Disabled sailing in London

New era dawns for facilities in the capital

A new era in sailing for people with disabilities has opened in London following the success of the first open day water session held by Sailability for London, which was staged in July to promote the sport and its’ facilities in the city.

Groups of people with varying disabilities, many of whom had never been in a boat before, took to the water in a fleet of Access dinghies and many were immediately captivated.

One of many Community leaders Kalle Hogh of Greenwich Social Services commented: “We took a group along to see how they took to sailing and had a great day with plenty of new experiences. As a result, we have some who wish to take it up”.

Held in conjunction with the Surrey Docks Watersports Centre and Tideway Sailability, the event was attended by many guests including representatives from Borough Councils, NHS Trusts, Disability Organisations and London based RYA affiliated clubs.

RYA Sailabilty CEO Clive Clifford was delighted the event achieved its’ main objective of making many different sectors of the London public and government aware of this opportunity.

“We facilitated taster sailing sessions for many of the visitors and they proved very successful not just for people with disabilities who want to take up sailing but also for their representatives who are keen to develop disabled sailing in their London boroughs,” he said.

“For most of those organisations visiting the event, this was their first experience of sailing. Judging by the feedback, plus the sense of achievement on their faces, many of them will be taking to the water on a regular basis.”

At present London has only 15 Sailability Foundation Sites, most of them commercially operated and RYAS is now calling on all RYA Clubs to get involved and open up opportunities for disabled people to sail. For more information, contact Kevin Reitze on 0845 345 0403 or at kevin.reitze@ryasailability.org.