Please select your home edition
Edition

RYA Cymru Wales OnBoard Festivals 2024

by RYA Cymru Wales 7 Sep 19:50 NZST 31 August-1 September 2024

Aspiring sailors and windsurfers gathered at Dale and Bala to have fun and develop their skills at this year's RYA Cymru Wales OnBoard Festivals.

Eighty-five youth and junior sailors took part in the two events over the weekend of 31 August-1 September 2024, with sunshine and light to moderate winds providing ideal conditions for a busy schedule of OnBoard games and racing.

The aim of the annual festivals is to build on home club training at the end of summer by enabling young sailors to develop their confidence and knowledge in a sheltered water, relaxed and friendly coached environment.

Sarah McGovern, Performance Manager Wales, said: "These events are truly rewarding for us as it is the start of a journey for these young sailors and it's great to be able to offer the opportunity to develop their sailing and racing skills.

"The three aims of our OnBoard Festivals are to have fun, make new friends and learn something new... hopefully all the sailors went away having achieve one of the goals.

"A big thank you to our host venues and to all of the volunteers and the mums and dads who were supporting on and off the water."

A new initiative this year was the introduction of participation medals for each competitor. There were also some games to gather sailor feedback to capture the voices of younger sailors about their involvement in the sport.

North OnBoard Festival

Thirty-six sailors attended the North OnBoard Festival hosted by Bala Sailing Club on the Saturday with 12 entries in the OnBoard fleet and 22 in the main fleet across a range of single and double-handed classes.

Sailors arrived to a foggy start caused by the big difference between the air temperature and that of the lake but this soon cleared and by 9am, bright sunshine and a light easterly breeze had arrived to set the scene for the rest of the day.

The main fleet ventured out into the middle of the lake and completed two races, with a quick break for lunch followed by three more races. The OnBoard fleet also had a grand day out, enjoying a mix of 'games with aims' and start-to-race activities.

Providing a fantastic Welsh role model for the sailors was Catrin Williams, a British Sailing Team iQFoiler, who came to support and shared the story of her own journey from attending her first ever event - a North OnBoard Festival! - through to representing GBR and racing internationally.

Alongside more than 15 volunteers supporting the activities, the three other Welsh coaches - Jacob, Ffion and Leah - likewise all started out at an OnBoard Festival and are now enjoying giving back to the sport through coaching.

Another memorable feature of the festival was clubs working together to support their sailors and each other, including Llyn Brenig who created a great vibe wearing their club colours, orange and black, complete with war paint and orange tutus.

The youngest sailors were Harriet Thomas and Benji Hall, both from Port Dinorwic SC. Ellis Crierie of Llyn Brenig SC meanwhile earned an endeavour award for been the only Optimist sailor who ventured out onto the main fleet course.

North OnBoard Festival results.

South & West OnBoard Festival

Nineteen sailors joined the OnBoard fleet alongside 30 main fleet entries for the South & West OnBoard Festival hosted by Dale Yacht Club / Celtic Sea Watersports.

Coordinating the South & West event was RYA Cymru Wales Club Development Officer Hester Walker, who said: "We had a lovely 10-15 knots of breeze across the weekend and the race committee did a great job to get in four races each day, with some challenging shifts and a dropping forecast on the Sunday.

"The Onboard Fleet completed all of their eight races with some fantastic coaching, while the Main Fleet had some very close racing, with the overall winners being decided on the last race. Well done to all the sailors and a heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers for your commitment and 'giving back' to providing safe, fun and rewarding sailing and continuing to support RYA Cymru Wales."

Thanks also go to photographer Ade Owens for capturing the festival spirit at Dale: Onboard Championships - Dale 2024 | Flickr.

Hector Jennings of Dale YC was awarded the Jaffa Trophy for his unselfish action of giving up his RS Tera for another sailor to compete in the main fleet and jumping into a Topper for the remaining races of the regatta he had left to sail.

Find the overall results at S & SW OnBoard Festival - Main Fleet and S & SW OnBoard Festival - OnBoard Fleet.

Welsh Youth & Junior Championships

Next up in the major events calendar is the Welsh Youth & Junior Championships, 21-22nd September 2024, at Plas Heli, which are also an indicator for those seeking selection to the Welsh National Sailing Team squads.

This event includes both coached Regatta and Championship fleets and is open to all young sailors from across Wales and beyond, with sailors and parents invited to get their entries in and share the details with their class associations.

Enter now for the Welsh Youth and Junior Championships and keep up with all the latest news and events by following RYA Cymru Wales on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Related Articles

Bay of Islands Sailing Week is calling
Bay of Islands Sailing Week is calling - regular entries close on December 31 Seasoned sailors Rob Bassett and Brett Russell are rallying competitors to join what Peter Montgomery has called “the best-big boat regatta in NZ” as entries roll in for the 2025 Bay of Islands Sailing Week (BOISW). Posted on 12 Nov
SLAM ETNZ Deck Hoody - Now just €50
Price Drop: SLAM ETNZ Deck Hoody: Was €120 | Now €50 - Order yours today! Price Drop: SLAM ETNZ Deck Hoody: WAS €120 | NOW €50 - Order yours today! Ideal Xmas gift for America's Cup fans! Get your souvenir hoody on the America's Cup champion! Posted on 7 Nov
Vendee Globe: 'Crazy Kiwi' racing on renewables
Conrad Colman plans on repeating his 2015/26 feat racing without the use of fossil fuel In the 2016 Vendee Globe, Conrad Colman became the first competitor in Vendee Globe history to finish without using a drop of fossil fuel during his circumnavigation. He plans on repeating the feat in the upcoming Vendee Globe race. Posted on 30 Oct
Predictwind is official partner of Vendee Globe
PredictWind will bring fans into the Vendée Globe action with a world-first Race Weather Centre Global leader in marine weather forecasting, PredictWind, has announced its official partnership with IMOCA - one of the fastest and most exciting offshore yacht racing classes - to become the exclusive Weather Data Supplier for the Vendée Globe 2024. Posted on 22 Oct
NZ Marine industry celebrates Am Cup Defence
NZ marine technology and innovation is used both by its own and other teams contesting the Cup While New Zealand sailors are considered among the world's best, the country's marine technology and innovation is used both by its own team, and by the teams contesting the America's Cup. Posted on 19 Oct
New facilities attract more superyachts to NZ
Superyacht attraction initiatives paying off as NZ Marine reports $212m superyacht economic boost A new report shows superyacht visitors injected $212m into the New Zealand economy in the 2023/4 season. The report has been released as New Zealand ramps up its superyacht attraction initiatives. Posted on 11 Oct
Cup Spy - Finals - Who dares, wins
The AC75 proved its ability to provide compelling viewing, match racing at speeds touching 55kts Critics of the AC75 and its suitability as a match racer for the America's Cup should be eating their words after Sunday's Blinder in Barcelona Posted on 30 Sep
Check the rules before summer boating starts 
Marine biosecurity teams are reminding boaties and all marine users to make sure they are across mar Marine biosecurity teams are reminding boaties and all marine users to make sure they are across marine pest risks and rules before heading out on the water this summer. Posted on 24 Sep
17 NZ marinas now on ‘Clean Marina journey'
Kiwi marinas make big steps in environmental performance : 17 marinas now on ‘Clean Marina journey' The $540 million marina and boatyard industry is on a mission to minimise its environmental impact, particularly in relation to coastal water quality. Posted on 21 Sep
Southern Spars at the Monaco Yacht Show
From America's Cup technology to the World's largest sailing catamaran: Connect with Southern Spars The Monaco Yacht Show is the showcase event for innovation in the superyacht industry and as the global leader in high-performance composite rig technology for luxury yachts, Southern Spars is excited to attend again in 2024. Posted on 19 Sep