Applications are open for the 2021 RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year Award supported by Gallagher.

All finalists go through to a public vote with the overallwinner selected by RYA members, Yachts & Yachting readers and the Panel.

The overall winner of the 2021 RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Yearwill be announced at the RYA Dinghy Show in February.

Last year Royal Anglesey Yacht Club were the Welsh club tobe shortlisted.

Speaking of being shortlisted last year, Stevie Scanlan,Commodore of the RAYC, said, “We want everyone to enjoy being involved in wateractivities and work hard to welcome and encourage new members.

We are the host club for the historic Menai Strait Regattaevery year and regularly take our boats to classic regattas in the UK andEurope.

We have made great strides in recent years with a team ofdedicated, enthusiastic volunteers coaching the juniors and at the same timedeveloping a very popular rowing section. The objective of bringing in youngerelements has succeeded beyond our expectations.

We're grateful for the external support we have received andhave seen this investment reap large rewards within the sport, as a result thefuture of our club is bright.

We believe our most important success has been the one thatcame unexpectedly – the greater inclusiveness, diversity and local engagementwith what was previously seen as a sport for the privileged.”

RYA Cymru Wales CEO, Gerwyn Owen said: “The RYA and Yachts& Yachting Club of the Year Awards have always been a fantastic way for usto celebrate the huge efforts of those involved in running sailing clubs.

The past few months have been hugely challenging for clubs,so it feels more important than ever to recognise the people who have workedtirelessly to ensure that others can continue to get out on the water safetyand enjoy what they love doing.

I’m genuinely proud by the hard work I’ve seen from clubsacross Wales during the Covid-19 pandemic. Clubs up and down the country havelent their time and resources to helping their communities, as well as carryingout essential tasks to enable a safe return to boating.

I want to see as many clubs as possible applying for thisyear’s award and hope to see another Welsh club make the shortlist!”

Georgie Corlett-Pitt, Yachts & Yachting Editor said:“Celebrating club activities has always been central to Yachts & Yachting’scoverage.While recent months may have posed many unprecedented challenges forour clubs, they have also brought to the fore the spirit and resilience of thesailing community. This year more than ever we look forward to acknowledgingthose achievements with the RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the YearAwards”.

All RYA affiliated clubs across the UK are eligible to applyand the Awards Panel will select a finalist for each of the 10 RYA Regions aswell as two ‘wild card’ entries. During the shortlisting stage, the panel willalso provide five clubs with recognition for particular achievements in thefollowing five areas:

Heart of the community- new for 2021, a recognition for aclub that has worked tirelessly to support their local community. This could bethrough the efforts of volunteers working within their local area for goodcauses, sharing club facilities with those in need or opening their club up tolocal community groups to get out on the water.

Modern, innovative and forward thinking- recognition for aclub that makes a break from traditional ways of running a club or deliveringboating activity. This could be delivering different formats of training orracing to engage new participants, creating new membership models or embracingthe use of modern communications.

Sustainability- Another new category with recognition for aclub that has embraced sustainability and demonstrably reduced its own and/orits members impact on the environment through education, action or improvedfacilities.

Inclusive and open to all- recognition for a club or projectwhich has been impactful in developing participation amongst people withdisabilities or from other under-represented or disadvantaged groups. 

Boosting membership- recognition for a club that hasdelivered the most impactful participation project, the outcomes of which are,attracting and retaining new participants and growing their membership.

Club applications close on 21 September.

Thank you once again to Gallagher for supporting this award.

For more information on RYA and Yachts & Yachting Clubof the Year Award and to complete an application form visit www.rya.org.uk/go/cluboftheyear