The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is a

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

national governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...

for

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

, dinghy sailing, yacht and motor cruising, sail racing, RIBs and

sportsboat The term sportsboat first appeared in the late 1980s and early 1990s to describe trailer sailers that were optimised for high performance at the expense of accommodation and ballast. The very definition of the term "sportsboat" is evolving. There ...

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

and

personal watercraft A personal watercraft (PWC), also called water scooter or jet ski, is a recreational watercraft that a rider sits or stands on, not within, as in a boat. PWCs have two style categories, first and most popular being a runabout or "sit down" whe ...

and a leading representative for inland waterways cruising.

History

The ''Yacht Racing Association'' was founded in November 1875. Its initial purpose was to standardize the rules of measurement to different racing yachts so that boats of different classes could compete fairly against each other. Membership at the time cost two guineas and was available to "former and present owners of racing yachts of and above 10 tons Thames measurement and such other gentlemen as the committee may elect". In 1921 the YRA incorporated the independent Sailing Boat Association and the Boat Racing Association into its body. In 1952 the YRA became the Royal Yachting Association (RYA). The RYA remains constituted as a membership association, with a Council of elected volunteers as its supreme policy-making body. It publishes over 110 maritime titles that are regarded internationally and is translated into more than 20 foreign languages. RYA Magazine is the organisation's membership magazine.

Committees

While the RYA Council is the RYA's senior policy-making body in boating matters, responsibility for the Association's different activities and areas of interest is delegated to a number of policy committees. The main function of the policy committees and sub-committees is to agree and oversee the implementation of RYA policy in their respective areas. Responsibility for day-to-day management of each area rests with the RYA's professional staff, with the relevant departmental manager acting as secretary to his or her committee.

Powerboat Racing

The RYA announced in August 2018 that they would no longer act as the national authority for powerboat racing in the United Kingdom. ‘Financial, safety, and reputational challenge’s were the reasons given for the decision alongside the fact that the Powerboat Racing office had only issued 92 adult and 18 junior licences in 2018.

References

{{Authority control

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Sports governing bodies in the United Kingdom 1875 establishments in the United Kingdom Yachting associations Organisations based in the United Kingdom with royal patronage Sailing associations Sports organizations established in 1875

History

Committees

Powerboat Racing

See also

References