RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show draws 9,000 to Farnborough
A successful RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2025 took place on 22-23 February.
The event, held at Farnborough International in southern England, attracted nearly 9,000 visitors, including sailing enthusiasts, industry professionals and exhibitors showcasing equipment and innovations.
The show featured a variety of watersports, including dinghy sailing, windsurfing, wingsurfing, foiling and paddleboarding. In total, over 175 exhibitor stands were present at the two-day event, displaying the latest gear and technologies for the sailing community.
The event also hosted the launch of Sunsail’s Funding the Future initiative, which supports sailing charities, RYA clubs, and British Universities Sailing Association members with grants of up to £6,000. The initiative aims to enhance sailing club facilities, purchase equipment, and develop innovative programmes. Entries remain open until 23 May, with winners announced at the Southampton International Boat Show in September. Sunsail ambassador Dee Caffari MBE and other industry figures are forming the judging panel.
Another highlight was the introduction of the Female Scorpion Academy, an RYA-backed coaching initiative aimed at female sailors aged 18-21. The programme provides technical performance coaching and training in preparation for the 2025 Scorpion National Championships. Applications are open until 21 March 2025, with selected sailors participating in an intensive coaching schedule leading up to the competition.
Throughout the weekend, visitors attended presentations from accomplished sailors, coaches, and adventurers. Notable speakers included Paris 2024 kite foiling gold medallist Ellie Aldridge MBE, America’s Cup and SailGP helm Dylan Fletcher MBE, and Women’s America’s Cup competitor Hannah Diamond. Other sessions covered tactics, rigging techniques, and fitness training, with insights from industry experts such as Mark Rushall, Michael McNamara, Peter Hart, James Hardy, and Mia Adcock.
Additional discussions included Steve Bowens and Simon Osborne sharing their experiences of attempting to wingfoil around Britain, while Dylan Fletcher and Nick Robins from Emirates GBR SailGP Team provided an overview of the upcoming Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth, scheduled for 19-20 July 2025.
Recognition was given to various winners, including Matt Thompson’s Albacore “Uffa Fox Sake,” which received the Concours d’Elegance trophy. Exeter University secured first place in the RYA Green Blue University Sailing Sustainability Challenge 2025. The Yachting Journalists’ Association named Ian Williams as Yachtsman of the Year and Jessye Opoku-Ware as Young Sailor of the Year. The Seldén SailJuice Winter Series winners were also presented with their awards.
Visitors had travelled from across the UK and internationally, with attendees coming from the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Qatar, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia and even as far afield as the Falkland Islands.
RYA‘s director of sport development Rob Clark says: “We’ve had another amazing weekend at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show and it’s been great to see fans and marine businesses alike so excited and enthused about the season ahead.
“We’re proud of the role the RYA plays in bringing the community together for this show, and the generosity of that community in sharing their knowledge and passion with others is so inspiring.”
Exhibitors and visitors provided positive feedback on the event. A representative from RS Sailing commented: “The thing we love about the show is meeting new friends, old friends, new customers, old customers. It’s people we see year in, year out.”
Rockley Watersports added: “We come to the show for many reasons – it’s branding, it’s fun, it’s networking, but we do take bookings and that’s a really important part of what we do here.”
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