Championing women’s performance sailing

Anna Burnet on course for Paris 2024

RYA Scotland’s performance pathway and ongoing support has seen a number of Scottish sailors join Team GB over the years.

This year, we have been closely following the progress of Anna Burnet as she sails the mixed multi-hull towards the Paris 2024 Olympics.

At the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Anna and sailing partner John Gimson took silver –the first medal Team GB have won in the Mixed Foiling Nacra 17 discipline since its debut at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

The pair have won the Princess Sofia Trophy and Semaine Olympique Française regattas so far in 2023 and have been selected for the Olympic test event in Marseille, host city of the sailing competition at next summer’s Olympics, in July.

Female match racing Five By Five

This reporting year saw newly formed all-female match racing team Five By Five rise to success.

Brought together by ambitious Scottish sailor Ali Morrish and including fellow Scots Emily Robertson and Rebecca Coles, the team formed to participate in the first official Women’s World Match Racing Tour. It made its debut at the inaugural event in the series, held in Copenhagen in September 2022, finishing in fifth place.

Then, in October, an overall fifth place – and first female helm and team – at the RYA National Match Racing Grand Finals set Five By Five on course for the World Championships in New Zealand in November 2022. Here, the team finished as top British boat in a world-class fleet. We are proud to have supported Five By Five on their journey to success.