With an additional sailing boat, Cowes Sailability can now offer 50% more sailing places this year
Above: Peter Taylor on La Lunga. Below: Saskia Taylor, her granddaughter and Pooh Bear on La Lunga.
There has been huge joy at Cowes Sailability Club following the surprise donation of a Drascombe Longboat. Peter and Saskia Taylor from Binstead have gifted their sailing boat La Lunga to the charity, so that it can be used to provide more sailing opportunities for people with disabilities living on the Isle of Wight.
Peter and Saskia discovered Cowes Sailability Club a couple of years ago and have recently begun to volunteer for the club, supporting members on shore. Life-long sailing enthusiasts, they didn’t want to sever their connection with sailing, although they could no longer sail independently due to deteriorating health.
“Rather than sell our beloved Drascombe, we decided to give it to Cowes Sailability Club, so that it can be enjoyed by people all over the island who have a disability,” says Peter. “I had polio as a child and now experience muscle weakness as a result. I know what it feels like to not be able to do the things that you want to do. I hope that our gift to Cowes Sailability Club will enable people with disabilities to try sailing and maybe do something that they didn’t think they would ever be able to do.”
Saskia adds: “It’s lovely for us to know that our boat will be put to good purpose and enjoyed by many people on the Isle of Wight. We plan to continue volunteering for the club, on shore, and so will continue to have a connection with La Lunga.”
Cowes Sailability Club has been successful in securing funding from the Daisie Rich Trust to cover the cost of a new outboard motor for La Lunga. “The support we have received from the Daisie Rich Trust over recent years has been invaluable,” says Trish Rooke, Fundraising Officer at Cowes Sailability Club. “With a new motor already bought and fitted in La Lunga, we are ready to set to sea!”
The name of the boat – La Lunga – roughly translates as ‘the long one,’ referring to the distinctive length of the Drascombe Longboat. Cowes Sailability Club favours Drascombe Longboats because their design makes them particularly suitable for people with impaired mobility or poor vision. The boats do not have a boom on which to bump heads, are relatively stable and can safely accommodate up to seven members and volunteers.
“What a fantastic surprise this has been!” says Roger Sutton, Commodore of Cowes Sailability Club. “We already have two Drascombe Longboats, so with the addition of La Lunga, we will be able to offer 50% more sailing places this season. It’s wonderful to be able to invite more people who live with disabilities on the island to come along on a Monday afternoon and go sailing.”
Peter and Saskia both began sailing in their teens – Peter in southern England and Saskia in the Netherlands. Saskia sailed with the Sail Training Association in the Netherlands and Peter owned a series of sailing boats, including a Drascombe Lugger and a Drascombe Coaster, from the mid-1970s. They have been married for 44 years and have gained enormous pleasure from sailing in the Solent throughout this time.