Adventure, inspiration and expertise: 2025 RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show speakers confirmed
The excitement is building for the 2025 RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show (22-23 February) where an incredible line-up of guest speakers has now been confirmed.
The show welcomes some of the biggest and best-loved names in the small boat sailing and watersports worlds, with the three stages at Farnborough International filled with adventure, inspiration and expert advice to help you progress, whatever your passion and whatever your level.
Across the Sunsail Main Stage, the Knowledge Zone and the Coaching Corner, you’ll find all the advice, motivation and know-how you need to kick-start your season – and returning show hosts Eilidh McIntyre MBE, Lee Timothy, James Hardy and Peter Hart will help guide you through the packed programme.
The full schedule of talks can be found on the show website, but here we provide a snapshot of what to look out for over the show weekend.
Sunsail Main Stage
Women's America's Cup racer Hannah Diamond (Ricardo Pinto/America's Cup)
The ‘High-fliers and history-makers’ talk (11.30am both days) will welcome Olympic kite foiling gold medallist Ellie Aldridge MBE, America’s Cup and SailGP helm Dylan Fletcher MBE (Saturday only) and Women’s America’s Cup star Hannah Diamond as they reflect on their respective history-making feats in Marseille and Barcelona last summer.
Fletcher and Emirates GBR SailGP Team Data Analyst Nick Robins (Sunday only) will also look ahead to an adrenaline-packed SailGP showdown on home waters this summer at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix Portsmouth (3.30pm both days).
Roger Barnes will be joined by Sarah Jarman to share cruising tales and help get you started in your own cruising adventure in ‘Escaping the everyday’ (12.15pm both days), while you can hear all the trials and tribulations from wing foiling adventurer Steve Bowens’ quest to wing foil around the UK in ‘Foil around Britain’ (3.45pm Saturday, 10.30am Sunday).
Steve Bowen on his quest to wingfoil around Britain
Jenna Gibson, women's windsurfing speed world record holder and four-time Slalom World Windsurfing Champion, shares her extraordinary journey to the top in ‘The fastest woman in the world’ (2.15pm both days).
Dinghy historian Dougal Henshall will present an evolutionary journey of the most diverse and exciting dinghy scene in the world (‘The dinghy design family tree’, 1.30pm both days), while para sailors Toby Owen and Anthony Williams and coach Becky Ellis will explore the varied on-water world for sailors with disabilities (‘MoreThanSailing: Our year on the water and where it’s taken us’, 3pm both days).
Knowledge Zone
You’ll find a whole host of practical workshops, talks and demos across the weekend in the Knowledge Zone to help enhance your knowledge and sharpen your skills.
Leading coach, tactician and RYA author Mark Rushall’s ‘Countdown to success’ session (11am both days) will help set you up with some winning startline strategies and key tips for those all-important early race decisions, while British Sailing Team meteorologist Simon Rowell‘s ‘Wind forecasting’ talk (4.15pm Saturday, 4.00pm Sunday) will help you dig into the forecast and work out how to harness the breeze to your tactical advantage.
Mia Adcock and James Hardy share their winging tips (RYA/Paul Wyeth)
For the boardsports fanatics, Peter Hart shares the secrets behind nailing the elusive windsurfing gybe, whatever level you are (‘Windsurfing gybing masterclass’, 11.45am both days, and James Hardy and Mia Adcock will explore common themes to progress every aspect of your wing foiling (‘Winging it’, 12.30pm both days).
Adam Parry and Sheffield Hallam University will also be exploring the maths behind the Portsmouth Yardstick scheme handicap data to help you get the most out of your mixed fleet racing (‘Levelling the playing field’, 3.30pm Saturday only), and in ‘Data is King’ (2.45pm both days), Tom Morris (pictured above, credit Neil Shawcross) with special guests Dylan Fletcher (Saturday) and Nick Robins (Sunday) explore how to get the best out of your time on the water using easily accessible data.
Ever-conscious of protecting our water-based playground, Kate Fortnam, The Green Blue Campaigns Manager, will lead a discussion with World Sailing and guests around the industry’s work to find solutions to the disposal of end-of-life equipment and kit, as well as ways watersports users can play their part in reusing, upcycling and recycling their gear (‘Reuse, upcycle, recycle – solutions for your end-of-life equipment’, 10.30am Saturday, 3.30pm Sunday).
Coaching Corner
Shake off the winter cobwebs with Holly Bassett’s interactive ‘Get fit for the season ahead’ session (11am both days) where she’ll share the warm-up, injury prevention tips and fitness advice to keep you sharp for the coming season.
Holly Bassett rides the waves
Holly will also be offering her ‘Essential tips for paddleboarders’ (12.30pm both days) outlining essential kit and techniques for paddling in all conditions and locations, and if you’re into winging and want to optimise your equipment set-up then James Hardy and Mia Adcock’s ‘Winging kit’ will talk all things wings, foils and boards to help you get up and flying.
Eilidh McIntyre and Hannah Diamond will be joined by special guests in our ‘Female futures’ discussion (1.15pm both days), sharing top tips for helping women and girls to get active and stay on the water as the RYA and the wider sailing and watersports world strive to create more inclusive and accessible opportunities.
We’ll also hear from the National Scorpion Association on how their support for young sailors has helped them become better on a budget through coaching and upcycling (‘The Scorpion Project – old boats to winning ways’, 11.45am both days), and for windsurfing fans, legend Peter Hart will help you avoid the five most common mistakes in wave sailing (‘Windsurfing – from improver to wave superstar’, 3.30pm both days).
Scorpion Nationals 2024 (Lee Whitehead photolounge.co.uk)
Join us at the show
With over 170 exhibitors, brand new kit, hands-on displays, and stages crammed with experts and inspiration, the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show has something for everyone.
There’s also lots to keep even the youngest visitors entertained, including sailing and winging simulators and a windsurfing VR experience. Our ever-popular treasure hunt will have the little ones on the lookout for their favourite marine wildlife as you browse the exhibitor stands, with some superb prizes up for grabs.
Best of all, kids aged 15 and under go free all weekend when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Get your tickets today! RYA Members can access a complimentary ticket worth £21 for one or both days of the event.