 The seafront clubhouse was built in 1881, and received a number of prominent visitors within its first ten years, including Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and his wife, Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, and the railroad tycoon and yachting enthusiast William Kissam Vanderbilt – part owner of the 1895 America's Cup winner, the 37.5m sloop "Defender".In 1894, the Commissioners of the Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom bestowed upon the club a Blue Ensign with a Star of India surmounted by the Imperial Crown of India.Another clubhouse was built in 1896, a blending of Venetian Gothic architecture with Indian Saracenic, to provide accommodations for members and visiting associates.