[Yknot-list] Accessible Sailing: Independence Afloat

Thu Mar 30 22:03:54 PST 2006

      La voile accessible sailing
      --------------------------
      Update / Le point
      2006 ~ Vol. 3, No. 2 
     
      ======> This past weekend two key events for sailing teams took place, one ashore as the CYA Semi-annual Directors Meeting in Edmonton, the other the Mid-Winters regatta in St Petes.
         The CYA Board of Directors meeting served to rank the CYA's financial and strategic priorities while the Mid-Winters ranked performance in one- two and three-person designs. For Canadians in the two-person class, the regatta served as a qualifier for Sport Canada athlete funding of three developmental cards. Canadians formed 6 of 11 entries in the two-person class and 9 of 15 entries in one-person class.
      Full results here or go to www.spyc.org and search under Guests then under Regattas.
      Congratulations to the sailors who were working hard in Edmonton and in St Petersburg, coaches, family and friends. Here's the CYA regatta report.
      ---Keith
      PS -- Catch all the exciting action and medal winning performances of Canada's "best ever" Paralympic Winter Games Team on CBC television (All times local.):
            April 1,   5:00 pm - 6:00 pm, CBC Sport Saturday 
            April 8,   4:30 pm - 6:00 pm, CBC Sport Saturday 
            April 15, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm, CBC Sport Saturday 

      Able Sail Network
         Accessible sailing program leaders are invited to register first as an individual at www.ablesailnetwork.ca and then choose MEMBER SERVICES, the right sidebar of the MEMBER SERVICES screen that has instructions on how to complete a PROGRAM PROFILE for your program.
         So far a busy self-managed team of paid and volunteer labour is feeding documents to the website. This virtual network will take on formal incorporation in future as its relationship to its government grant receiving funding source DSA-BC and its governance structure are determined.

      Mobility Cup 2006
         The dates are September 11-15 in Vancouver. Website  Notice of Race 

      North American Challenge Cup / US Independence Cup
         This August 4-7 regatta in Chicago is open to one- two- and three-person classes using the 2.4mR, Freedom-20 and Sonar sailboats.

      New Freedom-20's available?
        Canada has some of these boats in use.  Catalina Yachts upon demand for orders of three or more still builds the Freedom/Independence-20. Currently there is interest by a new accessible program in Corpus Christi, Texas. Further info from Debra Frenkel.

      More precision on classification for Paralympic two-person class
         The IFDS recently issued a statement for the benefit of sailor of the new Access UD-18 / SKUD-18 class. The new details fit with the Functional Classification System for 2005-2008

      Heavens to Betsy
          USSA's Paralympic coach Betsy Alison recently gained media attention for accessible sailing via interviews you can read or view on Sailing Anarchy and Boating TV.

      Athletes with a disability to challenge America's Cup !!!
         In an exciting new project, IdeaArgo, an Italian based organization will be launching a unique challenge for the 2010 America's Cup, the elite international yachting regatta. An international crew of athletes with a disability will take on the challenge and the team is already being assembled from around the world. The skipper of the challenge will be Lars Gael, a Brazilian multi-medallist in
      Olympic Sailing. Gael remains one of the top yachtsmen in the world after losing his leg during a regatta. The initiative is supported by SportDiPiù www.sportdipiu.it a Torino based sports association for persons with a disability, the Giro di Chiglia Yachting Club www.gdc.it the Italian Naval
      Academy of Livorno and Assonautica, the marine division of the Italian Chamber of Commerce.
      IFDS article.


      CYA March Newsletter
         More news available from the CYA staff's newsletter.

     
      Independence Afloat Sailing School
      A Historical Perspective: 20th anniversary, 2000  

         Independence Afloat Sailing School (IASS) -- the first accessible program to be developed in Canada -- was founded in 1980 by Toronto sailor, Cathy Smart. At the time Cathy was graduating in Recreation Leadership and her primary area of study was in therapeutic recreation. Given that Cathy had sailed a good part of her life, she decided to incorporate her two passions -- sailing and assisting persons with a disability.  
        After securing a site on Maple Leaf Quay from  Harbourfront's, Nautical Centre at 283 Queen's Quay, four  Bombardier 4.8s, scavenging a trailer to act as an  office/club house and raising funds through government  grants and private donations, Independence Afloat was up  and running! With tremendous assistance and support  from the Ontario Crippled Children's Centre (now known as  the Bloorview MacMillan Centre), Cathy and five  enthusiastic sailing instructors taught approximately fifty  children and youth with a disability to sail that first year.
     

         Given that 1980 proved to be such a success, Independence Afloat moved forward in 1981. With continued support from the Centre, government grants and private funding, the school expanded offering evening classes to adults two nights per week. A few years later the Centre was no longer able to support the School, so the Lions Club of Toronto began to contribute time and money and did so for several years to come.   


         Word was soon getting out across the country concerning the success and need for such a program. Similar programs began to develop in British Columbia and the Maritimes.  

          When Independence Afloat was designed, the primary objective was to teach persons with a disability the fundamentals of sailing and then to encourage the graduates to carry on into established clubs around Toronto. This theory has worked to a certain extent, but clearly the biggest obstacle to the success of sailing opportunities for persons with a disability is a lack of physical access to the sites.   
     
         Hundreds of students have benefited from learning how to race -- entering local and national regattas, cruising techniques and much more! A few graduates attended the Ontario Sailing sailing seminar to secure their instructor's certificate and ended up teaching a few years at the school.  

         Independence is unfortunately no longer running. Its final year of operation was in 1996. Lack of funding was the primary reason that the school could no longer operate. However, other schools of similar nature still thrive in Canada influencing persons with a disability to get out there and catch-the-bug!   
        A number of success stories can be told due to the creation of Independence Afloat. One graduate of the school who is now an international competitive road racer, once said that Independence Afloat had "changed his life". At the end of the day, that is what sailing is all about. 
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      Ed. Note: Cathy's IASS initiative led to the creation of several Ontario Sailing adaptive "able sail" programs across the province, including a mobile unit. And in 1999, Ontario Sailing member Queen's Quay Disabled Sailing Program began operating from the IASS site using the same clubhouse and docks with which Cathy pioneered accessible sailing in Canada.  

     
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      The Great Canadian Accessible Sailboat Fleet


            BOATS BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS NF Totals 
             2.4mR 2    15     17 
             Access 5 2   50 5 2 3 2 69 
             Challenger Tri.     1     1 
             Freedom/Ind.-20     1  1 1  3 
             Hobie-Trapseat 14 2   3     19 
             Martin-16 14 5 1 6 18 5 2   51 
             Mini-12 12    4     16 
             Sonar 3 1   1     5 
             Sunbird   1   1    2 
             Other keelboats      6     6 
            TOTALS 50 10 2 6 99 11 5 4 2 189 

      Notes: 
         1) this data does not include the boats used by Queens Quay Yachting with the CHIRS program, nor the Lake Joseph YC program with CNIB, nor Bronte Harbour YC's keelboats for its annual program for persons with a visual impairment.
         2) for strategic planning purposes with its Long Term Sailor Development Model, the CYA needs to put on paper a boat progression model for the development classes for athletes with a disability just as it does for its other programs, where for example one moves from an Optimist to a 420 then a 29er and then Olympic class boats. In our case the obvious categories are the cat rigged Access 2.3 for entry level, then all the sloop classes: Martin-16, 303, Liberty, Challenger, Trapseat, Freedom-20, with the Martin-T/Martin162 at the top prior to the three Paralympic classes of 2.4mR, UD-18 and Sonar. This is an exercise of logic on paper where in reality one can start anywhere in the system if you have the capabilities to handle the boat.


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      Your National Sailing Network 
      As a member of the CYA you are part of the Great Canadian Accessible Program Network.

      What is the CYA

      The CYA is the national authority on the sport of sailing in Canada. Details at http://www.sailing.ca/about/organization

      Also, helpful to any discussion is knowledge of CYA's vision and mission as found at http://www.sailing.ca/about/strategic.shtm 

      It is you the sailors and organizational members of CYA that form our strength and potential for excellence.

      How are we organized?

      CYA itself is an organization led by volunteers with program development and delivery through professional staff and trained volunteers.

      Key components of the network are you the sailor and accessible program operator.

      The primary funding source is Sport Canada which recognizes the CYA as the official governing body for sailing across the country.

      CYA members include Clubs http://www.sailing.ca/services/organizations/clubs.shtm Class Associations http://www.sailing.ca/services/organizations/class.shtm Schools, Camps and affiliated organizations, all for which CYA represents sailing at all levels.

      Through the CYA and it's (your) provincial sailing associations (PSA's) http://www.sailing.ca/services/organizations/provincial.shtm we are building sustainable networks that foster inclusion through sailing as leisure, recreation and sport.

      Together, we provide sailing access for persons with disabilities across Canada and help programs with everything from fundraising to volunteer recruitment, strategic planning, compiling best practices, standardized manuals and training programs to ensure that the maximum number of persons with disabilities benefit from our collective endeavours.

      Accessible program organizers have varying degrees of understanding of what CYA does for them, just as with all other programs; but we can build on that knowledge to make your program and our national network the best it can be.

      What does it do?

      The way the system operates, the PSA's work directly and actively with local programs to ensure needs are being met. Part of CYA's role is to equip the provinces to work directly with the membership. As we all know, there is quite a range in size and needs of programs by province and similarly in the capacity of each PSA to act. In Ontario home to over 50% of accessible -- able sail -- programs, there is dedicated PSA staff and a dedicated accessible program network of the CYA family. This is not to say that the other PSA's are any less prepared to address the needs and interests of sailors with a disability. PSA representatives bring matters to my attention; I know that they care. And I'm willing to help, wherever I can. If anyone in Canada is aware of variances or inadequacies, I'm happy to intervene on your behalf and with your assistance.

      How to help?

      It's not only a matter of what can CYA and its PSA's do for you but what can you offer to expand sailing opportunities in your community and demonstrate support for your official provincial / national sport / recreation bodies.

      Important issues for all of us -- some of whom have been actively involved for over fifteen years -- are the sustainability of all elements of each program and succession planning to ensure appropriate leadership and direction. The answers vary with each program but let's continue to explore solutions in common.

      Where do we go from here?

      Can the network be improved? It's your network, so have your say. Continue the dialogue on how to make the network better and to make the official world practical to sailors and program organizers across the country.

      You get a lot now from your network that you may take for granted, whether it's learn-to-sail or learn-to-race, regattas, instructor and program liability insurance.

      CYA and the PSA's offer a direct forum to all various interests, including those advocating for changes in CYA / PSA's handling of accessible sailing. Add your contributions to the thought process in the public forum on the Message Board, which welcomes your constructive input at http://www.sailing.ca/scripts/discus/discus.cgi 

      So there you have it, the Great Accessible Program Network and illustrated above on this page, the Great Canadian Accessible Sailboat Fleet -- based on this newsletter's survey in fall 2005, updating its work from the previous year.


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      Previous newsletters / Future News

      This and previous issues of Update / Le Point are posted on the CYA Message Board. which offers an open forum for discussion.

      Looking forward to promoting accessible sailing together. 
      Send news as it happens.


      Keith Hobbs
      Chair, Accessible Sailing
      Canadian Yachting Association
      http://www.sailing.ca/competitive/disabilities/
      My role with CYA and sailing overall is strictly as a volunteer. I chair the CYA accessible sailing committee, produce this newsletter and liaise with sailors and programs across the country to support all events and class associations. 

      CYA Staff
      http://www.sailing.ca/about/staff/staff2.shtm

      CYA's Provincial Sailing Associations
      http://www.sailing.ca/services/organizations/provincial.shtm

      CYA's national partner, the ALACD:
      Active Living Alliance for Canadians with Disabilities
      http://www.ala.ca/content/home.asp

      ALACD Community Development Representatives
      http://www.ala.ca/Content/Contact/Overview.asp?langid=1 


      Please advise of address change

              
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