blindsailing.net

[eFestivals]

As some of you already know, I've a friend who is blind.

Despite being blind he's a VERY keen sailor - so keen he was out sailing last weekend in these Arctic temperatures, the nutter.

Anyway, he's asked me if I can draw people's attention to http://www.blindsailing.net,'>http://www.blindsailing.net, the website for Blind Sailing, a Registered Charity. They aim to help blind and partially sighted people sail at all levels.

They organise regular training sessions and racing events.

They provide coaching and help to enable novices learn to sail.

They also coach the more advanced to enable them to compete at both national and international events.

They are supported by a number of excellent sailing schools & related organisations who provide their expertise, boats, venues and safety cover.

If you know someone who is blind who might find their services useful or if you're able to give them any support in what they do, please take a look at their website - http://www.blindsailing.net

Thanks.

Edited December 3, 2010 by eFestivals

[The Nal]

Blind sailing! The lunatic!!

Fair play to him. Ill have a butchers.

[ampersand]

seems very very specific. and dare i say a bit of a pointless charity as far as charities go. i'd much rather give to a charity that catered for getting dogs and generally helping out people in every day life. not one that gives them a hobby that should be seen as an absoulte luxury.

[eFestivals]

Blind sailing! The lunatic!!

Fair play to him. Ill have a butchers.

he's completely nuts about it - he's helped crew yachts across the atlantic, and he's helped crew racing yachts in major competitions on occasions too.

I don't know how true it is really, but he's said that some skippers prefer to have him on the tiller than using automated systems or other very experienced people, because he has a greater feel for what needs doing as a result of his blindness.

He's got my bruv into it too in the last few years, and after spending the summer working on yachts in Greece (but for a pittance - £2.60 an hour ), my bruv is now working as ships engineer on a very flash millionaire's yacht in Istanbul for the next few months while it's being refitted. Here's betting it warmer there then here right now.

But it's good that my blind mate gets to do something - he's given up trying to do voluntary work cos every organisation he's approached wouldn't accept him as a helper, on the basis that it's people like him they exist for to help.

[eFestivals]

seems very very specific. and dare i say a bit of a pointless charity as far as charities go. i'd much rather give to a charity that catered for getting dogs and generally helping out people in every day life. not one that gives them a hobby that should be seen as an absoulte luxury.

I get where you're coming from and in some ways I agree with you.

But all the same, people with major disabilities are excluded from so much in life by the fact of their disability* that we take for granted that special facilities are needed to give them access to those things.

(* as I'd just posted, charities turn him away as a possible volunteer helper, as it's people like him that they exist to help. Madness!).

And it's certainly the case that things such as sailing which isn't particularly dangerous for the likes of you and me IS a dangerous thing for the unsighted to be doing, and they need people with experience of helping blind people sail to allow blind people to sail.

Disabled people get the shit end of the stick for a huge amount of things in their life - including for some a lifetime on just benefits (which the general public see fit to keep on reducing :angry:), which means that things such as sailing is simply never accessible to them (unless they have friends with a boat), while the likes of you and me could manage to do it on occasions thru the extra cash we have because we don't have to spend our whole life living at a minimal level on benefits.

It's not right that those with the most major disabilities are treated as the lowest of the low thru no fault of their own. Why should the abled have a right thru their physical abilities to more than the basic minimum, but the disabled not have the same?

All the same, I'm not saying people MUST support this charity, I'm simply giving its existence a little publicity. Support it if you want to.

Edited December 3, 2010 by eFestivals

[strudders]

seems very very specific. and dare i say a bit of a pointless charity as far as charities go. i'd much rather give to a charity that catered for getting dogs and generally helping out people in every day life. not one that gives them a hobby that should be seen as an absoulte luxury.

[eFestivals]

Thanks for that Strudders - I don't much like trying to present the difficulties of the disabled myself as it's not something I've experienced for myself, and no doubt sometimes I don't do a great job.