RYA Scotland’s 2025 Winter Championships a Show of Talent and Team Spirit

RYA Scotland’s 2025 Winter Championships took place over the 6 ^- 7 of December, bringing together over 50 of Scotland’s most promising young sailors for an exhilarating weekend of competition and development at Blairvadoch Outdoor Education Centre.

Across Optimist, Topper, ILCA, RS Feva, 29er, Techno, and iQFOiL classes, participants seized the opportunity to put their winter training into practice, testing their skills in challenging conditions and pushing each other to new heights.

While a lack of breeze on the Saturday meant less on water action, Feva and Techno fleets managed some top light wind practise, with the Techno’s even managing some super light wind racing.

For other, time ashore was put to good use – with some valuable fitness and theory sessions on the go throughout the day.

Feva sailor Orlagh MacDonald shared some insight as to what sorts of coaching points she was focussing on throughout the weekend:

 “I’m thinking about all the light wind points we’ve been talking about in training like roll tacking, and communication in the boat. Roll tacking helps fill the sail a lot quicker and gives you a boost along, it’s important in these light conditions and during race starts!”

Despite conditions remaining light, some more wind pulled through in time for the Sunday, allowing solid racing across all fleets. A big well done to all sailors and prizewinners, and a big thanks to our coaches, volunteers, race officials, parents, guardians and to sportscotland, all of whom make these events possible.

Jamie Rogers, RYA Scotland Performance Pathway Manager, said:

“Our Performance Pathway is all about providing high level opportunities for sailors to progress and unlock their potential. The RYA Scotland Winter Championships are a key opportunity for sailors to lay down a marker, and put new skills into action.

“And of course, none of this would be possible without a fantastic network of coaches, volunteers, parents, guardians and of course the sailors themselves who all give up their time to make this top activity happen.”

This year’s Winter Championships were delivered as an invitational residential event, creating a valuable opportunity for sailors to spend the weekend together in a shared environment. This format helped foster a strong sense of community and camaraderie, encouraging collaboration, peer learning, and friendships that extend beyond the water. On the Saturday night, Sailors came together for a festive meal, followed by a highly anticipated sailor vs coach quiz. With strength in numbers – the sailors managed to pull off the victory.

This intentional blend of high-performance racing paired with a supportive atmosphere was sought to reflect the wider values of RYA Scotland’s Performance Pathway, a recently refreshed programme designed to guide sailors from grassroots club racing through to international competition. Updated earlier this year, the pathway focuses on creating clear progression routes, supporting athlete well-being, and involving parents and guardians in every stage of development.

For more information about RYA Scotland’s performance pathway and upcoming events, check out our previous article.