New figures show increasing numbers of people choosing boating and watersports in 2009

The number of participants taking part in boating, watersports and water based leisure activities has increased from the previous year, according to a new report commissioned by the British Marine Federation (BMF) Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and sponsored by ybw.com. In 2009 up to   3.7 million UK adults participated in at least one of the 12 boating activities included in the survey*; this represents 7.2% of the UK adult population and demonstrates a recovery from the decrease reported in 2008.

This figure rises up to 13.2 million, 26.3% of the UK adult population, when including nine additional water related activities, such as swimming/coastal walking and angling.

The Watersports and Leisure Participation Survey, now in its eighth year, shows that over 1.4m people have participated in at least one boating activity at the coast and 1.7m have participated in at least one boating activity inland. These categories are not mutually exclusive; 420,000 people have participated both at the coast and inland.

In 2009 boating participation significantly increased in five of the 12 boating activities from the previous year:   

• Canoeing                               (+0.60 percentage points)
• Power boating                        (+0.58 percentage points)
• Rowing/Sculling                      (+0.33 percentage points)
• Small sail boat activities           (+0.26 percentage points)
• Windsurfing                            (+0.19 percentage points)

Of all the boating activities, motor boating/cruising and canal boating show an upwards trend in participation since 2002, with power boating, yacht cruising and yacht racing showing stable participation trends. Female participation rates in boating have continued to increase over the eight years whereas male participation shows a slight decline.

The survey also found that 2.73% of UK households own at least one boat or craft out of the 12 boating activities.  This means an estimated 1.1 million boats/craft are owned by UK households. On average, 7% of these are kept abroad. 

1. There has been an increase in casual participation, indicated by the decline in average number of times people participate, which is a reversal of the trend in 2008. There are many reasons for this such as ‘having a go while on holiday’, ‘another family member starting to participate’, ‘being invited by a family member/friend to use their boat/equipment’ and ‘having wanted to do it for a long time’.  

This highlights that there is more to be done to encourage regular participation. The BMF and RYA recognise their responsibility in this area, with the BMF launching its own campaign, ‘On the Water’, earlier this year at the Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show, to increase participation amongst the population. The campaign aims to raise the awareness of boating, break down the barriers to entry and, most importantly, encourage regular participation in boating. 

Similarly, the RYA has been running its ‘OnBoard’ campaign since 2004 which aims to give over half a million young people in Britain the opportunity to try sailing and windsurfing over 10 years.  This is now being extended with a focus on adult participation.

Rob Stevens, Chief Executive of the BMF said:

“It is encouraging to see an increase in participation levels in boating, watersports and water based leisure activities in 2009.  With the BMF’s On the Water campaign we are aiming to inspire more people to go boating regularly and, importantly, provide them with the information, resources, advice and ideas on how to do this. The decrease in regular participation demonstrates the necessity of such campaigns, to ensure information is available on how to participate easily and affordably.”

“It is particularly welcome that a large amount of people are choosing to participate in the UK rather than abroad. The UK offers a diverse range of boating and water sports opportunities that are accessible to everyone.”

Paul Bayliss, RYA Marketing Operations Manager said:

“This survey builds on the work of the past seven years and gives an invaluable insight into the trends in the marine industry.  All of the organisations involved in this programme have an interest in seeing more people getting out on the water more regularly and more safely, and this work is invaluable to assist us when planning our work in this area.”

ENDS

For more information please contact Rebecca Jackson or Becky Hester on 01784 223627 or email rjackson@britishmarine.co.uk or rhester@britishmarine.co.uk.

Notes to editors:

* The 12 boating activities included in the survey are: canoeing, water skiing, small sail boat activities, rowing, windsurfing, using personal watercraft, motor boating/cruising, yacht cruising, power boating, small sail boat racing, canal boating and yacht racing.

1. The British Marine Federation has nearly 1,500 members representing an industry employing more than 34,000 people in the UK. Members are drawn from both the seagoing and inland sectors of the marine industry covering the leisure boat, hire fleet, commercial workboat and superyacht categories and supporting services. For more information about the work of the BMF and how to join, please visit the website at http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/

2. You can find out more about our On the Water campaign by visiting http://www.onthewater.co.uk/

3. Arkenford Ltd was commissioned to undertake the research on Watersports and Leisure Participation by the BMF, MCA, RNLI and RYA, sponsored by YBW.com. The survey sample is 12,000 nationally representative UK adults.

To read the survey in full visit: www.britishmarine.co.uk/research

About the RYA

• The RYA is the national body for all forms of recreational, competitive and professional boating.  It represents dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, RIBs and sportsboats, powerboat racing, windsurfing, inland cruising and personal watercraft.
• The RYA is recognised by all government offices as being the negotiating body for the activities it represents. It continually fights for the rights and freedoms of its 102,000 personal members, the majority of whom choose to go afloat for purely recreational non-competitive pleasure on coastal and inland waters. There are an estimated further 500,000 boat owners nationally who are members of RYA affiliated clubs and class associations.
• The RYA also sets and maintains a recognised standard for recreational boat training through a network of 2,340 RYA Recognised Training Centres in over 43 countries. On average 155,000 people per year complete RYA training courses.
• The RYA is committed to promoting all forms of boating and making them accessible to everyone.  For more information please refer to our web site www.rya.org.uk
• RYA Sailability is the leading UK charity for disabled sailing and is the official charity of the RYA. Registered Charity Number: 1084351

You can find the RYA at RYA House, Ensign Way, Hamble, Southampton, SO31 4YA