Multiclass Regatta 2011

The newsletter of RYA Sailability
Autumn 2011
FOGHORN
Multiclass Regatta 2011
A great success
Sixty-five boats and 150 disabled
and able-bodied sailors from as
far afield as Holland, France and
Canada as well as the UK battled
it out in eight classes - 2.4mR,
Challenger (Gold and Silver),
Access (2.3, 203, 303 and
Liberty), Artemis, Stratos,
Kinsman, Neo 495 and Skud - at
Rutland Water on 13 and 14
August 2011 in the annual RYA
Sailability Multiclass Regatta.
The racing began on Saturday
with each class competing in four
class races. While the wind
decided in which direction it
wanted to blow, the racing was
held up. Once it made its mind up
the clouds parted and the sun
shone, creating perfect sailing
conditions.
Sunshine and wind continued
throughout Sunday which was all
about the prestigious Ken Ellis
Trophy and saw 150 sailors
competing in the two-race Trophy
general handicap series, creating
quite a spectacle out on the water.
Competing for the first time in the
regatta was the Neo 495 class
which had two new entries.
Alain Inzerlac, the designer of the boat, came all the way
from the South of France to compete: “It is great to be here
this weekend. This boat was built in 2005 and is designed
especially for disabled people to race,” he explained.
“I have really enjoyed sailing here at Rutland Water and it
has been a fantastic opportunity to introduce people to my
boat”.
Continued on page 2
Making disability plain sailing
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2
FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Multiclass regatta 2011 continued
Twenty-two year old Amy Oulton from
Ringwood Sailability, who suffers with a rare
disability, was competing in an Access 303 at
the regatta: “I am so excited to be competing
this weekend, even though my chances of
winning are not very high. This event is amazing
as it provides competitors with the chance to
sail alongside sailors of all levels of ability and
experience. Some people have been sailing for
years and years whereas I am very new!” said
Amy.
Matt Grier, RYA Racing Development Coach
said: “Another successful year. The weather has
been perfect, with less wind and we have seen
some great tactical racing.
“It‟s fantastic to see the development of the
people coming back each year as well as the
development of the Paralympic and disabled
sailing.”
„Try a sail‟
The event was also extra special this year as it
invited disabled sailors to come along and have
a go on a variety of different boats under the
watchful eye of a qualified instructor in the „try a
sail‟ area which was running throughout the
weekend.
The Model Yachting Association (MYA) also
attended the event and invited sailors to come
and try something a bit different- sailing without
getting wet!
A great social event
“The social side is fantastic too and I have even
met another lady with the same disability as me.
It‟s a very special event.”
Ken Ellis Trophy
The Netherlands‟ Wilma van der Broek, sailing
in the Access Liberty fleet, was revealed as the
overall multiclass champion and the winner of
the Ken Ellis Trophy at the official prize giving.
“I am very surprised and couldn‟t believe it
when I heard I was the first person of the day,”
said a delighted Wilma. “It was well worth the
long journey.”
Alex Hovden was announced as the winner of
the first ever UK Open Skud 18 National
Championships.
See the full winners’ table on page 3
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“Once again we have had a spectacular turnout
at this year‟s event, making it our biggest regatta
yet” said Debbie Blachford, RYA Sailability
Manager.
“Not only is the Multiclass a great showcase of
the talent we have within the disabled
community, but it is also a great social event with
many spectators coming along to support the
sailors and meet other disabled people who
share a common interest in the sport”.
A special thank you also goes to the 70 plus
volunteers who worked tirelessly over the
weekend to ensure the event ran smoothly from
start to finish including the RAF, which donated
safety boats with their crews.
The multiclass regatta is part of the RYA
Sailability national sailing and racing programme
„Making Disability Plain Sailing‟, which is funded
jointly by Sport England and the RYA Sailability
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Multiclass regatta 2011 - the winners
Fleet
Winner
Club
2.4mR Fleet
Iain Stowe
Rutland Sailability
Challenger Gold Fleet
Val Millward
Rutland Sailability
Challenger Silver Fleet
Pauline Shaw
Grafham Sailability
Artemis Fleet
Dean Abra/Tim Bell
Even Keel Project
Laser Stratos Fleet
Lucy Hodges/Gary Butler/Liam
Catternale
Blind Sailing
Access 2.3 Fleet
Lindsey Burns
Frensham Pond
Access 303 2p Fleet
Chris Emmet/Malcolm Kirk
Rutland Sailability
Access 303 1p Fleet
Ian MacNair
Rutland Sailability
Access Liberty Fleet
Vera Voorbach
Kinsman Fleet
John Vickers/Chris Ball
Rutland Sailability
Neo 495 Fleet
Andrew Sheath/Kate Lintott
Frensham Pond
Skud 18 Fleet
Alex Hovden, Kate Mannering
Papercourt Sailing Club
Don’t forget!
The Sailability National Conference will
be on Saturday 25 February 2012 at
Wyboston Lakes.
Places are available on a first come,
first served basis.
To register your interest and offer your
input about what you would like to gain
from the conference please email
lorna.conder@rya.org.uk
www.rya.org.uk/sailability
Sailability on
Facebook
Make use of one
of the fastest and
most effective
networking tools
available - take a
look at the
Sailability
Facebook page.
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
RYA Sailability Grants Foundation renewal
The following RYA
Sailability Grants have been
awarded since April 2011.
The Even Keel Project
Grant: £4000.00
Sailing development, increasing participation
and provision for the first disabled sailing
participation at FED Week (see p.9).
New Forest and District Sailability
Grant: £5000.00
Provided to help purchase a new
2.4m Stradivari dinghy.
Royal Southern Yacht Club Deaf Sailing Day
Grant: £400.00
Communication provision for hard-of-hearing
guests at a Sailability event (see p.13).
Hanningfield Sailability
Grant: £3200.00
General sailing development at new Sailability
Foundation site.
Wirral Disabled Marine Association
Grant: £3000.00
Provided to help towards the purchase of a new
Access dinghy.
Yet again it is time to focus on renewing your
Foundation Status with us to ensure your club is
signed up as a Sailability site and listed within
our Site Guide, which promotes your club
facilities to people with disabilities.
Not only can this contribute to finding more
members but, as a Sailability site, you are then
also entitled to apply for grants from RYA
Sailability Trust; you can download the forms at
www.ryasailability.org.uk/about/grants_.php
Your renewal form will be in sent out in the post
before the end of November and you have until
the end of January to complete and return it to
us.
Every club that submits a form before the
deadline will get the chance to win a pair of RYA
Dinghy Show tickets for March 2012, so I look
forward to getting lots of post!
Connie Lebrun
Sailability Project Officer
T 023 8060 4247
E connie.lebrun@rya.org.uk
Website for sailors
with hearing loss
A new website has been launched to
help those with hearing loss
overcome the practical issues faced
when taking to the water.
Your one-stop shop for information
with new features every fortnight.
www.seahear.co.uk
www.ryasailability.tv
www.rya.org.uk/sailability
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Race training available
Thanks to support from
RYA Sailability, the Access
Class Association (UK) is
able to offer a Race
Training Scheme for
Sailability groups that sail
Access dinghies.
The Class Coach and Race Training
Manager can arrange race training
for groups where Access dinghies
are not currently raced and also
coaching for groups who conduct
some racing for their Access
dinghies and wish to improve skill
levels.
Sailability groups seeking race training or
The host Sailability group will be responsible for
coaching should apply to the Access Class
all aspects of safety and providing appropriate
Coach as below to negotiate mutually
training facilities, i.e.:
convenient arrangements for one or more days
of training. As the current class coach attends
a room with a whiteboard
most Travellers‟ Trophy (TT) meetings, a day of
if possible, facilities to display
coaching at the venue on the day prior to the TT
PowerPoint images
should be possible.
a suitable powerboat for the use of the
coach/trainer (who will be RYA PB2
The Class Coach will either conduct the session
qualified)
her/himself or seek other coach/trainers with
experience of the Access Class who hold a RYA
all the Access dinghies required
Race Coach L2 or RYA Senior Instructor
a safety boat manned by the host
qualification.
group with radio contact to the shore
and coach
suitable marker buoys for a racing
course
Further details can be obtained from the Access Class
Coach who is based at Frensham Pond Sailing Club on
the Surrey/Hampshire border:
www.rya.org.uk/sailability
Lindsay Burns
l.burns49@btinternet.com
01428 712942
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Access Class European Championships
A gentle „Pelair‟ breeze greeted sailors arriving
at Circolo Vela Gargnano on Lake Garda in Italy
on 14 June for the final day of racing in the 2011
Access Class European Championships.
The single person divisions started first, and the
two person divisions sailed in the afternoon after
the breeze direction had switched from north to
south.
Australian Barry Coates also posted another
two wins in the Liberty division to claim the
Liberty Championship with a six point break
on Vera Voorbach (NED). While denied the
Open trophy, Voorbach was presented with
the European Championship Liberty Servo
trophy. Russell Phillips (AUS) built a seven
point margin over the next competitor to
secure third overall.
The afternoon breeze looked promising and
the first heat for each of the two divisions
provided good racing, but the wind
evaporated after the second 303 race was
started and the Race Officer was forced to
abandon racing for that division. The SKUDs
managed to complete their eights heat on the
last of the breeze.
Series leaders in the Access 303 Two-Person
competition, Zoltan Pegan and Eva Mircsev
(HUN), finished their regatta with another first
place, giving them a nine point lead over the
field. They retained their European
Championship title won in Port Camargue,
France in 2009. Joshua Rothenhaeusler and
Dominique Scheller (SUI) finished second
overall, a couple of points ahead of Julian
Mueller and Fabio Rosa (SUI).
Alex Hovden and Kate Mannerings
Pedro Cancio Reis (POR) scored 1-2 to improve
his lead and secure the European Championship
in the Access 2.3. Lindsay Burns (GBR) held on
to second overall and Bruno Pereira (POR)
moved up a place from the previous day to claim
third overall.
Six straight first places over the past four days
mean that Zoltan Pegan (HUN) is the undisputed
European Champion in the Access 303 Single
Person. Pegan adds this to his Single Person
303 World Championship title. Luca Mantovani
(ITA) and Paul Phillips (GBR) both retained their
places from the day before to finish in second
and third place overall.
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Two second places for Alex Hovden and Kate
Mannerings (GBR) on the final day was just
enough to give them a single point break over
Marco Gualandris and Marta Zanetti (ITA),
who also handled the breeze and waves well.
Andrea Stella and Pietro Piccoli (ITA) were in
third place at the end of the penultimate day,
but a DNF enabled Shimon Ben Yakov and
Zehavi Hagar (ISR) to steal the final podium
place.
The next Access Class European
Championships are scheduled to be held in
2013. Possible venues include Hungary and
Switzerland. Further information will be
available from www.accessclass.org.
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
7
SKUD and Sonar Paralympic sailors announced
British sailors who picked up the first medals of
the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta on 10 June – a
gold and a silver – at the conclusion of racing for
the Paralympic classes at the sixth leg of the
ISAF Sailing World Cup series in Weymouth and
Portland, are now preparing for the Paralympic
Games.
John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve
Thomas secured a hard-fought gold in the threeperson Sonar class and beat the reigning world
champions from the Netherlands into overall
second.
Skandia Team GBR‟s Alexandra Rickham and
Niki Birrell secured silver in the two-person
Paralympic SKUD class, behind Australia‟s
Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch, ending their
regatta on a high with a second race victory of
the series.
Photo: OnEdition
A month later, on the final day of the IFDS Disabled
Sailing World Championships on 8 July the SKUD
duo secured gold, and the Sonar trio claimed silver.
-up to London: the selection of the first athletes who
will represent this country in 2012 really brings it
home that the Games are just around the corner.
Now, with just a year to go to the Opening Ceremony
of the Paralympic Games, the British Paralympic
Association (BPA) has announced that all five sailors
will compete for Great Britain at London 2012.
“I am delighted that the first athletes to achieve this
honour are being selected to ParalympicsGB. They
have worked very hard over many years to achieve
this and I hope the nation will join me in
congratulating them now and supporting them in a
year‟s time on the water at Weymouth and
Portland.”
Stephen Park, Olympic Manager at the RYA, said:
“Over the past three years we‟ve been trying hard to
move our sailors forward from being medal possibles
to medal probables, These two selected teams have
managed to deliver consistent medal-winning
performances that gave the RYA‟s Paralympic
Selection Committee great confidence in their early
nomination.
“From a team management perspective, early
nomination now allows the sailors to optimise their
programme over the next 12 months such that the
goal of winning medals at the London 2012 Games is
not compromised by any of the expectations,
restrictions or commitments that exist through the
selection process.”
Chief Executive of the BPA, Tim Hollingsworth,
said: “This is a very exciting moment in the build
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Penny Briscoe, Performance Director at the BPA,
said: “Their recent results at the World
Championships, in which Niki and Alex won their
third successive World title and John, Hannah and
Stephen won World silver, are not only testament to
their hard work and ambition but are also a credit to
the world-class performance environment that the
RYA has in place to support their Olympic and
Paralympic athletes. Make no mistake, these athletes
have done just as much to earn their place as the
Olympic sailors are doing right now to achieve
theirs."
Selection trials for the 2.4mR one-person keelboat
event are ongoing.
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Partnership creation can lead to great achievements
RYA Sailability is continuously looking to forge
partnerships that can deliver the inclusive sailing
message and opportunities for its sailors
throughout the sailing world. It is striving to find
organisations to assist in delivering this.
The coming together with the Even Keel Project,
whose aims are to break the barriers between
ability and disability, has enabled a grand
spectacle of sailing to take to the water during
the fantastic Federation Week. For the first time
in the event‟s history a disabled class has had
access to this mainstream able-bodied regatta.
Sailability engaged the services of the Even Keel
project to work with the Chichester Harbour
Federation and provide a fleet of five Artemis 20
racing keelboats to enter the regatta, with sailors
representing five different Sailability sites
throughout the UK.
Racing off the same start line as the RS Elite
Keelboat became a reality; mixing it up amongst
the 350 other boats, with classes including the
Foiling Moth, 49er, International 14 and Flying
15, was a sight to see.
One of the UK‟s largest dinghy and keel boat
regattas, attracting around 400 boats annually, is
held in the beautiful surroundings of Chichester
harbour on the UK‟s south coast every August.
Hosted by Hayling Island Sailing Club and
delivered by the continuously committed teams
provided by Chichester Harbour Federation for
the past 85 years, it is an event anyone can now
be a part of.
Federation Week is an example of what can be
achieved by like-minded organisations coming
together with a common goal. The Federation is
made up of around 10 sailing clubs within the
harbour, representatives from various other
marinas, and the conservancy and harbour
authority.
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For the competing sailors, a horizon and a start
line filled with mainstream boats created a very
different experience. Moving through fleets of
able-bodied boats was a defining moment in the
search for acceptance for disability sport, and an
inspiration for the able-bodied sailors to
recognise the ability of the Sailability teams
within this environment, given the correct
equipment and forward- thinking attitudes.
The great British summer gave a mixed bag of
conditions for the week on the water with the first
day delivering a fresh 20+ knot breeze to
welcome all to the regatta. The Sailability teams
gave the Artemis 20s a good shakedown as they
learned the tricks of Chichester Harbour. The
trend was set for the week with Craig Rose for
Cowes taking the honours.
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Day two provided a
different set of
conditions with very
little breeze until late
and courses shortened
for all classes. Craig
Rose triumphed again.
Day three made up for
the previous lack of wind with gusts of 27+ knots
passing through the harbour from the north east.
With 350 vessels on the water, boats could be
seen turning over everywhere; broken masts and
RIBs towing tangled dinghies was an experience
for all and the Artemis 20 teams had their own
adventures - everyone ashore in the evening
was talking about „survival mode‟ but the
excitement of being a part of it was the lasting
impression.
Day four saw the weather return to something
resembling summer and there was another stiff
breeze to contend with. Places were changing
continuously throughout the race for all but one
team - Craig Rose and Pete McCoy had it in the
bag and were crowned RYA Sailability
Federation Week champions. Craig also took
home the Even Keel Challenge trophy, raced for
on the last day, holding on to his title for the
second year.
South Coast Blind Week 2011
This year‟s South Coast Blind Week, hosted by
the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, started on
25 June. Around 130 crew and 22 yachts meant
that 46 visually impaired sailors got out on the
water, and the event also welcomed three
skippers and VIs new to Blind Week.
The week was blessed with bright sunshine and
a range of wind conditions to suit all tastes and
abilities. The yachts were split into three
separate fleets that cruised the Solent and
surrounding waters, visiting many of the
traditional harbours and anchorages including
Haslar, Lymington, Beaulieu, Newtown Creek,
Cowes, Weymouth and Poole.
The event was supported by the UKSA, which
provided two identical Sweden 42s, Coutts,
which chartered three boats, the Gwennili Trust,
which provided the largest boat of all (at 50 feet)
and the Naval College at Dartmouth, which
provided one of its Contessa 38s. The remaining
boats were generously provided by owners/
skippers and volunteer sighted crew.
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Next year the event will be hosted by the
Royal Cornwall Yacht Club in Falmouth from
30 June to 7 July 2012.
Anyone interested should contact the overall
organiser of the week, Grant Morris, on
foxys.morris@gmail.com
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
From zero to hero
Twelve pupils from six Lancashire special
schools came together at Bolton Sailing Club
to compete in the Lancashire Special School
Sailing Regatta 2011. All the young people
have moderate learning difficulties; most of
them had never sailed before and had never
even seen the boat they were to sail.
windward leg .Half-way to the windward mark, the
PCHS boat had a small lead; one boat had run
aground and the rest were moving forward with the
team from Sir Tom Finney School (STFS) rapidly
closing in on the lead. Fifty yards from the mark
STFS had taken the lead and stormed away from
the rest. By the time they cleared the wing mark
STFS were well clear of the PCHS team. Nothing
stopped STFS winning the first race with PCHS in
second and Astley Park in third place.
At lunch time, a very happy team from STFS was
applauded off the jetty by the staff and visitors.
Everything now depended on the second race. The
start was critical and PCHS managed to get
another good one and lead the boat towards the
windward mark; they were being chased hard by
Astley Park with STFS in fourth place. At the
windward mark PCHS was only a boat length in
front, and as the two boats approached the wing
mark, Astley were moving faster and came
alongside. The boats briefly touched and PCHS
managed to pull away and hold their lead to the
finish with Astley Park hard on their heels.
The schools participating were:
Astley Park School - Chorley
Sir Tom Finney Community High School - Preston
Moor Hey - Lostock Hall
Ridgewood - Burnley
Pendle Community High School - Nelson
The Loynes Specialist School – Silverdale
Volunteers came not only from Bolton Sailing
Club but from all over the county. They
supported and encouraged the young people
and showed them how to sail the Access
dinghy. After an hour‟s practice the young
people returned to shore and were briefed on
the course for the two races around a basic
course; the champions would be decided by
the aggregate score from both races.
In the first race five of the boats started from
the starboard end of the line while the Pendle
Community High School (PCHS) boat took a
port flyer. After a few minutes all the boats
cleared the start line and sailed up the
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Pendle Community High School finished first, with
Sir Tom Finney School second and Astley Park School
third.
The presentation of the trophy and medals was by
Dave Williamson, chair of the North West RYA
executive committee, and Keith Roberts, commodore of
Bolton Sailing Club.
Medals went to the first three in each race, with the
overall trophy going to Daniel Barrett and Zak Green of
Pendle Community High School.
Comments from the supporting staff included:
“Our children have learned new skills in a completely
new environment and loved every minute” and “This is
something most of our children would never have the
opportunity to do – it‟s fantastic!”
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Sun and wind for All Aboard festival
50 adults and young people
with disabilities took part in
the Plymouth All Aboard
Sailing Festival at the Mount
Batten Centre on 26 June.
On a very sunny day, with
brisk force 4/5 winds, twelve
teams from special schools,
sailing clubs and disability
sailing charities in Exmouth
and Dartmouth as well as
the Plymouth area entered
the event, which was
sponsored by the
Cattewater Harbour
Commission.
Two youth teams from Woodlands Special
School and two from Wheels on Water, both of
which take youngsters to learn to sail with
OnBoard at the Mount Batten Centre, were
amongst the competitors.
Katy Wedgwood, Plymouth Special Schools,
Sports Co-ordinator, was delighted with the way
things went: "It is fantastic that all ages can sail
together; watching some of the adults sailing is
inspiring the young people to improve and
compete."
The winners of the Hawk 20 regatta in Plymouth
Sound were from Horizons, while the „Beat the
Stig‟ course - with a time set by one of the Mount
Batten Centre‟s dinghy instructors and a
leaderboard updated throughout the day – was
entered by 17 sailors and produced two winners,
competing in Access 303 dinghies. David Walker
and Ryan Sturgess each won a trip for four to
watch the Americas Cup world series in
Plymouth in September (donated by the Mount
Batten Centre).
The festival was organised by RYA OnBoard
Development Officer Stuart Jones, Mount
Batten Centre‟s Watersports and Activities
Manager, Sam Waites and RYA Regional Club
Coach Tim Cross. It was part-sponsored by RYA
Sailability.
For those unable to participate in the sailing,
Horizons brought their specially-designed motor
yacht Friendship so that everyone could watch
the racing and the Fire Brigade brought the fire
boat as well as a fire engine to entertain those
not sailing. Horizons, as well as Drakes
and Wheels on Water, also brought sailors
supported by RYA Sailability.
“RYAS11 £5”
www.rya.org.uk/sailability
Text
to 70070
to donate to
RYA Sailability now
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Sunsail Regatta heralded a great success
The RYA Sailability Sunsail Regatta 2011 was
heralded a success by all at the official prize
giving ceremony held in Portsmouth Harbour
Yacht Club on 20 September 2011, which was
attended by HRH The Princess Royal.
Royal who spoke to all of the sailors about
their past two days of racing. She also
thanked Sunsail for providing the opportunity
to create even more opportunities for disabled
people to go sailing, and praised Sailability for
its work enabling people from all walks of life
to be introduced to the sport.
Finally RYA Sailability Trust Chairman, Pat
Dodd announced the winning team - HPM
Investments, who won all three races in the
regatta. The Sunsail team finished in second
place and the Hughes family team came a
close third.
Her Royal Highness presented the winning
team with the RYA Sailability Sunsail Regatta
trophy (sponsored by the BMF). Sailors from
each team received a dry bag, t-shirt and
baseball cap courtesy of sponsorship by
Harken UK.
Held on the Solent, the event saw 55 sailors
from all sailing backgrounds and abilities take to
the water in six teams, for two days of racing on
Sunsail‟s new F40 Racing fleet, whilst raising
money for RYA Sailability.
The sailors competed in three races, enjoying
the Solent‟s typical sea breeze and were also
treated to a three course dinner, at the historic
and exclusive Royal Yacht Squadron.
“We had two fantastic days,” said James Hester,
who was competing for the Lloyds TSB
Commercial Finance team. “Our sailing
continued to get better as the regatta progressed
and we were delighted to be able to support
such a worthy cause.”
Each team was personally congratulated for
competing in the regatta by HRH The Princess
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Jamie Clifford, one of the crew on the winning
boat, said: “The competition was tough so we
are delighted to have won. We have had a
great time enjoying perfect racing conditions
and great wind and it was fantastic to be
given the opportunity to meet Her Royal
Highness. I am looking forward to competing
in next year‟s event”.
Pat Dodd added: “We are delighted with the
success of the event and are grateful to our
partners Sunsail and The Royal Yacht
Squadron. We look forward to repeating this
level of success next year”.
The Sailability Trust is very grateful for the
continued support from HRH The Princess
Royal and from the teams who competed in
the regatta this year.
All proceeds from the event go to
RYA Sailability.
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Active Nation’s Paralympic keelboat
HRH The Princess Royal visited Southampton
Water Activities Centre (SWAC) on 20 June
2011 to officially name the new Active Nation
vessel. The new keelboat is set to be used by
dozens of disabled sailors in Southampton to
boost their skills and discover the joy of sailing
through the Centre‟s Sailability scheme.
Onlookers included record-breaking disabled
sailor Geoff Holt, who watched as Her Royal
Highness performed a traditional naming
ceremony.
Paying tribute to the charity‟s volunteers, The
Princess Royal said: “It‟s a pleasure to see so
many people here who have supported
Southampton Water Activities Centre for 25
years and Sailability more recently. I think
traditionally it‟s expected and it‟s entirely
appropriate to say „may God bless her and all
who sail in her.‟”
The boat was
named Active
Rupert, in memory
of Rupert Spurling
who designed the
Active Nation brand
and passed away
suddenly last year.
Since RYA
Sailability at SWAC
was launched in
June 2009, the
scheme has grown
from strength to
strength, each year
welcoming new
supporters with a
wide range of needs. 25 supporters are currently
attending the programme and all of them are
progressing, developing new skills and experiencing
huge pleasure through being active.
RSYC Deaf Sailing Day
Thanks to the generosity of ten members, the
Royal Southern Yacht Club was able to
provide 40 deaf and hard-of-hearing people
with a day to remember on the water.
We were blessed with with perfect weather,
warm, sunny and 15 knots of breeze, and the
day‟s sailing experiences ranged from a high
speed dash to the Needles with many
diversions on the return, to a wonderful sail to
the Nab and back.
While Portsmouth Harbour was a favourite
request, just about every river and creek on
the Solent was visited by someone.
The vast majority of our guests were novices
and most had memorable experiences
helming and pulling-the-strings - many were
so keen that they refused to moor up for
lunch, and several natural talents were
uncovered.
The Deaf Sailing Club was delighted to learn that
many of these were keen to join and to embark on
a new pastime.
From the feedback, it seems that the day was a
huge success for our guests, for the owners and
for the Club too. A repeat next year would rapidly
sell out.
All this would not have been possible without the
most generous offers from the members, to whom
the Club offers its most grateful thanks.
Tim Harrison
www.rya.org.uk/sailability
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14
FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Frensham Pond SC celebrates ten years
FPS now has a fleet of 26 boats, including 16
Access dinghies, specially designed for disabled
sailing, and the largest fleet of 2.4mR Paralympic
class mini-keelboats in the UK. Site improvements
continued to be made through the decade,
including a £73k dredging and land reclamation
project in 2005, an additional £13k boat launching
and recovery jetty in 2007, and a £13k Sailability
dressing, shelter and training facility in 2008.
A celebration of ten years of Sailability at
Frensham Pond Sailing Club took place at the
club on the evening of Friday 29 July 2011.
The many guests included the Mayor of
Waverley, Cllr Richard Gates, the Mayor of
Farnham, Cllr Jill Hargreaves (above), and the
Deputy Mayor of Bordon, Cllr Tony Muldoon,
as well as representatives of RYA Sailability,
local charities, Rotary clubs, sports
organisations, donors, supporters and friends
of Frensham Pond Sailability.
The guests enjoyed drinks and canapés
served in the refurbished club house, where
audio/visual and photographic displays of FPS
activities and achievements illustrated the
impressive progress that has been made since
2001.
Disabled helms and crews put on a sail-by
display watched by a large crowd of shoreside
spectators. As always, the sailors were
assisted and the boats were prepared by the
loyal and dedicated band of volunteers who
make FPS what it is. Conditions for the parade
of sail were a little challenging given the lack
of wind!
Sailing ranges from cruising around the Pond to
full-on competitive racing. Frensham‟s Access
racing team have won open events throughout the
UK and in Europe, retaining the Ben Ainslie
Travellers Trophy for an unprecedented four
consecutive years in 2010. Frensham staged the
Access National Championships in 2006 and 2011.
This has all been made possible by the large band
of enthusiastic and very capable volunteer helpers
who turn out week after week, and by the
generosity and support of local organisations and
charities.
It has all been led and inspired by people such as
Chairman Kate Richardson, Sailing Captain
Richard Smallwood and above all the man who led
Frensham Pond Sailability for the first ten years,
Brian Grimwood.
The rewards are there for all to see in the lifechanging experiences that so many have enjoyed.
Long may it continue!
Following the displays and parade of sail, the
formalities were led by the Mayor of Waverley,
Cllr Richard Gates, the Mayor of Farnham, Cllr
Jill Hargreaves and RYA Sailability Trustee
Peter Gray.
www.rya.org.uk/sailability
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15
FOGHORN Autumn 2011
Volunteer Bob joins Sailability’s SW team
Bob Scull, retired policeman and co-founder of
Dart Sailability in Dartmouth, has joined RYA
Sailability‟s south west team as its second
Regional Organiser. In his work with groups in
Devon and Cornwall, he will be applying his
invaluable experience of developing a highly
successful sailing group for people with
disabilities.
Bob retired from the police force in 1996 but
soon got involved in local sailing for disabled
people and co-founded Dart Sailability in
Dartmouth. He spent the next ten years as
chairman of the group, developing sailing for
disabled children and adults.
He greatly increased the numbers of sailors and
volunteers and also ensured the group became
an RYA-recognised teaching centre, enabling
them to run their own RYA proficiency
courses. He is now president of Dart Sailability
and still volunteers. He lives in Seaton.
Bob will be working alongside Regional
Organiser Vic Rolfe.
Regional Organisers
We currently have two vacancies within
our Regional Organiser Team. Our
ROs act as regional representatives of
RYA Sailability, promoting disabled
sailing activities, increasing the number
of disabled sailors and improving
utilisation of existing facilities.
The two regions that require a RO are
South East and Thames Valley. If you
are interested please contact the office
on 0844556 9550 or email
sailability@rya.org.uk
www.rya.org.uk/sailability
To contact Bob, email him at
dartsail@btinternet.com.
Sailability Disability
Awareness Training
As the season draws to a close it‟s ideal to
think about training for your volunteers/staff.
Our disability awareness training is
designed to give your club support and
advice you need to help offer sailing
opportunities to people with disabilities.
The course is free of charge and gives your
volunteers information they need to work
with different disabilities with confidence.
Each student receives a booklet to keep,
covering notes from the course including
details on terminology, communication, and
a brief outline of each disability.
To book a club course please contact:
Andy Fell t: 07825 686861 e:
andy@renardassociates.co.uk
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FOGHORN Autumn 2011
16
New boat boosts disability sailing in Shropshire
Telford Sailability is celebrating after being
awarded a Big Lottery Grant of £10,000 to give
disabled people in Shropshire the chance to get
involved in sailing.
The grant has enabled Telford Sailability, based
at Telford Sailing Club at Priorslee Lake, to invest
in its first boat, a new Access 303 dinghy, plus a
special disability hoist and other essential safety
equipment.
The new dinghy, one of the most popular boats
for enabling people with a disability to experience
sailing because of its stability, will allow people of
all ages and across the whole spectrum of
physical and learning disabilities to sail regularly
with Telford Sailability, while the hoist will improve
water access for those with even the most severe
physical disabilities.
Following the group‟s ratification as an official
RYA Sailability site in June, the club hopes to
start working in partnership with local groups such
as youth clubs for disabled youngsters, stroke
victims and individuals who want to access sailing
as a leisure activity or sport.
Paul Devey, who founded Telford Sailability with
wife Celia last year, said: “We are delighted to
have been able to purchase this new boat. We
are still a very new group and getting this boat is
a landmark in us progressing as a group and
being able to offer increasing numbers of people
the chance to get involved in our activities. Sailing
is one of the few sports in which able-bodied and
disabled people can participate side-by-side and
the emphasis is very much on what people can
do, not what they can‟t. We are very grateful to
everyone who helped us secure this funding to
move Telford Sailability forward another step.”
Telford Sailability has also recently received the
donation of another dinghy, a Skipper, and this
winter the club will continue to raise further funds
for more boats and equipment as well as
recruiting more volunteers, which are the lifeblood
of Sailability activity.
www.rya.org.uk/sailability
Anyone interested in volunteering at Telford
Sailability should contact Paul at
telford.sailability@gmx.com – sailing knowledge
is not required as training will be provided.
There are many jobs volunteers can do such as
transporting people to the lake, setting up the
boats, helping people into and out of the water
and manning the safety boat.
Foghorn is the official newsletter of RYA Sailability for
all Sailability clubs. It is published three times a year by
RYA Sailability
RYA House
Ensign Way
Hamble
Southampton SO31 4YA
Registered Charity No. 1084351
Foghorn can be downloaded from www.rya.org.uk/
sailability. To contribute articles, or to request hard copies,
e-mail versions or text versions, e-mail Connie LeBrun
connie.lebrun@rya.org.uk or Lorna Conder
lorna.conder@rya.org.uk or call 02380 604247.
Opinions expressed in Foghorn are not necessarily those
of the editor or the RYA.
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