Paralympians help Sailability push new boats out 

RYA Sailability, which introduces some 40000 young people and adults with disabilities to sailing each year, has announced the launch of two new boats in our region with the help of past and present Paralympians.

Paralympic bronze medallist and five times SKUD World Champion Alexandra Rickham recently launched “Alexandra”, a new Drascombe Longboat, at Queen Mary Sailability, based at Queen Mary Reservoir in Ashford.   

The boat was part funded by a grant of £10000 from the Sport England 'Get Equipped' grant. It has been modified to have optional wheel steering, so that wheelchair users can sail the boat, and so that wheelchairs can be secured on board.   

Also Mike Browne, a wheelchair user who represented Great Britain in the sailing at the the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, has donated a Powercat 695 motor cruiser for use as a community boat in the Shepperton area of the Thames.   

The boat, which will be named “Impossible Dream”, will be operated jointly by Queen Mary Sailability and Desborough Sailing Club in conjunction with the Charity 'Sporting Activities for the Disabled'. It has been delivered and is in Bridge Marine, Shepperton having modifications to make it suitable for people with disabilities prior to launch later in the summer.   

Meanwhile work is about to start at Desborough Sailing Club, an RYA approved training centre, to make the club more accessible for people with disabilities. The work is being funded in part by a Sport England Inspired Facilities Grant.   

RYA regional chairman and Sailability volunteer Alan Woolford says: “With the launch of these new boats and facilities RYA Sailability continues to encourage and support people with disabilities to take up the sailing and boating. Many go on to enjoy sailing on a regular basis, and we hope the new boats and facilities will help more, like Alexandra and Mike, to make it to the absolute top level in our sport.”   

For more information visit: 

RYA Sailability Sailability 

Sailability at Queen Mary sailability.aspx 

Desborough Sailing Club www.desboroughsc.org 

Sport England funding http://www.sportengland.org/funding/