The Northern Ireland Sailing Team was formally launched in September 2024 as a pivotal initiative within RYA Northern Ireland’s strategic “Navigating the Future” performance pathway.
RYANI identified a need for a structured, high-performance framework to support Northern Irish sailors, while also promoting inclusion and community engagement. This has been achieved through structured training programmes and a dedicated communications hub.
Ultimately their mission is “to develop and support NI sailors aspiring to compete at the highest level”, and it is fair to say they’ve had an incredibly successful first year.
A first year of momentum and milestones
NIST athletes hit the water with immediate impact. Their standout achievement came early: a clean sweep at the Celtic Cup in February, where both the Topper and ILCA squads secured class wins and clinched the overall team trophy – an impressive statement of intent.
From there, NIST athletes have continued into a successful summer where four NIST athletes won awards at the Ards and North Down Sports Awards.
Leo Westhurst won U15 Sports Person of the Year, for his sterling performances including a 2nd place at the Topper 4.2 Irish Nationals and 4th at the World Championships. Emily and Annabel Ridout won Young Team of the Year, following championship wins at the RS Feva Irish Nationals and the RYA NI Youth Championships, and have since added a Silver Medal at the FEVA World Championships.
NIST’s first year also saw outstanding individual performances, with Erin McIlwaine and Ellen Barbour capturing a bronze medal at the 49erFX Junior World Championships and gaining valuable international experience at major regattas such as the Vilamoura Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Adam Green showcased the strength of NIST’s youth pathway by dominating the Topper Southern Championships, winning four of six races to secure overall victory. Together, their results underline the depth of talent within the team and its ability to deliver success across both youth and senior levels.
“The successes for me would be the website, the brand, the work to build the culture, the coaches and sailors are buying back into [NIST] – there’s a lot more traction now in the program itself. For the teams success in terms of results, most of the credit must go to the sailors and the efforts they put in.”
NIST Performance Partnership Program
When it comes to sailing, funding can be a stumbling block – particularly for individuals looking to enter the sport for the first time. For NIST, their Partnership Program seems to be the solution.
The Performance Partnership gives sailing enthusiasts in Northern Ireland the opportunity to work alongside up-and-coming sailors to help them achieve their goals and represent Northern Ireland on an international and Olympic level.
“We don’t want to have sponsors where it’s like “that sounds great, here’s the money, off you go” – we really want to build that partnership, where people are on the journey with us.”
If you are interested in getting out on the water or getting involved in the NIST Performance Partnership Program, you can learn more at: https://nisailingteam.co.uk/partner-with-us/
A new home at Ards Business Hub
Due to the growing needs of the business the RYANI team has expanded rapidly over the last few years, and to accommodate this they were looking for larger office space. In 2018, RYANI moved to Sketrick House and have since become a standout tenant that we are proud to have in Ards Business Hub.
“As the team grew, and as our aspirations grew, so did our need for bigger premises, and Ards Business Hub has been a great place to go.”
We are able to support RYANI and the NIST with it’s continued development through our professional meeting spaces within Sketrick House. As a tenant, we are able to offer RYANI a discount on these spaces.
Our various meeting spaces allow the RYANI team to host conferences and team meetings in a comfortable space beyond their office, encouraging productive planning sessions and meetings.
“The office itself is great, but all the meeting rooms and facilitating the team meetings has been great too.”
Looking forward to 2026
After a landmark first year, NIST enters 2026 with clear ambitions: to build on the momentum of its competitive successes while further refining the structures that support athlete development. Following podium finishes across ILCA, Topper, RS Feva, and 29er classes, the challenge for the year ahead is to turn breakthrough results into consistent performance on the national and international stage.
