Sailing

Im very lucky to live on the south coast near the water and near loads of gorgeous lakes. A couple of years ago we discovered a place in Fordinbridge near Ringwood who does sailing classes for people with disabilities. This would be perfect for the disabled man I support.

The sailing club is run by a group of of volunteers with sailing taking place from April right up until later in the year. We went for our first time of the year this morning and registered again for the year. To register it costs £22.50 plus £2.50 each time you visit. Well worth the money!

All the volunteers are incredibly helpful and its a really good place to meet new people whilst having a cup of tea in the sunshine.

People have the choice to go out in a boat on their own (training is needed) or you can go out in a little boat with one of the volunteers which the man i support does. Its a good chance for him to have a bit of time away from staff and have a bit of male company as all his staff are female.

The pontoon has two hoists attached to get everyone in the boats and there are some boats have high backed seats to help some people sit up better and be more comfy. Most people go out in the boats for about 30 mins but if its quiet you probably could have longer but 30 mins is a perfect time for the man i support.

The only downside about where the sailing takes place is the gravel car park which can be difficult to get wheelchairs over but theres always people on hand to help and also to get to and from the pontoon is a very steep concrete slope but again there is always people around!

We had a brilliant time today and the gorgeous weather certainly helped!