The countdown to the 2026 sailing season starts here. Join us at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show (21-22 February) for a weekend packed with expert advice, fresh opportunities and interactive experiences to inspire your year on the water.

Whether you're keen to sharpen your racing knowledge, explore new training routes, connect with the para sailing community, support sustainability initiatives or simply discover what’s next in dinghy sailing, windsurfing and winging, the RYA team will be ready to welcome you and help you make 2026 your most rewarding season yet.

From the moment you step through the doors at Farnborough International, you’ll find support and inspiration from the RYA team to take your boating journey wherever you want it to go.

Discover something new

If you’re looking to get started or progress your sailing, windsurfing or winging this season, our Regional Managers will be on hand with practical advice and expert guidance — from choosing the right boat or board to helping you connect with local clubs and training centres that can elevate your ambitions.

On the RYA stand, you also can find out more on the British Sailing Pathway and ask us about the opportunities for junior and youth racers. You can explore volunteering at 2026 RYA racing events, talk to the team about routes into race officiating as well as information and advice on club racing, handicap systems and racing and class rules.

Visit the Para Sailing Hub, located opposite the RYA stand, to find out more about RYA Sailability and the para sailing community – including training and racing opportunities and how to get involved in volunteering. 

Representatives from the para sailing classes will be on hand throughout the weekend, and are also hosting dedicated technical sessions each day you can drop into:

• 11am-12pm – Challenger Class and GBR Deaf Sailing
• 2pm-3pm – 2.4mR Class and Hansa Class
• 3pm-4pm – Blind Sailing UK

You can also join the team at 1pm on Saturday (21 February) on the Para Sailing Hub for a special announcement, as we unveil which clubs will be named as British Sailing Pathway Clubs for their commitment as centres of excellence for para racing and race training. 

Plot your career journey

The RYA’s Female Futures Group is introducing an exciting new session at the show, helping young sailors of all genders explore the breadth of possible careers and pathways that their passions could take them.

‘Without Limits: Where skills become careers’ will run daily from 12.30–1.30pm in the NextGen Zone and offers a unique chance to meet people working across the marine world, discover unexpected career paths and spark ideas about what they might want to learn, explore or try next.

Among the panellists will be representatives from the fields of coaching and instructing, pro sailing including SailGP, the British Sailing Team and British Sailing Youth Team, and marine photography and videography, as well experts from sail, clothing and equipment manufacturers and marine insurance providers.

Beyond the dedicated session, exhibitors from across the industry will be available throughout the show for informal career conversations. All participating exhibitors will wear ‘Happy to chat about careers’ badges, helping young visitors easily spot supportive contacts and strike up conversations at their own pace.

Reading to power your season

2026 is the UK’s National Year of Reading, with the campaign theme of ‘Go All In’ reconnecting reading with the things that already inspire us. 

With this in mind, our sailing and watersports-obsessed show visitors can ‘Go All In’ with RYA Publications and dive into a vast range of titles to suit every interest – including the ever-popular RYA Tactics and Handy Guide to Racing Rules, the RYA Weather Handbook, plus Go Windsurfing for kids and RYA Wing & Windsurfing for Instructors.

RYA members can enjoy a 20% discount on all RYA publications purchased at the show stand and from the online RYA Shop over the show weekend.

Greener boating

We all want to play our part in continuing to reduce the impact of the activities we love, and the RYA Green Blue team helps you find ways to do that at the show, including signing up to the Green Blue Boating Pledge.

Visit the Sustainability Hub to discover practical, sustainable changes you can make in your everyday sailing - whether at home, in your club, centre or class association. The hub is also home to the Boat Repair Workshops, with Pete Vincent demonstrating the latest techniques for hull repairs.

You can explore eco-focused products at the Hub, and also chat with Kitround, Circular Flow and Sustainable Extricko about their initiatives to redistribute, reuse and recycle old and unwanted kit and neoprene.

You can also deposit your old wetsuits and neoprene items for recycling at the RYA stand, as well as other sailing clothing that’s pre-loved and in good condition to be redistributed or resold for a second life.

On Sunday at 11am, the RYA Green Blue will be hosting ‘Closing the Loop - circular solutions for kit and equipment' — a panel discussion on the Sunsail Main Stage exploring how boating kit and equipment can be reused, repaired, or recycled. Visitors of all ages can also take part in a daily sustainability quiz in the Interactive Zone (12pm Saturday; 12.30pm Sunday; 2pm and 3.30pm both days) with fun colouring activities and a marine wildlife-themed Treasure Hunt to keep younger show-goers entertained.

Competitions and hands-on activities

Step into the Interactive Zone and put your skills to the test with hands-on simulators and immersive virtual experiences designed for all ages.

With SailGP heading back to UK waters this summer, visitors can climb aboard a virtual F50 and tackle a high-speed course. You can also scan a QR code to be in with a chance to win a pair of Waterfront Grandstand tickets to one day of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix Portsmouth.

Try your hand on the Lewmar grinding rig and enter a ‘best time’ competition to win a Musto canvas rolltop bag, and you can also have a go at a rope challenge with Marlow to guess the length and take on a knot-tying activity to win a Marlow rope bag and splicing equipment.

Elsewhere in the zone, you can hone your trapeze skills on the rig, dive into the world of foiling through VR, and try out simulators spanning dinghy sailing, windsurfing and winging.

On Sunday (3pm, Suzuki Marine stand) we’ll also reveal which one of five lucky RYA Affiliated Club finalists will go home with a superb prize package worth £9,850! This special collaboration with the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show gave clubs the chance to enter and win a River Boat AM Safety 420 powered by Suzuki Marine with an Extreme Trailer to support their activities.

Join our global community

RYA membership helps us to support you with the issues you care about – join at the show to become part of our worldwide community of over 100,000 people and enjoy exclusive benefits while helping protect the activities we love.

If you sign up to become an RYA member at the show you’ll get the price of your show ticket back, with a further 15% off your joining fee when you sign up by Direct Debit. If you’re already a member and you refer a friend, you’ll receive a free dry bag. 

The Membership team will be on hand throughout the weekend to help with your questions and advise on how to make the most of your membership.

You’ll also find a number of RYA and show partners around the stands, including Sunsail (N20), Musto (C32) Rockley Watersports (I10), Insured Health/Bupa (D10) and Bishop Skinner Marine (K20). Chat with their teams to find out how they can support your boating ambitions this season.  

Buy tickets now!

It’s shaping up to be an unmissable weekend, so get your tickets today and kick-start your season with us.

Don’t forget, RYA Members can access a complimentary weekend ticket worth £22.50, while kids aged 15 years and under go free with an accompanying adult! 

Follow us on socials for all the weekend build-up at @RYADinghyShow.