Sailing Program for the Blind
OVERVIEW
The Marin Sailing School Program for the Blind provides blind or visually impaired persons the opportunity to learn the fundamental skills of sailing and the basic principles of seamanship. Our students learn to sail through the use of creative and adaptive methods in a hands-on, mainstream teaching environment. The objective is the same as for sighted sailors: to harness the wind and to experience all the challenges and rewards of sailing.Successful sailors must become comfortable aboard ship, get well acquainted with all the equipment, fully understand how and why to trim the sails, and for some, learn to command the helm. With just a little guidance each of these skills can be developed successfully without vision. Through this, students build self-assurance to meet day-to-day challenges and enhanced confidence to try new things.
PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM
The Marin Sailing School Program for the Blind began in 2007 with a handful of students from the Living Skills Center for the Visually Impaired, now called The Hatlen Center for the Blind. The 2008 season also brought us the pleasure of coaching our first students from San Francisco’s Lighthouse for the Blind.Having now instructed over 30 blind or visually impaired students, in 2009 we’re including adults, and some teenagers, from other Bay Area organizations serving our blind and visually impaired community, including the Lions Center for the Blind in Oakland.
If you are visually impaired and interested in sailing with us, please contact Danette Davis at DDavis@MarinSailingSchool.com or 510.847.6203.
RACING
And then there’s the racing! Our California One racing team participated in its first competition at the U.S. National Blind Sailing Regatta in August 2008, at Newport, Rhode Island. That same team joined eight sailors from Massachusetts to form Team USA for the 2009 Blind Sailing World Championships held in March at Lake Rotorua, New Zealand.In August 2009, California One once again participated in the annual U.S. Blind Sailing National Championships at Newport, performing better than ever in an illustrious field of competitive sailboat racers.
In May 2010, the California One team and the Island Yacht Club organized, hosted, and raced in the first ever California International Blind Sailing Regatta in San Francisco Bay. The regatta attracted teams from California, Boston, Japan, Canada, and New Zealand.
DONATE AND VOLUNTEER
If you’d like to make a tax-deductible contribution to the program, please click below on the PayPal donation button. If you’d like to volunteer to help out with our Program for the Blind, please contact Danette Davis at ddavis@marinsailingschool.com. Either way, we’d love to have your support!Or mail your donation check payable to:
Marin Link / MSS Blind Sailors
5800 Northgate Mall, Suite 250
San Rafael, CA 94903-3631
The Marin Sailing School Program for the Blind is part of MarinLink(TM) a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
