Very Successful Blind/Visually Impaired Sailing Event

KARE 11 Feature view here

For more information on our Access Sailing program contact Ernest Brody

On evening of June 23 the WCSC hosted a group of 19 blind and visually impaired high school juniors and seniors from the Summer Transition Program sponsored by the State Services for the Blind. Everyone – kids, staff, and volunteers had a great time.

Blind people compensate for their lack of eyesight with heightened touch and hearing. When the group arrived they were introduced to their volunteer skipper and crew. They explored boats by touch. They felt around the hull, keel and rudder of Bert Foster’s Captain Hook to understand how a boat moves through the water. They felt around a 420 to become familiar with the mast, boom, sails, and rigging.

Next they put on their life jackets and went sailing. The volunteers taught the new sailors to feel the wind on their face and relate that to the various points of sail. The new sailors trimmed the sheets and understood how the sail was shaped. Then the new sailors steered the boat. They tacked the boat. They sailed upwind and downwind. How do you steer a boat downwind? You face aft so you feel the wind on your face. Heeling was new to the sailors but they used the angle of heel to determine whether they were ‘in the groove’. At the end of the session, they sailed in. On one boat, the new sailors brought the boat into the dock on their own. Talk about skipper confidence.

Throughout the event, Jim Douglas of KARE 11 did photography. He was on sailboats and on the specially designed pontoon boat driven by owner Mike Menne of the ad agency Eleven. This footage will be combined with the Courage Center event on July 10 and shown on KARE 11.

At the after dinner de-brief the new sailors were most excited about having steered the boat. They also enjoyed trimming the sails and some were impressed with how important teamwork is in sailing and the sense of quiet and freedom that sailing imparts. Most of all, they want to sail more.

So, how can they sail more. One way is to attend the General Access Sailing program on Wednesday evenings July 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Next year we hope to put together a US Sailing Certified sailing class for them. There will be costs for that so either the individual sailors will have to pay or, perhaps, we can obtain a grant to fund it.

Special thanks to all the volunteers who made this happen.

And to the owners who lent their boats.

We also thank the wind gods who delivered to us a steady 7-9 knots under clear skies at comfortable temperatures.

A good time was had by all.