I’ve been looking forward to sailing for so long, but I had forgotten exactly how completely joyous it is to be out of my wheelchair and in a little sailing boat. Hours later and I’m still smiling and uplifted by it.
In my chair I move by pointing my joystick the way I want to go. In the boat moving is a conversation between you, the boat, the wind, the tide, and the current. One where I am immersed in my environment.
And I think of how many thousands of years people have been sailing for and being part of that same conversation. All those people who have been on the water and hearing those same sounds of ropes and sails and water and birds.
If you’re in the UK, disabled and are even slightly curious about sailing/ power boating I really recommend looking up your local Sailability group – there’s absolutely loads of them on rivers, the sea, lakes and reservoirs all over the country.
The phrase I often hear is “if you can sit you can sail” which seems pretty accurate. I know quadriplegics who sail, and it’s possible to get equipment that allows you to control an entire boat using electric controls including sip and puff controls for people with no arm function. I can’t sit in the regular seats used in the boat because they’re too upright for me, but one of the other sailors has made me a custom seating system so I can sit reclined and have appropriate head and lateral support while in the boat.
On days when getting out my wheelchair isn’t an option, we also have a powerboat which allows you to drive your wheelchair straight onto the boat and stay in it. Other Sailability groups I know of also have access to larger sailing boats which are set up so that you can stay in your wheelchair.
Most places will give you a free taster session to see if you enjoy it, and they’re usually very highly subsidised and often have bursary schemes if finances are tight. It’s fun and it’s usually very social – tea and cake after is as much a part of sailing as being on the water for me.
