SAILORS’ INCLUSION TRAINING
BRAY Sailing Club’s instructor team for the 2018 sailing season recently spent a day learning about inclusion in sailing with Irish Sailing’s Inclusion Officer, Ciarán Murphy.
This training course for the club’s instructors followed last year’s ‘ Try Sailing’ courses run by Bray Sailing Club for Lakers members, during which 14 Lakers members took to the water for the first time.
The inclusion training was an overwhelming success, with the team of instructors learning the theoretical background to inclusion sailing in the morning before putting it all into practice on the water in the afternoon. The instructor team experienced what it is like to sail blind, deaf, and by using hand signals, with the use of a blindfold, ear muffs and duct tape respectively. Instructors were also instructed on the correct way to transfer people from shore to boat.
At the conclusion of the course, Bray Sailing Club’s senior instructor, Jack Hannon, said: ‘It has been a great day of fun-filled learning and we really appreciate Ciarán coming out to run the course with us. We have learned a lot which will stand to us going forward this season as we introduce a regular sailing schedule with Lakers members. This just highlights that sailing really is a sport for all and a sport for life!’
Lakers is a local social and recreation club for children and adults with an intellectual disability. Following the introductory sessions of 2017, which included the issue of the first Irish Sailing certificate in Braille, Bray Sailing Club is planning a regular sailing programme for Lakers members in 2018.