Disabled Sailing Thailand Set Sail For The First Time

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Disabled Sailing Thailand Set Sail For The First Time



PATTAYA: -- On January 16, 2014, two major events took place at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Pattaya: the Ocean Marina Yacht Club’s 21st Anniversary Regatta and the inaugural cruise for Disabled Sailing Thailand.

The Disabled Sailing Thailand inaugural cruise kicked off at 13:30 with the arrival of current and past students along with their carers from The Father Ray Foundation. Greeted by the Committee members of Disabled Sailing Thailand as well as the Staff of Ocean Marina Yacht Club the participants were then welcomed on their respective sailing boats to sail to Monkey Island.

For most this was their first time on any kind of boat let alone a sail boat. Thankfully the rain held off and the sea was calm which made the day even more pleasant for these newly initiated sailors. The event was orchestrated by Peter Jacops, sailing and technical consultant for Disabled Sailing Thailand with the support of Ocean Marina’s Harbour Master Scott Finsten.

With over 80 participants of all ages and having various disabilities, the inaugural cruise was a great success thanks to the volunteers of Disabled Sailing Thailand and the Total Fitness Team.

Interview with the Chairman of Disabled Sailing Thailand Francisco McGrath:

What was the main Goal of the day?

The goal was to initiate disabled people of all ages from the Pattaya area into sailing and to showcase what the project is all about. It was nice to see all of the participants enjoying themselves on the water smiling and some asking when they could come back again.

How was the first ever Disabled Sailing Thailand cruise?

For an organisation that is just starting out and bearing in mind that at the moment we solely rely on individual donations be it time, money, people lending us their boats, we are very pleased on how the day went. On that note, I would like to thank all of those that volunteered their time and their boats to make this day a great and fun day out for all those involved.

In order to enhance the experience for the disabled sailors, adapted boats are required. This is crucial not just from an accessibility point of view but also from a safety and operational point of view as well. Adapted boats with modular designs allow disabled sailors to fully manage the boat themselves giving them both mobility and freedom.”

For more information, please contact Peter Jacops email: [email protected] Tel: +66 868261669 (Eng) Pat: 0948214363 (Thai – Eng) Website www.disabledsailingthailand.com

Source: http://www.inspirepattaya.com/lifestyle/disabled-sailing-thailand-set-sail-first-time/


-- Inspire Pattaya 2016-01-21

[lovelomsak]

Great to hear this.Maybe in the future can have Thai represented in the paralympics. My club in Canada is very involved with handicapped sailing. we have also adapted a few for their use. We train the paralympians at our club and usually bring home some medals. I wish this group all the best and am looking forward to more good news about their activity on the water.