EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW


‘With boating, everyone’s on a level playing field’


HRH The Princess Royal speaks to editor


Deborah Cornick about the importance of grassroots clubs and time on the water


S Right: The


Princess at the helm of her Rustler 44 yacht back in 2014.


She says of sailing that she enjoys “the freedom to manage your own time and choices”.


How has the RYA developed in your


years as president? We all recognise that clubs are really important and need our support. Clubs have their own connections and understand what drives their local communities better than anyone, but the overall vision of access to water, I think,


20 rya.org.uk AUTUMN 2025


ince 1987, HRH The Princess Royal has been president of the RYA, a role previously held for many years by The Duke of Edinburgh. She is also patron of Sailability, the RYA programme that provides


sailing opportunities for people with disabilities.


Thank you for taking the time to talk to us about our anniversary. What does


150 years of the RYA mean to you? A little historical perspective doesn’t go amiss at a moment like this, because it reminds people that the forming of the RYA was at a time when sailing clubs started to pop up in various places. It illustrated the need for a rules-based sailing organisation that could bring people together to compete on a national scale which, up until then, I suspect was very localised. So, I think that was the essential driving force behind the RYA. Building on what the founders started is still at its core, but the RYA has also evolved into much more: helping people get into boating in the first place.


Photo: Paul Wyeth


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