Disability Sailing

RYA Scotland works with a number of partners including RYA Sailability and RYA Sailability Scotland to help make our sport accessible to all.

We are delighted to announce that Scotland has just had its first 2 Sailability Centres of Excellence approved by RYA Sailability.

Castle Semple Centre in Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire and Lochore Meadows in Fife will be running a programme of taster days and helping their existing sailability groups to grow.

There will also be open race training on offer at both centers for sailors of access, challenger and 2.4mr class boats.

Contact the centres directly for more information on this. Ali Dreyer at Lochore Meadows can be contacted on 01592 583388 or email ali.dreyer@fife.gov.uk

A centre of excellence is about a lot more than just having the right equipment; it is about the community around the centre. This community of professionals, participants and volunteers are who help the centre truly excel.

RYA Sailability has a well-established national programme of activity to develop disability sailing. In Scotland they support a Regional Organiser who works with RYA Scotland and RYA Sailability Scotland to deliver a programme of activity around the country.

The Sailability Regional Organiser in Scotland is David Hill, who can be emailed on ryas.sailability@ryascotland.org.uk David is the RYA Principal at Castle Semple Center so you can also contact him at the centre on 01505 842882 ext 21

We also work with Scottish Disability Sport to keep up to date with emerging best practice and changes to legislation.

RYA Scotland’s focus in the coming year is to help run a number of taster and experience days at a variety of centers and venues around Scotland; these will be listed on the Disability Sailing Scotland Google calendar along with other events, regattas, traveller series and anything else of interest in disability sailing. Updates and last minute news will also be listed on the Disability Sailing Scotland facebook page so keep an eye on that if you want the most up to date information.

David the regional organiser would love to hear from clubs and other organisations about any events that they are organising that would like listing on the Google calendar or Facebook sites to help boost interest.

Scotland already has numerous Sailability Foundations Sites around the country, helping hundreds of people to access our sport.

We will continue to work with and support these sites and hope to see new ones popping up around the country in due course. If you wish to expand your clubs programme and give disabled sailors access to your waters or if you want to get Sailability Foundation Status then RYA Sailability can help you. Your first contact should be with your RYA Sailability Regional Organiser who can offer advice and training opportunities for your club and club members.