History

The RYA was founded in November 1875 as the Yacht Racing Association (YRA). Its primary purpose was to standardise the rules governing the measurement of racing yachts, so that boats of different classes could compete against each other.

Membership cost two guineas ( 2.10) and was open to former and present owners of racing yachts of and above 10 tons Thames measurement and such other gentlemen as the Committee may elect .

Although the first efforts to open membership to owners of dinghies and other small craft were made in 1888, it was not until 1921 that the YRA finally absorbed the previously independent Sailing Boat Association and its fellow Boat Racing Association.  

The General Purposes Committee (now Legal and Government Affairs) was set up in 1947 to represent all branches of the sport.   For the first time, this gave cruising both power and sail a voice within the YRA.

The YRA formally became the Royal Yachting Association in 1953 the same year in which the Association first permitted the listing of Sunday regattas despite such activities still being punishable under the then Lords Day Observance Act by the pillory and a fine of three shillings and fourpence (approx 17 pence).

The Association first set up a committee to oversee its training activities in 1967.   By 1968, seventy-two schools had applied for RYA recognition.   The armed forces adopted the RYA training scheme one year later while the Yachtmaster Qualifications Panel was set up in 1971.

The interests of cruising members were separately recognised in 1969 with the appointment of a Cruising Secretary and Cruising sub-committee of the General Purposes Committee.

The RYA s first involvement in the organisation of Olympic sailing was with the 1908 London Games, when racing took place off the Isle of Wight in yachts. Its role as the national organisation for powerboat racing dates from 1961, following the closing down of the then Marine Motoring Association.

More recently, the RYA   has become the national body for windsurfing a role developed during the early 1980s while personal watercraft have been recognised since 1997. From a total of 117 at the end of its first full year s operation in 1876, the RYA s personal membership has grown to over 100,000 a figure reached in July 2004.

The RYA moved into its current home, the purpose built RYA House in Ensign Way Hamble in March 2003.

What is the RYA

The RYA is a UK membership organisation for recreational boat owners and crew with over 103,000 personal members. There are an estimated further 500,000 boat owners nationally who are members of RYA affiliated clubs and class associations. We fight unnecessary bureaucracy and threats to boating on behalf of these members and affiliates in the UK and abroad.

The RYA is the UK s national association for all forms of recreational and competitive boating, representing sailing, motorcruising, sportsboats, windsurfing, inland boating, powerboat racing and personal watercraft. It coordinates competition and/or development for all of the above at local, national and international level and is recognised by government as the negotiating body for these groups.


The RYA s training schemes for powered and sailing craft provide the de-facto qualifications for skippers, instructors and water sports professionals worldwide. On average 185,000 people per year complete RYA training courses at our 2220 affiliated Training Centres in 20 countries.


The RYA is Europe s largest marine publisher selling over half a million of its own books per year, providing expert information on a full range of boating related subjects.


RYA Team GBR, the British sailing team, with Skandia Team GBR at its forefront, have positioned Britain as the most successful sailing nation in Olympic history and sailing as Britain s current top-performing Olympic sport.


Our youth and junior participation and performance pathways are the envy of sports governing bodies the world over and provide the raw materials for our nation's successes in international competition.


The RYA s Technical Department provides a range of advice and services to boat owners, builders and skippers, on matters as diverse as MCA coding, RCD compliance and issuing sail numbers and measurement certificates. The RYA is an EU Notified Body for the Recreational Craft Directive.