Compagnia della Vela

Compagnia della Vela is a yacht club in Venice, in northern Italy. It was founded on March 15, 1911 as the Yacht Club Veneziano, and in 1919 its member Gabriele d'Annunzio inspired the new name, meaning Company of Sailing, and the Latin motto Custodi, Domine, vigilantes. In 1933 King Vittorio Emanuele III let it display the royal coat of arms, and it was the Reale Compagnia della Vela until the Italian Republic began in 1948. The Italian National Olympic Committee gave it the Silver Star for sporting merit in 1990 and the Gold Star in 1995. As Challenger of Record for the 1992 America's Cup, its team Il Moro di Venezia won the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup but was unable to win the America's Cup.