#Sailabiity - This year’s Watersports Inclusion Games will take place in Galway on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 August.

Following the success of the inaugural Watersports Inclusion Games in Dun Laoghaire last June, the second games will be hosted in 2018 on the River Corrib in Galway city at the Commercial Boat Club.

The free event celebrates sailing, rowing and canoeing for people of all abilities from the physical, sensory, intellectual and learning spectrums.

No experience is required and all equipment is provided over the weekend.

Participants and supporters can also watch competitive sailing on Galway Bay with the President’s Cup and Hansa National Championships being hosted by Galway Bay Sailing Club and Sailability Ireland, launching from Galway Docks.

The weekend is funded by Sport Ireland and organised by Irish Sailing in liaison with Canoeing Ireland, Rowing Ireland, Spinal Injuries Ireland, Galway Bay Sailing Club Sailability and Galway Local Sports Partnership, with waterside amenity at Steamer’s Quay courtesy of Corrib Navigation Trust.

Booking is required for activities and spaces are limited — to book as a participant or volunteer, contact [email protected].

For more details on the event, see the Irish Sailing website HERE.

The Watersports Inclusion Games at Dun Laoghaire Harbour last summer have made the shortlist of nominees for the 2018 Irish Sport Industry Awards.

Hosted by Irish Sailing at the Royal St George Yacht Club in late June, the inaugural event for sailors of various abilities on the physical, sensory, intellectual and learning difficulty spectrums attracted over 220 participants plus their families and volunteers to try sailing, rowing and paddling.

All those taking part gave enthusiastic feedback about the weekend, which aimed to demonstrate to participants and service providers alike that watersport is accessible to all.

The games are in the running for the Sporting Innovation of the Year Award alongside Rowing Ireland’s ‘Get Going, Get Rowing’ campaign.

Winners will be announced at the Irish Sport Industry Awards in association with JLT Ireland in Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre next Wednesday 7 March.

#TrySailing - Bray Sailing Club partnered last week with Lakers, a sport and recreation club for children and adults with an intellectual disability, to offer an introductory ‘Try Sailing’ course to seven Lakers members.

The sailability programme took place over three evenings, starting with a land-based familiarisation session on the first day, during which the newcomers to sailing learned how to rig and sit in a dinghy. 

On the second evening, the group took to the water and experienced their first taste of the thrill of sailing inside the confines of Bray Harbour while the cruiser fleet raced with 25+ knots of wind outside. This session was followed by capsize drills near the beach in the harbour. 

On the third evening, the dinghy fleet left the harbour and the trainees had a chance to helm their own boat, before heading into the clubhouse for a barbecue and the presentation of Irish Sailing’s Taste of Sailing certificates, including Irish Sailing’s first ever braille sailing certificate.

Speaking after the event, Lakers services manager Anthony Finnegan said: “We really appreciate the contribution of the amazing instructors and assistants in Bray SC in giving our members the opportunity to try sailing for the first time. 

“The enthusiasm and excitement evident around the harbour was great to see, and we hope that some of our members will have the opportunity to participate in sailing on a regular basis in the future.”

Bray SC senior instructor Jack Hannon added: “I’m grateful to our team of instructors and assistants who gave of their time so willingly to make this partnership such a success.

“Sailing really is a sport for all, and our members were delighted to have the opportunity to share their passion for sailing with seven newcomers to the sport this week.”

#Sailability - Natasha Lambert sailed into Dun Laoghaire Marina yesterday (Wednesday 2 August) to complete her challenge of crossing the Irish Sea by ‘sip and puff’ sailing.

Twenty-year-old Lambert, who has athertoid cerebral palsy, sails her 21ft yacht by puffing and sipping on a straw that controls the rudder.

Last month Lambert travelled from her home on the Isle of Wight to south-west Scotland, from where she sailed across to Carrickfergus before continuing along the coast in what she’s dubbed her ‘Sea and Summit Ireland Challenge’ to raise funds for the Miss Isle School of Sip and Puff.

As the title suggests, the next step for the adventurous Natasha is climbing the Wicklow Mountains — made possible with the use of a Hart Walker, a device that enables her to stand upright.

Yachting & Boat World reports that Lambert is the first woman with a disability to skipper a yacht from Scotland to Northern Ireland. 

But she’s no stranger to the water, with English Channel crossings and a 500-plus-mile journey from Cowes to Wales among her achievements.

#Sailability - Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, in partnership with Waterways Ireland, has organised an eight-week paddle sport programme commencing next Friday 4 August.

​The free programme will enable young people with a disability aged eight to 16 to receive expert coaching in a range of paddle sports such as canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding. All necessary equipment will be provided.

Sessions from Friday 4 to Friday 25 August will take place in the Fermanagh Lakeland Forum’s swimming and commence at 8.30pm, while sessions from Saturday 2 to Saturday 23 September will commence at 1.30pm and be delivered on the open water at Castle Island in Enniskillen. Each session will last for 60 minutes. 

Speaking about the programme, chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Stephen McCann, said: “The council is committed to creating more opportunities for our residents to get active so that they can enjoy the benefits of leading an active lifestyle.

“The paddle sport programme will provide water activity enthusiasts an opportunity to try different paddle sport activities through coaching and instruction from qualified coaches.”

Waterways Ireland chief executive Dawn Livingstone also spoke of her delight at partnering with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to deliver a programme offering on the waterways activities for young people living with a disability. 

“Waterways Ireland is actively growing the numbers of people enjoying sustained recreational opportunities to engage in water-based activity,” she said. “It is hoped that through the 8 week programme, young people will discover their favourite activity, something they continue to enjoy through life.”  

Participation on the programme is free of charge, however places are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis. Participants must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or carer for the duration of each session. 

To register or for further information, visit Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s website or contact Chris Elliott at +44 300 303 1777 or [email protected].

#Sailability - Volunteers are required for the Watersports Inclusion Games at the Royal St George YC in Dun Laoghaire on 24-25 June.

The free event celebrates sailing, rowing and canoeing activities for people of all abilities from the physical, sensory, intellectual and learning difficulty spectrums, representing all ages, demographics and socio-economic backgrounds, for an exciting weekend of fun, try-sailing and games competition.

The Watersports Inclusion Games are aimed primarily at secondary schoolgoing boys and girls along with their families and friends, but are open to all ages to participate.

Organised by the Irish Sailing Association in liaison with Spinal Injuries Ireland, Canoeing Ireland, Dun Laoghaire Sea Scouts, Dun Laoghaire Sailability and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, this landmark event is enabled by the funding of Sport Ireland Dormant Account Sports Inclusion Fund.

Volunteers are required for a variety of different jobs over the weekend. Get in contact with the ISA if you’d be able to spare a few hours over the weekend.

#Sailability - Dun Laoghaire’s waterfront clubs have launched their 2017 sailability programme for children ages 8-17 with physical and/or sensorial disabilities.

The programme kicks off with a try sailing event on Sunday 11 June at the Royal Irish Yacht Club, with morning sailing proper commencing at the Royal St George on Sunday 18 June, continuing each week (except 9 July and 6 August) till 20 August in conjunction with the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club.

There will also be two week-long sailing courses, provided by the National Yacht Club (12-16 June) and the Royal Irish YC (8-11 August).

No sailing experience is necessary to take part in the sailability programme, sponsored in 2017 by the Spirit Motor Group Volvo Ireland and the Water Wag sailing class, among others.

For general enquiries and further details, contact Ian French (087 245 6834 or [email protected]) or
Ruth Shanahan (086 237 4801 or [email protected]).

#Sailability - Two volunteers with Belfast Lough Sailability received awards at the RYA Sailability National Conference in Cambridge, England last Saturday (18 February).

Bill Foster was awarded the RYA Sailability Exceptional Contribution Award, accepted by BLS chair Paul Bunting, while 15-year-old Eoin Bannon was recognised as Young Volunteer of the Year.

Honorary secretary Anne Taylor attended the conference along with Bunting and Bannon to give a presentation to the more than 200 RYA delegates from around the UK on volunteering, with a focus on encouraging young people to get involved with sailability schemes.

Following on from yesterday's Dun Laoghaire announcement of its Sailability programme the River Foyle in Derry has launched its fun introductory session as 'a fantastic opportunity for people with disabilities' to ‘Try Sailing’ for the first time and learn the basics. Taking place on Saturday 14th May at Foyle Marina this ‘have a go’ event is being offered for free and with no prior experience or specialist equipment required there really is no excuse not to give it a try!

Foyle Sailability exists to bring the joy of sailing and boating to people with disabilities from across the North West region of Ireland, says chairperson Cathal MacElhatton. “Operating from the Foyle Marina, which has a hoist, we have a range of accessible dinghies for everyone to enjoy out on Lough Foyle. Our aim is to provide safe and enjoyable sailing opportunities to people with disabilities interested in experiencing the sport of sailing and other ‘on the water’ activities”.

“On arrival you will be kitted out with all the necessary equipment and given a safety briefing and introduction, then it will be time to get into your boats and get sailing! Our qualified instructors will be in the boat along with you to help throughout the session and provide any tips on improving your technique. “

The event runs from 10.30am to 3pm and is divided into short sessions, so early booking from [email protected] is advised, although it’s free, advises Cathal. Foyle Marina is located at Baronet Street.

Foyle Sailability is offering this taster event as part of a national campaign called ‘Flow – Get into Watersports’ which is co-funded by The Erasmus Plus programme of the European Union and is a partnership between SportNI and a range of water based National Governing Bodies with the aim of encouraging more people to participate in watersports. The campaign kicks off with a weekend of water based outdoor activity taster events all over Northern Ireland during the weekend of 14th and 15th May. These events will be closely followed by a series of follow up training programmes to encourage people to continue in their chosen activity. So even if you can’t attend the taster events you can still get involved by taking part in one of the follow up training programmes that are taking place.

During the weekend there will be a range of clubs based all over Northern Ireland offering taster events in canoeing, sailing, water skiing and wake boarding, rowing, angling, stand up paddle boarding and diving.

SportNI is one of the leading organisations behind the initiative and their Outdoor Recreation Development Officer, Mike McClure, believes it is a great way for people to get into a water sport and to eventually join a club by commenting “Flow is a wonderful way for people to experience the great natural water resources we have here in Northern Ireland and hopefully by taking part in this campaign it will help develop favourite past-times that participants will take part in for many years to come”.

Visit www.FlowNI.com to see a full list of taster events and follow up training programmes that are being offered as part of the campaign to get you flowing into your next adventure!

Four Dun Laoghaire Yacht Clubs have come together to launch the Dún Laoghaire Sailability Programme 2016 for Children aged 8-17 with physical and sensorial disabilities

The DMYC, the National Yacht Club, the Royal Irish Yacht Club and the Royal St George Yacht Club have again combined to run this programme in Dún Laoghaire during the summer 2016. 

No sailing experience is necessary. The event is supported by Dun Laoghaire Marina and Dublin Port Company. 

Programme

1. Introductory Day (Come and Try it!)
Sunday 12th June at 10:30am in the Royal Irish Yacht Club

2. Sunday morning sailing at Royal St George Yacht Club
Commences Sunday 19th June and continues each Sunday
until 27th Aug (except Sun 24th July and Sun 31st July) - run
in conjunction with the DMYC

3. Two week-long sailing courses
National Yacht Club: 20th - 24th June (5 days)
Royal Irish Yacht Club: 2nd - 5th August (4 days)

Please email Enquiry Form to Debbie Horan: [email protected]

For general enquiries and further details please contact:
Ian French 087 2456834 or email: [email protected]
Ruth Shanahan 086 2374801 or email: [email protected]

The full notice is downloadable below.