Save The Dates! | Ballyholme Yacht Club

Save the dates for our summer youth courses! Booking for them will go live soon alongside the launch of the new website, but in the meantime, have a look at the dates so that you can work them into your summer plans!

Ballyholme Yacht Club

3 days ago

BYC REDEVELOPMENT ⚒️: We were delighted to welcome Connie Egan MLA and Andrew Muir MLA to BYC last Friday, 30 January, for a briefing on the proposed redevelopment plans for the Club. It was a very positive meeting, with both MLAs expressing their support for the proposals.

Also attending were members of the Redevelopment Team, David McMullan (pictured far left) and Paddy Brow (pictured far right), along with Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Corporate Project Manager Gayle Wilson, Commodore Colin Robinson, Immediate Past Commodore Rob Milligan, Honorary Secretary Davy Simms, and Club Captain Kelly Keenan.

Together the group outlined the important role BYC plays in promoting watersports ⛵️ across the borough, supporting participation at all levels, and helping to position Bangor as a leading venue for sailing and other competitive watersports.

Thank you to all who have contributed their time and feedback to the project! ... See MoreSee Less

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Ballyholme Yacht Club

1 week ago

WE’RE HIRING FOR THE SUMMER SEASON!
Instructor Applications Now Open

Love being on the water and sharing your skills? We’re on the lookout for enthusiastic instructors to join the BYC team this summer!

If you’re interested in applying to be an Instructor at BYC, check out the link below for full application details 👇
www.cognitoforms.com/BallyholmeYachtClub/_2026BYCInstructorCoachApplicationForm

We're looking for:
Sailing instructors
Powerboat instructors
Windsurfing and wing instructors
Paddleboard instructors
Race Coaches

The application process is open to all instructor levels, so whether you’re newly qualified or highly experienced, we’d love to hear from you.

🗓 Closing date for applications: 12:00hrs Thursday 19th February 2026

RYA Northern Ireland Ards and North Down Borough Council Sport NI Northern Ireland Sports Forum ... See MoreSee Less

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Ballyholme Yacht Club

1 week ago

Good luck to the NIST sailors heading to Scotland for this weekend’s Celtic Cup! Wishing the whole NI team safe travels, fair winds and fast sailing at Port Edgar 🍀

Sailors taking part include:
Toppers - Adam Green Ben McCaldin Caroline Byrne Charlie Haslett Emma West-Hurst Leo West-Hurst

ILCA 6 - Cormac Byrne Joseph Robinson Emily Macafee Freddie Doig George Doig Isabel Nixon

RYA Northern Ireland Sport NI ... See MoreSee Less

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Ballyholme Yacht Club

1 week ago

Congratulations to our very own Barbara Polly, Nominee for the 2025 Sports Awards, Volunteer of the Year 🙌

Barbara has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and unwavering dedication as Rear Commodore of Sailing, playing a central role in a wider team of volunteers who keep Ballyholme Yacht Club thriving. She has overseen all club racing with precision and care, while also providing vital support across multiple operational areas, including the battery, volunteer coordination and logistics for major events.

A constant presence and a true team player, Barbara has never missed a meeting and consistently puts the needs of volunteers, staff and members first embodying the spirit of collaboration that makes BYC run so successfully. In 2025, she personally organised and delivered the Prize Giving ceremony and helped lead a wide range of social events, working alongside fellow volunteers to create a vibrant, inclusive and engaged club community.

Barbara has been indispensable at high profile sailing events, expertly supporting volunteer teams, shore operations, assisting in first aid and catering logistics. She has also been a powerful advocate for encouraging volunteers and female members to grow in confidence and step into leadership roles, strengthening the club for the future.

Her involvement in the club spans many years and extends far beyond her formal responsibilities. She has long supported cadet initiatives, building on her family’s deep connection to the sport. Barbara’s consistency, adaptability and willingness to step in wherever needed perfectly reflect the volunteers who form the heart of Ballyholme Yacht Club.

Congratulations and thank you to Barbara and to all our volunteers whose dedication and teamwork make BYC what it is today.

RYA Northern Ireland Ards and North Down Borough Council Sport NI
#CelebratingSuccess #volunteering #ANDBC #sportsawards2025 ... See MoreSee Less

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Congratulations Barbara!

Thank you for the nomination, I can’t stress enough how it’s all team work,thank you to all those who helped and supported BYC so it remains an amazing family club.

Well done Barbara, you are a great advocate in your career and as a volunteer in the community

Congratulations Barbara. Obviously there are no photos of you and Stephen. Good to feature!

Congratulations 👏🏻

Well deserved

Bravo! 👍

Congratulations Barbara Polly hugely deserved, xx

Well deserved lovely lady 💖🌸

Many congratulations Barbara -well done Caroline x

Barbara you absolutely deserve this for everything you have done for the club and always with a smile. congratulations 🙌

Congratulations Barbara ✨

👏👏👏👏👏 so well deserved! ❤️

Well done Barbara Polly 👏 Congratulations! x

👏👏👏🥳🥳🥳 very well deserved!!

Hugely deserved! 🤞🙌🌟

Well deserved, congratulations 👏👏👏

Well done Barbara recognition of all the hard work by you and your team

Brilliant- a very well deserved nomination!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉

Well done Barbara , well deserved 😃

Well done

Awesome work So well deserved x

Couldn't happen to a better person well done B x

Being a volunteer is one thing, but leading & motivating a team of volunteers for the long term is something else. 👌

What a great lady! Very well deserved 👏👏👏

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Ballyholme Yacht Club

1 week ago

Huge congratulations to Emily and Annabelle Ridout, Nominee for 2025 U18 Junior Team of the Year!

Emily and Annabel have had a fantastic 2025 season, establishing themselves as one of Ireland’s leading U18 sailing teams in the Feva class. The Ridout sisters have combined exceptional skill, commitment and consistency to achieve outstanding results across local, national and international competition.

Highlights include winning the Feva Eastern Championships at Royal St George YC, securing 1st overall at the RYANI Youth Championships and finishing 2nd Female / 10th Overall at the Feva World Championships in Aix-les-Bains, France. They went on to be crowned Irish National Champions at Greystones and claimed the Feva Northern Championship title at Cushendall SC. Their season concluded with a spectacular performance at the Feva European Championships in Riva del Garda, Italy, where they were crowned Female European Champions. Through exceptional performance, teamwork, and sportsmanship, Emily and Annabel have set a benchmark for excellence within the fleet. Their impact on peers and their national and international successes make them a standout U18 Team of the Year. Emily and Annabel Ridout have stepped up from the Feva class into their chosen youth class, the 29er and are set to make 2026 a breakthrough year.

They will aim for an ambitious programme, including the ISA Youth Championships (BYC), the Irish 29er Circuit, the RS200 Irish Circuit, the RS200 GB Nationals in Torbay and the RS200 European Championships in Germany. With their drive, skill and determination, the sisters are poised to push boundaries, challenge top competitors and continue their rise as two of Ireland’s most exciting young sailing talents. Well done girls on behalf of Ballyholme Yacht Club! 🙌

Ards and North Down Borough Council RYA Northern Ireland @fevaireland Sport NI
#celebratingsuccess #ANDBC #sportsawards2025 ... See MoreSee Less

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Well done girls!

Well done girls, amazing season 👏👏💪

Great nomination 👍 Good luck Girls

Been watching them from rescue boats and committee boats for the last 2 years. Awesome sailors and very nice and polite young ladies on top