SailBlind teaches blind and visually impaired persons the art and science of sailing using adaptive methods developed by Arthur O’Neill of the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton, Massachusetts.
SailBlind trains experienced sailors to guide blind participants. Guides must demonstrate skills on the type of boat used and experience sailing under varying conditions to be approved. Participants need no previous sailing experience.
SailBlind offers weekly recreational and competitive sailing sessions (Saturday and Wednesday respectively) throughout the summer in Boston Harbor through the Courageous Sailing Center in Charlestown. Guides sail for free; participants pay a nominal fee.
SailBlind’s Recreational and Competitive Sailing Programs
SailBlind offers recreational sailing to pre-registered blind persons of all abilities each Saturday (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) from June through August. The program uses Rhodes 19 keelboats, which comfortably carry 3-4 persons and are easy to sail. Guests may sail once all registered blind sailors are accommodated.
Novice blind sailors learn the boat’s layout, principles of hands-on steering and sail trim techniques, safety, and what to wear. Training methods include the use of models and hands-on instruction to introduce sailing concepts to blind children and youth. Experienced sailors can improve skills and practice throughout the summer.
Participants must dress for the weather (guidelines available from the SailBlind office) as only storms or high winds cause cancellations. All participants, blind and sighted, wear lifejackets while onboard and on the dock.
Experienced sailors can be invited to join SailBlind’s competitive program, which takes place each Wednesday evening (6 p.m. to sundown) using a fleet of J/22 sailboats. Weekly club racing is available Friday evenings. Sailors can become eligible to compete in regional and international regattas.
SailBlind and Blind Sailing International
The New Zealand Council for Sailing for Vision Impaired Persons initiated blind sailing as a global sport when Colin Spanhake organized the first international blind regatta in 1992 in Auckland. That event that led to the launch of Blind Sailing International (BSI), an organization designed to promote the benefits of blind sailing and sanction competitions. To date, there have been seven worldwide blind sailing regattas:
- 1992: Auckland, New Zealand
- 1994: Fremantle, Australia
- 1997: Weymouth, England
- 1999: Miami, Florida
- 2002: Gargnano Lake Garda Italy
- 2006: Newport Rhode Island
- 2009: Rotorua, New Zealand.
The status of the regattas changed from international competitions to world championship in 2002 when the International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) first sanctioned the event as the World Blind Sailing Championships.
BSI was formally organized in 1994. Colin Spanhake was elected chairman; the headquarters were located in his native New Zealand. SailBlind was one of BSI’s founding member organizations. In 1999, following the election of the Carroll Center’s Arthur O’Neill, BSI’s headquarters moved to Massachusetts, where they remained until 2009.
SailBlind helped increase the number of nations participating in BSI regattas from five in 1992 to 14 in 1999 and still plays an active role in growing the sport. Arthur O’Neill stepped down as BSI chairman in 2009 to head a committee promoting the inclusion of blind sailing in the 2016 Paralympics. The next BSI regatta takes place in September 2013 in Japan.
Andrew Leibs - Andrew Leibs is Suite101’s Feature Writer for Accessible Recreation. He is a longtime chronicler of the disability movement with ...
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