Meet the Team
Meet some of the people behind the RYANI and find out what we do
Greg Yarnall
Greg joined the RYA Northern Ireland from Table Tennis England where he was Director of Development. Greg has worked in the not-for-profit sector for his whole career and played and coached table tennis alongside this- representing England Schools as a 17-year-old and coaching several England junior and senior international players. He is also a Board Director at Disability Sport NI. Greg does not come from a sailing background but has enjoyed experiencing racing the Sonata, River and Glen Class since starting in the role. Email: Greg.yarnall@rya.org.uk
Roger Craig
Roger joined the RYA NI team in March 2025 having most recently worked as performance director with Abu Dhabi Sailing. Roger has a wealth of experience from across the racing sector both as a coach and athlete most notably in the ILCA class. With further experience in dietetic, strength and conditioning fields, Roger brings a great deal to Northern Ireland sailing. Email: roger.craig@rya.org.uk
Oran Young
Oran is the most recent addition to the RYANI team, joining us in April 2025 as the first Sailability Officer in Northern Ireland. Oran graduated from Ulster University in the Summer of 2024 whilst building experience working for Lisburn City Council and GLL in their sport development departments. He also has experience in event management working with Athletics NI Events Team before joining RYANI. Oran has previous sailing experience at youth level, being a part of the juniors at Portaferry Sailing Club. He is keen to spend much more time on the water in his new role. Email: oran.young@rya.org.uk
Lisa McCaffrey
As Active Clubs Coordinator, Lisa supports affiliated clubs on club development including participation programmes, club development plans, membership, funding opportunities, workshops and more. She has a strong sporting background and has 63 international caps playing netball for Northern Ireland. This includes 2 World Cups and 2 Commonwealth games (Glasgow & Gold Coast). Email: lisa.mccaffrey@rya.org.uk
Mary Martin
Mary started with the RYA in 2009 coming from a background of youth performance sailing and coaching and instructing around the province. Now she has returned to racing in the Sonata fleet. Contact her if you want to know about RYA instructor courses or training schemes and race coaching. She also works with clubs to develop volunteering programmes. Email: mary.martin@rya.org.uk
Andrew Baker
Andrew (better known as Hammy) grew up on the waters of Strangford Lough and was a member of the RYANI Topper and ILCA Squad. His big break in sailing came when he got accepted into the Artemis Offshore Academy to be part of the 2015 squad. He then raced two seasons in the professional Figaro Offshore Circuit. Since then, he has worked as a professional sailor but has returned based in Northern Ireland as Performance Manger for the RYANI where he looks to support and develop the next generation of NI Sailors. Email: Andrew.baker@org.uk
Jessica Penney
Jess comes from a background of youth performance sailing, coaching and sport development. More recently she has enjoyed competitive racing in the RS400 fleet and windsurfing. She joined the RYA NI team in early 2025 and works alongside Development Manager Lisa to support affiliated clubs focusing on the OnBoard initiative and WOW development programme. Email: jessica.penney@rya.org.uk