Chair’s Statement


As Chair of your Association, I am pleased to have this opportunity to reflect on the many achievements of our sport and boating community during the last year. In doing so, I would firstly like to recognise and thank the many people who contributed to this success. Our staff and volunteers made great efforts to support both our individual and affiliated members and to reinforce our aim to ensure safe, successful and rewarding boating.


As always, our thanks and appreciation must also go to UK Sport, Sport England and the Home Country Sports Councils. Their


continued support and funding


remain critically important to supporting a range of RYA initiatives, including Sailability and other grassroots programmes, our youth and junior talent pathway, and the British Sailing Team.


We should all feel proud of the British


Sailing Team’s incredible achievements. It is testament to the dedication, resilience and hard work of the 15 athletes selected to represent Team GB in Tokyo that medals were won at most of the international regattas that were able to be held, and that we enjoyed our most successful Olympics since Beijing 2008. This is also credit to the small army of support staff behind them.


The team topped the ’Tokyo 2020‘ sailing medal table with three golds, one silver and one bronze. This confims the British Sailing Team as the most successful national Olympic sailing team of all time.


Success breeds success, and the RYA has been able to establish one of the best sport development programmes in the world, with a clear association between Olympic success and grassroots sailing at clubs and schools.


Almost one million young people have been introduced to sailing by RYA OnBoard, while


our Sailability groups held over


50,000 sessions for disabled people. This year more than ever before, as pandemic restrictions were eased, we saw our club volunteers come together to ensure that all members could continue to get afloat – whatever their age, background or level of ability.


our clubs and centres have embraced changing


perceptions, behaviours


and


experiences to ensure our sport is more inclusive and accessible.


As pandemic restrictions were eased, we saw our club volunteers come together to ensure that all members could continue to get afloat


We saw another tremendous increase in watersports


undoubtedly resulting


activity and training, some from staycations


but also, we hope, from a wider realisation of the many benefits of participating in boating. Although there was an inevitability that we would see a decline in membership during the pandemic, we hope that this increased interest will see numbers rise again.


The implementation of our Equality,


Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy 2021-2030 (Charting an Equal, Diverse and Inclusive Course for the Future of Boating) is helping to


develop a culture are that celebrates


diversity and is free from discrimination and prejudice. We


delighted that


Christopher Preston RYA Chair


The vital support we receive, both from our members and our funding partners, will ensure that we are well-positioned to do all we can to create more opportunities for communities to enjoy the mental and physical health benefits of getting afloat. This will ensure boating activity is truly inclusive.


My thanks and appreciation go to Sarah Treseder who left the RYA last summer after 11 years as CEO. We wish her every success in her new role as the Chief Executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping. Following


an extensive recruitment


process, we were delighted to welcome Sara Sutcliffe as her successor in January. With over 20 years’ experience in the sports sector, Sara brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise and passion that will undoubtedly be a great asset to the RYA. I would also like to recognise Dave Strain’s strong contribution as finance director and interim CEO during the transition.


Thank you once again for your continued and loyal support.


RYA ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2022


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