Disabled Sailing Festival returns to Rutland

Sailors with a wide and varying range of disabilities will again descend on Rutland Water for the 7th RYA Sailability Multiclass Regatta this weekend (10-11 August). Sponsored by Sport England and the Joan Braithwaite Sailing Trust, the regatta is the largest of its type in the country with competitors coming from all over Britain, and in some cases Europe, to compete in one of 10 classes. The event attracts sailors with a huge array of ambitions, from those who are relatively new to racing or simply enjoy competing to those with serious Paralympic aspirations. Rutland Sailing Club has hosted the regatta since its launch in 2007, and home club, Rutland Sailability, will as always have a strong contingent at the event, with some 15 local competitors bidding to make home advantage count. Debbie Blachford, RYA Sailability Manager, said: “We love bringing the Multiclass Regatta back to Rutland each year. It’s a great piece of water to accommodate more than one fleet and it’s a very accessible club with good facilities, great for networking and lots of interaction between the classes. “The regatta is a fantastic showcase of the talent we have within the disabled community and it’s a great social event too with many spectators coming along to support and meet other disabled people who share a common interest in the sport. “The whole ethos of Sailability focuses on the acceptance that everyone is different and it’s what each individual can do, not what they can’t, that can be nurtured into a lifelong involvement in sailing.” More than 60 volunteers, most based locally at Rutland Sailability, plus a number of RYA Sailability Regional Organisers and helpers from the country’s many different Sailability groups, will also be on hand to assist with the running of the regatta and help the sailors on and off the water. Debbie added: “The invaluable help of the Rutland Sailability group makes the event happen. Boat launchers, tractor drivers, RAF safety boats and crew, tea makers and all the rest, they are the spirit of Sailability.” The weekend kicks off with a race training day on Friday, offering on-water and shore based training sessions for both newcomers and more advanced sailors. A full day of class racing takes place on the Saturday before day two of racing on Sunday and the weekend culminating with prize-giving, including awards for the top boat in each class and the Ken Ellis Trophy for the overall champion of champions. Richard Parker will be travelling from Switzerland to compete in the Neo 495 class. He said: “We choose to come to the Multiclass Regatta as it’s a great opportunity to sail with other boats, see other classes on the water and to meet other people.” RYA Sailability is the national programme, run by British sailing’s national governing body, which encourages and supports people with disabilities to take up the sport and helps clubs to develop facilities to deal with a wide and diverse range of abilities. Sailing is one of the few sports in which able-bodied sailors and disabled sailors can participate on equal terms. The 10 different boat types being contested at the event are Challenger, Access, 2.4mR, SKUD 18, Laser Stratos, Artemis, Neo 495, Kinsman, Squib and Sonar classes. For more information about RYA Sailability and the Multiclass Regatta visit www.rya.org.uk/programmes/ryasailability or contact the Sailability team on 0844 556 9550 or at sailability@rya.org.uk