RYA Cymru Wales blog – junior & youth events update
It’s been a super busy summer of sailing so far for our junior and youth sailors – and there’s still lots more to look forward to as we head towards autumn!
We’ve seen some bumper entries for the Dragon Series with more than 25 sailors on the water at some venues this year – a massive thank you to the four clubs and their volunteers in each region (North, South & West) who have hosted these for us.
Due to high winds postponing the Dragon event at Dale earlier this month, there is still one last chance to take part! This rescheduled event will be hosted by Celtic Sea Watersports on Bank Holiday Monday 25 August 2025, with up to four races for Coached Training, Junior and General Handicap fleets. If you haven’t yet given the Dragon Series a go, why not take part?
Find all the Dragon Series info and the entry link for Dale at our Welsh Sailing Events Hub. If you would like to borrow a boat for the day (£10) or have any questions, email Celtic Sea Watersports who will be pleased to hear from you.
OnBoard Festival
It’s been amazing to see so many young sailors enjoying the Dragon Series and the overall prizes will be presented at our end-of-season OnBoard Festival at Bala Sailing Club over the weekend of 30-31 August.
Join us for a fun weekend of coached and main fleet racing! This event is perfect for sailors aged 8-18, in any class of dinghy, and if you need to borrow a boat just ask and we'll help you get afloat to join in
We’re hoping to see lots of sailors who’ve taken part in club racing or the Dragon Series and also squad sailors who might like to get in some extra time on the water.
It’s been exciting to see entries rolling in for our OnBoard Festival – especially from young sailors who we don’t yet know because it’s their first event away from their home club - if this is you, we can’t wait to meet you!
You’ll have a great time and we’ll have friendly coaches on the water, plenty of safety boats, and smiley volunteers on the shore to help with rigging and launching.
Not yet entered? Don’t miss out!
Sign up now for our OnBoard Festival at Bala
Welsh Youth & Junior Championships
Entry is also now open for the Welsh Youth & Junior Championships at Plas Heli, Pwllheli, 13-14 September 2025 – the ideal way to chase away the back to school blues!
See your friends, put your hours of summer sailing to the test in our coached regatta or championship fleets, and apply for the Welsh National Sailing Team.
As an indicator event for our squads, you may want to find out more about these. You can find the winter training dates, selection policy and applications forms at:
The closing date for applications to the squads is 15 September 2025.
Enter now for the Welsh Youth & Junior Championships
CROESO & Wishy Washy!
Our wellness ‘CROESO’ boat will be on the water at both the OnBoard Festival and Welsh Youth & Junior Championships to help sailors with food and water, toileting, suncream, first aid and moral support.
Also back in action will be our new Wishy Washy station to help you learn about hydration and care for your kit after a long day on the water.
A big thank you to our brand partners Intego Pro Sports Sunscreen and Rinsd | The Sustainable Wetsuit Cleaner That Works for supporting these Welsh Sailing initiatives!
Volunteer with us
It is always hugely rewarding to help young sailors get on the water, develop their skills and enjoy racing. And as ever, without the help of our fantastic volunteers, we simply could not run our Welsh sailing events.
We’ll be hosting a 'Diolch Hour' drinks reception at the OnBoard Festival and Welsh Youth & Junior Championships, and if you are able to help out – whether for half a day or a whole weekend, we’d love to hear from you! There are lots of different roles and we’re always keen to support with mentoring and skills development.
Find out more about volunteering and register for our events.
And finally…
Please do share my blog with the youth and junior sailors – and parents! - at your club, centre or organisation. To keep up to date with all the latest news and announcements from RYA Cymru Wales, follow our social media on Facebook and Instagram.
See you soon! Hatty.