Six Months On: Roger and Jess Reflect on Their First Half-Year in Post

It has been six months of club visits, coaching sessions and community building, and Roger and Jess are only just getting started. Since stepping into their new roles earlier this year, they have been busy supporting sailors of all ages, strengthening links with volunteers and helping clubs across the region thrive.

Jess's First Six Months

For Jess, the past half-year has been, in her words, “exciting, rewarding and lots of learning, .”

When asked about her biggest highlight, she didn’t hesitate: the Women on Water Festival back in May.

“It was just fabulous to watch over 40 women get on the water and try a range of activities including dinghy sailing, keelboat sailing and (my favourite) windsurfing,” she says. “It was a lot of hard work behind the scenes and so rewarding to see the fun had on the day.”

Another standout moment came in June, when Jess joined sessions at EABC and CSBC, supported through the Active Clubs funding.

“Both days were filled with smiling kids, lots of laughter, and it was fantastic to see our clubs delivering such worthwhile programmes.”

Jess’s proudest achievement so far has been watching the OnBoard programme go from strength to strength. Over the summer, dozens of young sailors took to the water for the first time through school taster days, with 48 competitors in the OnBoard Regatta fleet at this year’s John Minnis Youth Championships.

“We also had our first ‘Swim Safe’ session at Strangford Sailing Club and will be back there at the end of October for our OnBoard ‘Haunted Helm’ weekend,” she adds.

Looking ahead, Jess is excited to continue supporting clubs and affiliates over the winter months.

“This is the time for reflecting on the past season and planning ahead for next year through networking and collaboration,” she explains. “I’ll especially be chatting to clubs about delivering OnBoard and Women on Water development days.”

Roger's First Six Months

For Roger, who joined RYA Northern Ireland as Racing Officer, these first six months have been all about connection, discovery and getting to know the heart of the local sailing community.

“The biggest highlight has been getting to know all the great programmes, events, initiatives and people across the region,” he says.

One standout visit came at Bangor Lifeboat Station, where Roger met the Sailability team and took part in some race training ahead of their annual regatta.

“This was my first time working with Sailability athletes in Northern Ireland,” he explains. “They sail weekly and have a great balance between competitive race training and really enjoyable fun sessions.”

Rather than pinpointing one single project, Roger says he is most proud of seeing the breadth of sailing activity happening across Northern Ireland.

“Having moved here recently, I’ve spent much of the last six months getting familiar with the various clubs, classes, events and squads. It’s been great to see people taking part in sailing, training and racing at all levels. For example, we had a huge turnout at the Youth Championships Regatta Fleet, highlighting all the younger sailors taking their first steps into racing, and we’ve also had some fantastic results at national and international level across various classes.”

Looking ahead, Roger is excited for a full winter of training and development with the youth squads.

“I’ll be working with the youth squads for the first time, and having a full winter’s training ahead will be really interesting to see how the sailors develop before some key events in early 2026.”

When asked to sum up his first six months, Roger laughs and says simply: “Sailing in Northern Ireland… cold, wet, windy.”

Looking Ahead

With both Roger and Jess now firmly settled into their roles, the next six months promise to bring even more opportunities for growth, connection and community across Northern Ireland’s sailing scene.

“This is just the beginning,” says Jess. “There’s a real sense of energy and collaboration across our clubs, and that’s something we’re both really excited to keep building.”