ONBOARD AT 20


As RYA OnBoard celebrates two decades of helping kids on the water, we explore its impact,


achievements and future Words: Anna Scrivenger


C


atching a gust of wind on the water for the first time is the stuff that memories are made of. For many, it’s a life-affirming experience and one the RYA’s


OnBoard programme is designed to deliver. Recognising that many young people lacked


any opportunity to access sailing, OnBoard launched in 2005, aiming to make sailing and windsurfing more inclusive. For it to happen, the RYA joined with clubs, schools and training centres across the UK to create a structured, progressive programme. Made for young beginners with no experience or equipment, it would help them take to the water for the first time. Twenty years on, OnBoard has introduced


more than 1.3 million children to sailing and windsurfing. Around ten percent of these became regulars in the first ten years and have been growing up with the wind in their sails. ‘OnBoard started with two pilots, in the north and south,’ recalls RYA’s OnBoard Manager, Hannah Cockle. ‘Development officers would link local schools with sailing clubs.’ Over time, it evolved into clubs and centres


running various junior sailing activities under the OnBoard programme. OnBoard now operates in 336 centres and clubs in the UK, and keeps growing every day. This impressive growth has been


underpinned by a pivot towards outdoor education and personal and social development, rather than just sailing skills. In 2017, OnBoard relaunched with this new approach, developed through RYA research with Professor Bill Lucas from the University of Winchester. ‘We always


OnBoard offers children the opportunity to experience the fun of being on the water.


22 rya.org.uk SUMMER 2025


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76