Gerry Reilly Receives RYA Northern Ireland Impact Award

15th November 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Strangford Sailing Club’s Gerry Reilly (right) receives his Impact Award from RYANI chief executive Greg Yarnall

Gerry Reilly of Strangford Sailing Club has been honoured with an RYA Northern Ireland Impact Award for more than 50 years of volunteering, and for introducing hundreds of young people to sailing on Strangford Lough.

Over the decades, Gerry has been a competitor, senior instructor, race officer, mentor and club leader — serving at various times as the club’s commodore, president, trustee and bosun.

But perhaps Gerry’s biggest legacy is the young people he has brought into the sport in Northern Ireland. Through training programmes and youth racing, he has taught more than 200 young people to sail, helping them build confidence, resilience, teamwork and a lifelong love of being on the water.

The RYA website has more on the story HERE.

Published in RYA Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Waters

Published in RYA Northern Ireland

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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]