The Rainbow Dinghy Sailing Association (RDSA) is dedicated to preserving and growing one of Australia’s most accessible and affordable sailing dinghy classes — the Rainbow Dinghy. Entirely volunteer run, RDSA exists to make sailing more inclusive by supporting affordable boatbuilding, skills development, grassroots racing, youth participation, and community engagement.

Over recent years, the class has seen a strong revival through partnerships with clubs, schools, and community organisations including Making Waves Foundation. Together, we have helped introduce young people, families, and first-time sailors to the sport through hands-on boatbuilding programs, learn-to-sail opportunities, and regattas that focus on participation, teamwork, and confidence building.

We are raising funds to help grow the Rainbow Dinghy fleet across Australia and support the next stage of development for the class. This includes building new boats at existing and new locations, purchasing materials and equipment, supporting youth sailing opportunities, improving safety upgrades, running community events and regattas, and helping clubs establish local Rainbow fleets.

The Rainbow Dinghy is unique because it provides an affordable pathway into both novice level and elite sailing while also teaching practical skills such as woodworking, problem solving, teamwork, and resilience. Many of our projects involve young people building and sailing their own boats, creating a strong sense of ownership and achievement and through those successes continuing engagement with sailing.

Our goal is to continue expanding opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience sailing in a supportive and welcoming environment. With support through the Australian Sports Foundation, we can continue preserving the heritage of the Rainbow while evolving the class for future generations.