Together on Our Waters: Building on Progress, Investing in What Comes Next

This time of year provides a natural opportunity to pause, just for a moment, and reflect on what we have collectively achieved over the last 12 months.

Our 2025–2026 Impact Report captures that progress. It stands as a marker in time: a record of what our community has achieved together and a reflection of the impact of our strategy, Gyda’n Gilydd ar ein Dyfroedd – Together on Our Waters.

Alongside that progress, the Board remains committed to excellence in governance, stringent financial oversight and strategic decision making, ensuring that RYA Cymru Wales continues to be resilient, ambitious and forward looking.

It is from these strong foundations that we now move into an exciting new chapter, focused firmly on how we can best serve and support our valued sailing and boating community and continue to deliver the objectives of Gyda’n Gilydd ar ein Dyfroedd – Together on Our Waters.

Building on strong foundations

As we reach the midpoint of our five-year strategy, this is the right time to reflect on what is working, consider what we have learned and identify where we can have an even greater impact over the next two years.

Most importantly, we are building from strong foundations.

Across Wales, our sailing and boating community continues to thrive, thanks to the dedication, passion and commitment of our Board, operational team and everyone who forms part of our valued community. Together, we have strengthened welfare and safeguarding, developed opportunities to participate and progress, embraced emerging disciplines such as foiling, and have built stronger relationships and partnerships across our sailing and boating community.

There is much to be proud of. But ambition means continuing to ask: what more can we do?

Investing in Healthy Welsh Boating

One of the most exciting developments for the next phase of our strategy is a significant investment in Healthy Welsh Boating.

At its heart is a simple ambition: to help more people get on the water, more often, and to continue building a sailing and boating community in Wales that is welcoming, accessible and inclusive.

To support that ambition, we are investing in our team, including the appointment of a full-time Healthy Welsh Boating Officer, alongside additional support that will focus initially on three areas where we believe there is real opportunity for growth: Sailability, school engagement and keelboating.

• For Sailability, we want to champion the fantastic activity already taking place while supporting more clubs and centres to develop accessible opportunities.
• Through school engagement, we want to strengthen connections between young people, schools, clubs and centres, creating opportunities to discover sailing and boating that might otherwise never exist.
• In keelboating, we want to strengthen pathways and connections, opening up more opportunities for people to get on the water and develop their skills.

This represents a significant investment in sailing and boating in Wales, building on the fantastic work already taking place within our clubs and centres and creating new opportunities for more people to enjoy being on the water.

Shaping What Comes Next

Our strategy belongs to our community, and their experiences and ambitions must help shape what comes next.

We have already begun conversations with young people and their families at our Welsh Youth & Junior Championships and are continuing those conversations this weekend at the BIG Weekend and AGM. We will also hear from our Youth LAB, clubs, centres, volunteers, participants and partners, alongside Sport Wales, other watersports and our RYA colleagues.

Alongside those conversations, we will consider participation data, Reflections on Water, the latest School Sport Survey and other evidence to help us understand how sailing and boating in Wales is changing, where barriers remain and where there are new opportunities.

What happens next?

Over the coming months, we will bring those voices and that evidence together.

The review will ensure that how we implement our strategy remains relevant, responsive and ambitious as we enter its next phase. Some priorities may need greater emphasis, others may evolve as new opportunities emerge, while many will remain every bit as important as they were when we first set out on this journey together.

We intend to publish the outcome of the review in February, providing a clear plan for our priorities for 2027 - 2028.

Above all, we want to continue building an RYA Cymru Wales that listens, learns and leads with heart and through its values; that uses its resources wisely; and that supports a thriving, welcoming and inclusive sailing and boating community across Wales.

There is much to be proud of, much still to do and an exciting future ahead.

Thank you, as always, to everyone who gives their time, energy, expertise and enthusiasm to support sailing and boating in Wales.

Together, we will continue to make our waters a place where everyone can belong, participate and pursue their ambitions.

Diolch am fod yn rhan o’r daith hon gyda ni ac am eich cefnogaeth barhaus.
Thank you for being part of this journey with us and for your continued support.

Gweld chi ar y dŵr.
See you on the water.

Siân