Challenger sailing group given equipment boost

A HELENSBURGH sailing group for people with disabilities received a boost recently when it was given new equipment which will help members make better use of the water. Members and helpers from the Challenger Sailing group met to receive the launching trolley, which was made by Babcock Enterprises and given to the group free of charge. The trolley works by helping to launch the boats into the water and has a dolley wheel at the front, which allows for better manouevering into the water. Chris Jones, chief instructor at Helensburgh Sailing Club, said the new equipment would be a boost to the existing facilities at Helensburgh Sailing Club. He added: “Sailing is the only time they can compete on a level ground with able bodied people because once they’re in the water their disabilities don’t matter. “We cover a wide range of disabilities and we also have four men from the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme which is going to help out the users.” Helensburgh Challenger Group is a registered charity which was first formed 30 years ago and is the only group of its kind in Scotland. It currently has about eight active sailors and provides a range of facilities to enable disabled people to swim, including an RIB (rigid inflatable boat) – a kind of dinghy which the group purchased last year thanks to funding from the lottery, Waitrose and some contributions from local clubs. The RIB allows the instructors to go into into the water before the sailors so that they can guide the sailors back to shore if they get stuck. Aside from a team of instructors, the group also receives help from volunteers from schemes like the Duke of Edinburgh. Joanna Martin, the current chairwoman of the Challenger Sailing Group, said sailing was ‘therapeutic’. She added: “It’s absolutely a good thing to be involved with, it’s very social. "We hold a range of fundraising events throughout the year and have had barbecues as well as a swishathon, a ladies clothes swap event.” Joanna was a keen rower before she had an accident about nine years ago which put her in a wheelchair. She said it had been great to get into sailing. She added: “The trolley will be able to launch the boats into the water so it’s obviously something which we’ll be able to use for a long time to come.”