FUTURE FOCUS

The RYA Dinghy Show supported by Yachts & Yachting and Suzuki is unique. No other event can claim to draw a similar number of small boat enthusiasts, who come together at the start of each season at Alexandra Palace in north London. Many thousands of dinghy sailors attend each year and even those for whom the London location makes annual attendance difficult will likely have been on a few occasions.

There is always a buzz about the show borne of a wide variety of factors, not least the social atmosphere created by halls full of like-minded folks meeting to talk about their passion. These things are hard to judge conclusively of course – attendance at the show remains largely the same year-on-year – but 2019’s dinghy show felt strong with attendees seemingly full of enthusiasm.

CHANGES AFOOT

There has been much discussion in recent years about the future of our sport in a number of areas but a key focus has been participation and the way in which sailors’ needs are changing.

Industry body British Marine has commissioned surveys and broad-scope research in order to better understand the future direction of the sport.

Much of this