RYA Northern Ireland host Women on Water Festival 2025 at Ballyholme Yacht Club
by RYA Northern Ireland 5 Jun 09:12 PDT
31 May 2025
RYA Northern Ireland host Women on Water Festival at Ballyholme YC © Leela Anderson
This past weekend, RYA Northern Ireland hosted its Women on Water Festival at Ballyholme Yacht Club, giving attendees with little or no experience in sailing the opportunity to explore a variety of water-based activities under the guidance of local experts.
The Festival is part of RYA Northern Ireland's Women On Water programme - an initiative established over 10 years ago to help introduce more women and girls into sailing and boating. Research shows that when confidence-building activities are provided, women and girls are more likely to enter and stay in the sport.
Following the event, one of the participants, Ruth Farr, said, "It's been a brilliant day. It was great to get out on the water to try different things - I felt more confident in a group. You can take it at your own pace, which is amazing, but I've also found the experience very sociable and when you're doing an activity, you bond with people quickly. I'm coming up to retirement age and definitely feel like this would be something I would love to do more of."
Throughout the day, those involved had the opportunity to try yachting, dinghy sailing, powerboating, stand-up-paddleboarding and windsurfing, highlighting the fact that there is often a water-based activity to suit everyone.
Another participant, Elena Samuel, said, "There's been a good mix of different activities, and everyone has been really friendly because most people have come on their own. I actually met somebody who lives five minutes from my house that I had never talked to before."
In 2023, RYA Northern Ireland launched a five-year strategy, Navigating the Future, to improve diversity across the sport. This year, Belfast-based chartered accountancy, RBCA, became the first-ever sponsor of the Women on Water programme, signalling positive momentum. The partnership will provide support for an initial three years, with investment helping to build awareness of events such as the Festival and enhance WOW-related programming at local sailing clubs across the region.
Founder and director of RBCA, Ross Boyd, concluded, "We are confident that with our support and influence, RYA Northern Ireland will see more women and girls taking to the water at clubs right across the region.
"This partnership aligns perfectly to our broader vision. Since we opened our doors in 2010, we have made it our mission to set a leading example in gender diversity and have achieved and maintained a 50:50 male to female split for the past decade. This commitment is also reflected at senior level with 50 per cent of our senior roles held by women, compared to an average of 20 per cent industry wide."
For more information on RYA Northern Ireland and ways to get involved, visit www.rya.org.uk/gbni/ryani