Regatas Lima

The club was founded in 1875 as a rowing club by five young men who frequented the beaches of Chorrillos in what was then the Hotel Terry, a floating hotel built by Mateo Terry. During the War of the Pacific, 70 of the club's 109 members joined the Peruvian Army to defend the city against the incoming Chilean Army. Once the area was occupied in 1881, the club's belongings were looted and taken aboard the Toltén [es], a steamship of the Chilean Navy. It was consequently shut down in 1882, but reestablished in 1894 by the club's surviving members, numbered at 53 people.

35 new members were accepted without paying a registration fee. The first meeting of this new era took place at the National Club. The president elected was José Vicente Oyague y Soyer. The new statutes were approved on September 9, 1894. They read: "The Club's uniform, obligatory for practices, consists of a light blue cap (or white or straw hat with a light blue ribbon), a white flannel shirt and pants, and white shoes; for competitions, the cap and shirt must be made of silk." That same year, still without a venue, the Inter-School and International Sports Games called the Athletic Games were organized on a court in the La Legua neighborhood, which was then the only sports field in a destroyed Lima. These events were a way to raise funds to build the venue and bring boats from Europe. In 1895, President Nicolás de Piérola, also a member, facilitated obtaining the license that authorized the construction of a venue on the sea. A year later, on April 19, 1896, the emblematic wooden platform was inaugurated and blessed. The first Regatas venue was born. The club that survived the war would begin to expand.

The club's sports activities expanded from regattas to other nautical sports, and then to more than 40 sports disciplines, and its headquarters became important centers of social, cultural and recreational life for its members.

The more than century-old history of the Club de Regatas Lima, its large number of members and the complete services it offers, have given it an important prestige inside and outside Peru.

Although the club began its activities in the homes of its first 5 members, and then moved to a rented hall in what was once the "Terry Hotel" in Chorrillos, today (as of March 31, 2009) the club has a total area of 2,754,285 square meters, spread over 5 locations in the city, beach and countryside; its members total 5,096 people and their families are 30,987, making Regatas the numerically most important club in South America.