SAILING FOR EVERYONE, BALLARAT
May 2000
The past year has seen Sailing for Everyone, Ballarat move very quickly especially the contingent of competitive sailors. We have competed in the National Titles in Canberra both in 1999 and 2000. In this competition our sailors did very well, with Charles Weatherly bringing the title home to Ballarat but I was especially pleased that we won the team's trophy for 2000 as this was the culmination of the commitment and dedication of our valued members and volunteers.
We have spent many hours as a team working to provide a recreation service to the community that embraces people of all abilities and provides them with the opportunity to enjoy and participate in sailing.
In January this year we hosted the Sail Melbourne 2000 promotion Access 2.3 class events in conjunction with the Ballarat Yacht Club. This was a great opportunity for us to promote the philosophy of Sailing for Everyone to our community.
Unfortunately we are no longer sailing in Ballarat due to lack of water in Lake Wendouree but hope that the winter rains will rectify this problem. We will be using the coming months to fundraise for much needed equipment, specifically a new safety boat and outboard motor.
We are currently negotiating with the Sea Scouts to share their boatshed, which is next door to the Ballarat Yacht Club. This will give us our own "home" but still enable us to use the nearby facilities of the Yacht Club.
I am certain that our group have caused the eyebrows of people passing by to rapidly move upward on occasions. We are quite determined that everyone who comes to us and wants to experience sailing shall do so even if we may have to adopt some rather unique means of making this happen. While we were waiting for our hoist to be made and installed we would physically lift our more disabled friends in and out of the boats.
Our friend Jim, who is also our club secretary, was a little bit large for us to safely lift or assist him in and out of the boat. So, after much discussion, Jim decided it would be easier if we just tipped him out. When Jim finished sailing, about six of us would lift Jim and Access Dinghy up to the lawn, tip the boat up on its side and roll him out. We would then assist Jim to stand up so that he could sit back into his wheelchair. As I mentioned before Jim is our club secretary and this has also caused much mirth as since his stroke he has been unable to write!
Many of our sailors have mild to profound disabilities and many are able bodied. On Sunday afternoons, it may be obvious that there are physical differences but an onlooker could not differentiate between any of us on friendship as we are all there to enjoy the pleasures of sailing, the comeradie and socialising between friends.
Marilyn Morley
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