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Royal Yachting Association Northern Ireland
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RYA Northern Ireland is recruiting for three new board director positions — two independent directors and one nominated director — to help deliver its Navigating the Future strategy. The board is particularly keen to hear from people with skills or…
Six children sailing in an RS Quest
Following a recent change in UK Government legislation, the rules on regulated activity changed from 1 September 2026, such that supervision no longer automatically excludes an individual from being considered to be undertaking regulated activity. As a result, anyone who…
Youth Champion: Ballyholme Yacht Club's Cormac Byrne celebrates winning the 2026 RYANI Youth Champion and Male Youth Champion titles
Ballyholme Yacht Club’s Cormac Byrne has been crowned RYANI Youth Champion 2026 after winning the ILCA 6 fleet at the RYA Youth Championships. Byrne also collected the Male Youth Champion title, while clubmates Emily and Annabel Ridout were named Female…
Bronze Smile — Leo West-Hurst celebrates after securing a historic bronze medal in the 5.3 fleet at the Topper World Championships in Quiberon, France, marking Ballyholme Yacht Club's first-ever podium finish at the event.
Ballyholme Yacht Club celebrated one of its strongest-ever performances at the Topper World Championships after six young sailors competed against an international fleet in Quiberon, France. The championship, hosted by La Société des Régates de Saint-Pierre Quiberon, attracted 176 competitors…
Instructors from across Northern Ireland came together recently at Carrickfergus Sailing Club for a day of learning, sharing and development
Instructors from across Northern Ireland came together recently for a day of learning, sharing and development, hosted by RYA Northern Ireland at Carrickfergus Sailing Club ahead of the 2026 boating season. The gathered instructors, coaches and volunteers were encouraged by…
Forth Legend — Cramond Boat Club volunteer Drew Pratt has received the RYA Scotland Impact Award after more than four decades developing sailing training and mentoring new sailors on the Firth of Forth.
Long-serving Cramond Boat Club volunteer Andrew “Drew” Pratt has been recognised with an RYA Scotland Impact Award. The honour celebrates more than 40 years of service to sailing, training and community development on the Firth of Forth. Pratt has also…
Safety First — Recreational boaters are being urged to check equipment, plan passages and refresh safety skills as HM Coastguard, RNLI and RYA launch their annual boating safety campaign ahead of the busy season.
UK water safety agencies have launched a new campaign urging recreational boaters to prepare thoroughly before the start of the boating season. HM Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) are jointly promoting the…
A woman in a blue jacket and woolly hat sailing an ILCA dinghy under an overcast sky
RYA Northern Ireland has refreshed its five-year strategic plan, Navigating the Future, which is intended to guide the development of sailing, windsurfing and boating across Northern Ireland. Originally launched in March 2023 following extensive consultation with stakeholders across the region,…
Northern Ireland’s youth sailing team celebrate Celtic Cup victory after securing top spots in Topper and ILCA 6 classes at Port Edgar.
The Northern Ireland Sailing Team have successfully defended their Celtic Cup title, claiming back-to-back victories at Port Edgar, Scotland. The regatta, held under the shadow of the Firth of Forth bridges, featured junior and youth sailors from across the home…
Alfie Allen receives the MCA Officer Trainee of the Year 2025 Award from Minister Keir Mather at the UK Chamber of Shipping event
A former Sea Cadet from Scarborough has been crowned Officer Trainee of the Year 2025 by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Alfie Allen, 20, received the award from Maritime Minister Keir Mather on 2 February at the UK Chamber…
Royal Yachting Association logo
The Royal Yachting Association has announced a number of changes to its leadership as 2026 gets under way. Nick Scott, previously the RYA’s director of racing, has been appointed director of sport to oversee the newly formed sport department, which…
From left: Jeremy Westhead, Rob Milligan and Shirley McKay bring a strong mix of experience from across sailing, sport and business to the RYANI board
RYA Northern Ireland recently welcomed three new directors to its board. Ballyholme Yacht Club Commodore Rob Milligan joins private equity executive Jeremy Westhead and Shirley McKay, Ireland country director for the UK’s Department of Business and Trade among the RYANI…
Veteran sailor and Port Edgar Yacht Club volunteer Margaret Tait is honoured with the Pioneer in Sport award for over four decades of dedication to Scottish sailing.
Margaret Tait has been named the ‘Pioneer in Sport’ at the 2025 Scottish Women in Sport Awards in Glasgow. The 77-year-old was recognised for more than 40 years of commitment to Scottish sailing and her long service at Port Edgar…
RYA Northern Ireland logo
RYA Northern Ireland has launched a new next round of its volunteering initiative, We’re All In, designed to help sailing and boating clubs across Northern Ireland attract and inspire new volunteers ahead of the 2026 season. The previous round in…
“RYA
Sailing and boating in the UK are “at a crossroads”, according to the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), which this month launched its largest open study to date in a bid to understand why fewer people are getting afloat. The Reflections…
Sailing in Northern Ireland
RYA Northern Ireland invites members to attend its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for 2025, which will be held at Newforge Sports Complex in Belfast on Thursday evening 20 November. The AGM provides an important opportunity for members to hear updates…

About the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Northern Ireland 

  • The RYA is the national body for dinghy, yacht and motor cruising, all forms of sail racing, RIBs and sports boats, windsurfing and personal watercraft and a leading representative for inland waterways cruising.
  • The RYA is recognised by Government, the media and opinion formers as the representative body and voice for the activities that it represents. It continually fights for the rights and freedoms of its 112,000 personal members.
  • The RYA has more than 1,500 affiliated clubs and classes, which represent some 350,000 boaters throughout the UK. It is estimated that 4 million people in the UK take part in boating activity annually.
  • The RYA also sets and maintains recognised standards for training for both leisure and commercial boating through a network of more than 2,400 RYA Recognised Training Centres across 58 countries. More than 250,000 people per year complete RYA training courses.
  • The RYA is responsible for one of the UK’s most successful Olympic medal-winning sports. Our coaching and development schemes actively support 800 of our country’s top sailors, from talented juniors to Olympic and World champions.
  • The RYA is committed to promoting all forms of boating and making them accessible to everyone. For more information please visit www.rya.org.uk.
  • The Royal Yachting Association Northern Ireland (RYA NI) acts for the RYA in Northern Ireland (NI) and the Chairman of RYA NI is invited to join the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) Policy Review Committee.
  • You can find the RYA Northern Ireland at Sketrick House, GE8, Jubilee Road, Newtownards, BT23 4YH.
  • RYA NI is a company limited by guarantee – Registration number NI 51945
  • Contact RYA NI: Tel: 02891 827154 email: [email protected]