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Antwerp (Belgium): Watersports clubs

Antwerpse Roeivereniging Sculling
Hobokense Watersportvereniging
Koninklijke Antwerpse Watersportvereniging - S.R.N.A
Koninklijke Model Yacht Club Antwerpen
Royal Antwerp Rowing Club
Sodipa Watersport

See also:

Antwerpse Roeivereniging Sculling

Antwerpse Roeivereniging Sculling (Antwerp Rowing Club Sculling) is active in sculling, a rowing technique involving one or more rowers, but only one oar per rower.
Founded in 1945 as Antwerp Sculling Club (renamed in 1971), the history of the club seems mainly to be one of victories. The seat of the new clubhouse is Heindonk near Mechelen, to the south of Antwerp. One interesting aspect of club life is that companies are offered the possibility of entering teams of eight, another one that of participating in indoor rowing championships.

A photography shows a white pennant bordered red on three sides (not at the hoist), with a sketchy version of Antwerp city arms in the centre, white on red, two yellow oars crossed behind the arms, and the red initials "A", "R" and "V" surrounding the arms left, above, and right, respectively.
Another photography shows a rectangular flag, made of the Antwerp municipal flag defaced with the club emblem, as described above.

Source: ARS website

Jan Mertens, 10 May 2007

Hobokense Watersportvereniging

Burgee of HWV - Image by Ivan Sache, 21 March 2007

The Hobokense Watersportvereniging (HWV, Hoboken Watersport Association) is established on the river Scheldt dyke at Hoboken, once a municipality to the south of Antwerp, now incorporated into that town. Basically a socially oriented club of nautical enthusiasts, the HWV is known for the so-called B Race, a competition for small sailing boats originally held to maintain interest while the public waited for the big Antwerp Race participants' arrival.

The HWV burgee is horizontally divided white-red, which are the Hoboken municipal colours.

Source: HWV website

Jan Mertens, 20 March 2007

Koninklijke Antwerpse Watersportvereniging - S.R.N.A

(First?) burgee of SRNA - Image by Ivan Sache, José Carlos Alegria Diaz & Jaume Ollé, 29 May 2005

Société Royale Nautique Anversoise (SRNA) was founded in Antwerp on 13 December 1878.
On that day, after long negociations, three local yacht clubs decided to dissolve and merge together:

Société Nautique "Sport Anversois", founded in 1876, the youngest but the richest
Société Nautique "Union Club", founded in 1861;
Société Nationale "Regatta", founded in 1858.

On 17 January 1879, a General Assembly was held at Café de la Cité in order to adopt the statutes, flag and burgee of the new club. The name of the new club was very disputed. There were four proposals for the name of the club:

Royal Yacht and Rowing Club - the rowers wanted to keep their identity
Société Royale Nautique de l'Escaut (Escaut is the French name of the river Scheldt)
Yacht Club Royal Belge
Société Royale Nautique Anversoise

The latter name was selected, probably supported by the former Société Nautique Sport Anversois. In the 1970s, the club adopted a Dutch name but kept its French acronym: Koninklijke Antwerpse Watersportvereniging - S.R.N.A.

The rules for flag hoisting by members of SRNA evolved as follows (my translation from the SRNA website):

In the foreign waters, the national flag with the arms of SRNA in the median stripe shall be hoisted at the horn of the mast, or on the mizzenmast, or, when at anchor, on the flag mast or the quarter-deck. In the territorial waters, the members of SRNA shall hoist instead of the national flag the club flag, made of the flag of Antwerp with the arms of the club in the middle and the Tricolore in canton.
The original club burgee from 1878 was only slightly modified, under constraint: in 1948, the Royal Belgian Yachting Union stated that letters should be suppressed from the club burgees.
The President, the two Vice-Presidents and the Presidents of the sections shall fly distinctive marks, flags or burgees, according to their function, instead of the burgee; these marks are still in use today.(Yearbook 1901; Yearbook 1965)
Each member might further fly a square personal flag, with its own colours and design, of which an illustration will be registered at the secretariat.
The tradition of flying a specific club flag on stern was suppressed by law in 1966.

The image shown on the website must be the original burgee of the club. It is a triangular red flag with a white cross, a Royal crown in the middle and the letters SRNA placed clockwise in the arms oif the cross. I suppose that the burgee in current use is the same without the letters.

Source: SRNA website

Ivan Sache, 29 May 2005

Koninklijke Model Yacht Club Antwerpen

Burgee of KMYCA - Image by Ivan Sache, 23 May 2006

The Royal Model Yacht Club of Antwerp was founded in 1905. Its aim is to promote better model-making by holding regular meetings. The sections of KMYCA are:
- Static models (mostly historical)
- Radio controlled boats (no internal combustion engines)
- Radio controlled steamboats
- Radio controlled sailing boats
- Radio controlled trucks (scale 1:16 and 1:14,5)
- The Model Engineering Section
The clubhouse of KMYCA is the Cafe 't Centrum in Edegem.

The badge of KMYCA shows a white burgee with a red cross resarcelée (that is with a thin red fimbriation). White and red are the traditional colours of the city of Antwerp.

Source: KMYCA website

Ivan Sache, 23 May 2006

Royal Antwerp Rowing Club

Burgee of RARC - Image by Ivan Sache, 29 May 2005

Royal Antwerp Rowing Club - Koninklijke Antwerpse Watersportvereniging (RARC-KAWV) is a rowing club founded in Antwerp more than 100 years ago. The club house is an ancient farm located on the Albert Canal in Wijnegem.

The burgee of RARC-KAWV is a white triangular flag with a red cross. A red ring charged with a red letter R is placed on the middle of the cross.
Red and white are the traditional colours of Antwerp.

Source: RARC website

Ivan Sache, 29 May 2005

Sodipa Watersport

Burgee of Sodipa Watersport - Image by Eugene Ipavec, 22 July 2007

Founded in 1954 by Antwerp municipality workers, Sodipa Watersport is part of Sodipa, a non-profit social organization for town personnel and municipal port employees. Located near the Lobroek Dock in the inner harbour and offering fify berths, Sodipa wishes to unite leisure boaters, either sailing or motoring.

The Sodipa Watersport burgee, as shown graphically on the club website, is white with a thin red border all around; at hoist is placed the red Sodipa logotype in conjunction with a black anchor, slanting toward the left. The logotype is made of a disk embraced by two hooked, arrow-like figures.
Red and white are the traditional colours of Antwerp.

Jan Mertens, 21 July 2007