RYA South West

24/04/2026

Sunsail’s Funding the Future is back for 2026!
Could your club be eligible for up to £6,000 of funding?
Aimed at RYA-affiliated sailing, yacht clubs, charities and university teams across the UK, Sunsail's Funding the Future initiative offers the opportunity to secure up to £6,000 of funding to invest in facilities, equipment, and innovative programmes designed to grow participation in sailing at grassroots level.
In addition to the top prize, Sunsail will also award £2,000 to two runners-up.
Applications close on the 22nd May. Find out more today: http://rya.org/u2XU50YKirL

Sunsail’s Funding the Future initiative offers the opportunity to secure up to £6,000 of funding to invest in facilities, equipment, and programmes designed to grow participation in sailing.

21/04/2026

We’re recruiting Area Representatives & Cruising Volunteers
Are you passionate about sailing in the South West?
Do you enjoy connecting with people, supporting clubs, or championing cruising activity?

The RYA South West Region is looking for friendly, motivated volunteers to join our Regional Volunteer Team—and we’d love to hear from you!

🧭 Area Representatives – Make a Difference Locally
We’re looking for volunteers who can act as a friendly link between the RYA and a small group of clubs local to them.
What you’ll do:
Build strong, positive connections with a handful of nearby clubs
Share updates, opportunities, and information from the RYA
Listen to clubs’ experiences, ideas, and challenges
Feed back insights to the regional team so we can support clubs even better
Time commitment:
Flexible and completely shaped around what you can offer.
If you enjoy meeting people, strengthening local networks, and supporting grassroots activity, this role is a great fit.

⚓ Cruising Volunteers – A New and Exciting Opportunity
We’re also developing a brand-new volunteer team focused on Cruising (Motor, Dinghy, or Yacht).

This is a great opportunity for enthusiastic cruising sailors to help shape how the RYA supports the cruising community across the
South West

What you’ll get involved with:
Helping design and deliver support for regional cruising activity
Leading new ideas and initiatives (plenty of freedom to innovate!)
Supporting one of our first big projects: organising a South West Cruising Conference
Connecting with cruising groups, clubs, and individuals
This is a new project, so the opportunities are wide open, and the team will help shape its future direction.

If you would like to find out more about joining the SW team please fill in the form

15/04/2026

Three spaces left on this Race coach course in May at Paignton Sailing Club Open to all - please follow link for more information and booking.

Race Coach Level 2 at Paignton Sailing Club
Location: South Quay, The Harbour, Paignton TQ4 6DT

Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th May, 2026

Register here

This intensive two-day course looks at different areas of coaching and how to apply coaching skills in a practical series of on-the-water exercises.  Each candidate will be expected to run complete sessions including a briefing, on-the-water exercises, and review.  The aim of the course is to prov...

19/03/2026

Only 1 qualifier in the SW this year but you can attend the South events if you are close to them. Also we would love to add more events in the SW next year so please get in touch if you think you can help

Celebrate the energy, skill and spirit of junior club racing at the RYA Junior Club Championships Grand Final.

📅 Saturday 19 September - Sunday 20 September

📍 Northampton Sailing Club

The Grand Final will bring together the top junior teams from every RYA region and Home Country for a fun, competitive and highly sociable weekend of racing. The team-based competition that gives clubs the chance to showcase their emerging junior talent while encouraging participation, teamwork and club pride.

It’s all about:
⛵ Team spirit
⛵ Club representation
⛵ Exciting, friendly racing

Find out how to qualify: http://rya.org/P8Yz50Ytook

19/03/2026

Join us online on Monday 23rd March to discover how your Sailability Club can grow and thrive.

Through honest discussion and practical examples, you’ll gain ideas you can apply straight away - whether you’re looking to strengthen your existing Sailability activity or explore what it could look like for your organisation.

This session will focus on:

⛵ Sharing good practice from Sailability groups that are successfully working with external organisations to bring new people into sailing.
⛵ How to proactively reach out to your local community to engage more people with disabilities.
⛵ How existing Sailability Clubs have created strong links with disability organisations, care homes and SEN schools to promote their offer and get more people on the water.

Your host for the evening, Mark Jardine from Yachts and Yachting, will be joined by Joff McGill, RYA Sailability Manager, Dave Cooke from the Woolverstone Project and Adrian Tebbutt from Snettisham Beach Sailing Club.

Register your attendance here http://rya.org/hbqp50YuAj9

16/03/2026

To all the Sailability community, and those who are thinking about joining, check out this webinar -

Join us online on Monday 23rd March to discover how your Sailability Club can grow and thrive.

Through honest discussion and practical examples, you’ll gain ideas you can apply straight away - whether you’re looking to strengthen your existing Sailability activity or explore what it could look like for your organisation.

This session will focus on:

⛵ Sharing good practice from Sailability groups that are successfully working with external organisations to bring new people into sailing.
⛵ How to proactively reach out to your local community to engage more people with disabilities.
⛵ How existing Sailability Clubs have created strong links with disability organisations, care homes and SEN schools to promote their offer and get more people on the water.

Your host for the evening, Mark Jardine from Yachts and Yachting, will be joined by Joff McGill, RYA Sailability Manager, Dave Cooke from the Woolverstone Project and Adrian Tebbutt from Snettisham Beach Sailing Club.

Register your attendance here http://rya.org/hbqp50YuAj9

12/02/2026

🇬🇧 Brits lock the top spots 🥇 🥇

Finn Hawkins and Emma Wilson both win gold at the IQFOiL Class International Games 🏆



📸 Sailing Energy / Lanzarote Sailing Center

10/02/2026

This series of short online events will be useful to instructors of all levels.

Don’t miss the 2026 Wavelength Virtual Training Series! Our brand-new series launching tonight at 7pm UTC.

Over the next six weeks, we’ll be dropping a new episode every Tuesday evening. Tune in live each week to interact with the RYA Training team to comment and ask questions throughout the session.

🎬 Episode 1: Getting started with your RTC’s Safety Management System.

We’re kicking things off with a panel discussion on how to evolve your operational procedures into a clear, compliant Safety Management System (SMS)—the recognised standard across the maritime sector.

This session is particularly relevant for recognised training centres running commercial vessels, but it’s likely to become part of the wider conditions of recognition as we continue to keep all centres aligned with industry codes.

🎤 Panel members:
• Craig Burton – RYA Training Resource Manager
• Niall McLeod – RYA Head of Competition & Technical Services
• Joff McGill – RYA Sailability Manager
• Susie Moore – RYA Regional Manager (South)

👉 Tune in tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdwkyGFVySA

06/02/2026

This is a free to attend online event that i am sure some of our clubs and training centres will find informative and helpful.

We are delighted to be partnering with Access Sport for this 2-hour online learning session, designed to support clubs to better understand neurodivergence and how to create more inclusive sport and physical activity environments. 💙

The session introduces neurodiversity and neurodivergence, including Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, and explores how neurodivergent people may experience sport differently. Participants will gain understanding into what a neuro-inclusive environment looks like and how it provides coaches and volunteers with the confidence to deliver neuro-inclusive activities.

📅 Wednesday 18th February 2026
📍 Online
💳 FREE!
🕡 6:30pm - 8:30pm

If you would like to find out more and book your spot, please visit https://www.sasp.co.uk/events/2026/02/neurodivergence-inclusion-in-sport.

06/02/2026

The 2026 RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show returns to Farnborough International on 21st-22nd February! 🎉

The UK's biggest celebration of small-boat sailing and watersports will bring together the community for a weekend of inspiration, innovation and practical know-how.

With nearly only two weeks to go, the show is rapidly approaching- claim your tickets now and don't miss out! 🎫 https://www.rya.org.uk/dinghy-show

30/01/2026