Sail training for disabled boosted by £20k Manx lottery grant

The Manx Sailing and Cruising Club carries out training in Ramsey Bay

The expansion of a Ramsey yacht club's training fleet will open up the sport to people with a variety of disabilities, the club has said.

The Manx Sailing and Cruising Club has been awarded a £20,000 grant by the Manx Lottery Trust to cover the cost of two RS Quest dinghies.

The club offers tuition to those aged 10 and over.

Vice commodore Jerry Coleman said the new vessels would allow students to "thrive" in a safe environment.

The club, which offers lessons in dinghy sailing and powerboat handling to people with varying levels of abilities, operates under the supervision of Royal Yachting Association (RYA)-qualified volunteers.

'Pure enjoyment'

As well as teaching the technical aspects of sailing, the courses help students to develop leadership and risk management skills and learn team working.

The new additions to the fleet will allow the club, which trained 45 people in 2021, to expand the number of students it takes on.

The larger vessels will also accommodate children and adults with varying levels of disability.

Mr Coleman said there were a number of reasons people want to learn how to sail, including work and leisure.

"Students come to us with varying levels of ability, many looking to advance their careers, others looking to take up a new hobby or improve their life skills," he said.

The expanded fleet would "provide our students, who come from a diversity of backgrounds, to thrive in a safe and enjoyable environment that will allow them to rise above their worries and benefit from the pure enjoyment that sailing brings", Mr Coleman added.