17 September 2025
RYA Awards spotlight: Building the future at North Devon Yacht Club
An RYA Award recognised NDYC’s thriving youth programme - but every affiliate has a story to tell. Apply today and make sure yours is celebrated at the 2026 Awards.
North Devon Yacht Club (NDYC) was named the winner of the RYA Young Person’s Award 2025, in recognition of its outstanding commitment to engaging young people and building a thriving sailing community.
Traditionally, NDYC’s cadet weeks each August attracted large numbers of children, but the club recognised that many didn’t stay active members.
Determined to change that, the club relaunched its youth programme to provide year-round opportunities, and the results were transformative.
Junior membership rose from 41 in 2022 to more than 240 in 2024, with the Youth Squad and Young Pirates Optimist sessions providing a pathway from first experiences on the water to regular participation and club racing.
Families also became more engaged, with many parents volunteering or taking up sailing themselves.
Speaking about the impact of the changes, Club Manager Eric Evans said: “Twenty years ago, young people in the club were seen as an inconvenience or in the way, and now they’re really celebrated and people love having them around.
“So for us, we’ve made our club more inclusive and we’ve drastically changed the age range or age profile of our membership, and that’s going to make a massive difference in 10 years’ time when that hopefully works its way right through our system.”
Junior membership rose from 41 in 2022 to more than 240 in 2024, with the Youth Squad and Young Pirates Optimist sessions providing a pathway from first experiences on the water to regular participation and club racing.
Families also became more engaged, with many parents volunteering or taking up sailing themselves.
Speaking about the impact of the changes, Club Manager Eric Evans said: “Twenty years ago, young people in the club were seen as an inconvenience or in the way, and now they’re really celebrated and people love having them around.
“So for us, we’ve made our club more inclusive and we’ve drastically changed the age range or age profile of our membership, and that’s going to make a massive difference in 10 years’ time when that hopefully works its way right through our system.”
“Just the beginning”
The club also invested in training, developing three new RYA Level 2 Coaches and running Start to Race courses to help young sailors progress.
Dinghy Instructor Freya described the ethos behind the sessions: “I try and make them feel like they’ve got as much control of the experience as is safe and possible, and I try and just make sure that they’re enjoying it above all else.”
Winning the award has given the club further momentum. Rear Commodore Hugh Kingdon said: “For us, winning this award is not the end. For us, winning this award is just the beginning. So we are now looking at how we build on this success and take it forward.”
Plans for the future include refreshing the training fleet, expanding disabled sailing opportunities, and exploring the development of a second site to support winter activity.
Club Principal Jonathan Miles encouraged other clubs to get involved: “I’d certainly recommend other clubs to apply to get involved with the youth programmes and with the RYA Awards, because it helps us. It focuses the attention on what we’re getting right and what we’re getting wrong, and on the excellence around from all other clubs, including ourselves.”
Last call for entries to the 2026 RYA Awards
The RYA Awards 2026 are all about celebrating the incredible work happening across our affiliate network – and we know there are so many amazing stories still to be told.
From youth programmes that change lives to projects that protect our playground or bring whole communities together, these awards shine a light on the difference clubs, affiliated organisations or individuals are making every day in our sport.
But time is running out – the deadline to be considered for the RYA Awards 2026 is 1 October 2025, so don’t miss the chance to put your organisation in the spotlight or celebrate a special someone who’s making an impact.
Nominate now and help us celebrate the people, programmes and projects across the country that make sailing and boating thrive.
