Majesty became an enthusiastic and skilful helmsman, tutored by Prince Bhisadej who assisted the King in building his own Enterprise, the "Rajpatan". One of the memorable outings was in March of l965, and consisted of a race from Varuna to Koh Larn, with the British Royal Consort, Prince Phillip as guest sailor.
The Prince, a Dragon sailor of great skills, was not exactly covered with glory being the last to finish in this race to Koh Larn. Nevertheless, he so enjoyed the hospitality and the informality displayed by Their Majesties the King and Queen, that, upon his return to the UK, he sent a catamaran as a gift to the King. It was the first multihull to enter Thailand. And what did His Majesty name the Cat? Pla Duek (Thai for a Catfish, playing on the words Cat and Duke, a typical example of His Majesty's sense of humour).
It was in March 1965 that the Varuna Marine Club membership was invited by His Majesty to the King's own newly-established Royal Chitralada Yacht Squadron at the Klai Kangwol Palace at Hua Hin, to participate in a regatta celebrating the formation of the Yacht Squadron. There were, and still are, 100 OK dinghies, kept in mint condition, housed on the spacious lawns of Klai Kangwol.
On the Saturday after the race, when all the sailors and supporters were gathered at the large reception hall of the palace, Prince Bhisadej Rajani announced that His Majesty had conferred Royal Patronage upon the Varuna Marine Club. Thus, a month later, on 26 April, 1965, the Varuna Marine Club officially became the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, with His Majesty The King as the Patron.