Sailing and boating for disabled people will recommence from 22nd April 2024 and new volunteers are very welcome.
Volunteers and members of Cowes Sailability Club are eagerly awaiting the start of the 2024 sailing season. Weekly sailing activities and regular motorboating trips for people with physical and learning disabilities and long-term medical conditions are due to recommence on 22nd April 2024.
In preparation for the start of the season, volunteers are invited to attend a meeting at 1:30pm on Monday 25th March, when two of the charity’s trustees, David Codd and Janet Newton, will provide an update on the latest safety and safeguarding information. There will be tea and cake, plus plenty of time for everyone to relax and chat with fellow volunteers about Cowes Sailability Club’s plans for the spring and summer.
New volunteers are very welcome and should contact the club on [email protected] for more information about how to get involved. Cowes Sailability Club welcomes people who can crew or helm its sailing boats, as well as those who can support disabled people on shore or help with events and fundraising activities. Training in first aid, disability awareness, VHF hand-held radio operation and emergency procedures is provided.
The charity’s three Drascombe sailing boats will be removed from their winter storage and transported back to Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club on 2nd April, and volunteers are required to help clean and fit out the boats on 2nd, 3rd and 4th April. Any assistance that anyone can provide will be much appreciated.
“Springtime is always busy for our volunteers, with planning activities, preparing our boats and undertaking training,” says Cowes Sailability Club’s Commodore, Roger Sutton. “However, it’s also an exciting time of the year, when we get together with volunteers whom we haven’t seen in a while, meet new volunteers and start looking forward to introducing more disabled people to the pleasure of sailing and boating. After a long, wet winter, we can’t wait to get back out onto the water!”
The start of the new season will be formally celebrated at the club’s annual Fitting Out Supper, which takes place at 6:30pm on Monday 15th April at Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club. As usual, there will be a two course dinner, catered by the Duke of York’s Pub in Cowes, a raffle and lots of fun and laughter.