Archives creation for the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

In 2023, History Ink was invited to help create a professional archives service for the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC).

The Club has been an integral part of Hong Kong's story for over 180 years. Its roots in the Greater Bay Area date back to the 1830s and the intrepid rowers of the Canton Rowing Club. The Club archives begin as early as 1889, the year that several Hong Kong yachtsmen came together to race each other, officially leading to the formation of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. These and subsequent archives reflect the colourful and eventful history of the Club and of sailing, rowing and paddling in the Bay Area. They are also an important record of Hong Kong's social history, shedding light on major historical events, such as the Second World War.

History Ink worked in close cooperation with RHKYC senior staff to appraise, catalogue and preserve their diverse and sizeable collection of historic records. We gave advice on best practice, created practical archive workflows and developed archive policies to help sustain the archive in the long-term, including:

·       Daily job task list

·       Arrangement and description procedures

·       Collection Development policy

·       Data Protection and Copyright policies

·       Digital Preservation Preparedness Guide

We also delivered bespoke training sessions on the new archive policies and archives best practice more generally.

We thoroughly enjoyed working together with the RHKYC team to safeguard their valuable historic assets for the future.