15/10/2008
We are sailing with Sailability
At the support meeting in October there was a short talk about Sailability, where all those involved were upbeat about it. As the final outing of the year was the following week, which was half term, I thought it may be worth a try. I suggested this to my daughter Abi, who after many questions agreed to give it a go.
So on a very cold morning we all wrapped up in coats, scarves, gloves and hats and went to Ferry Meadows boating lake. We weren’t the only ones there; I recognized many from the support group.
Abi was taken off to put on additional sailing clothing, and returned in some oversized waterproofs, but with the freezing wind at least she should be warm I thought. She was soon helped into a boat, which was launched and then the person who was actually going to sail it got in. Off they went, and her sister and I had 20 minutes, so we went to the café next door. After the allotted time Abi was still out on the lake, but soon returned. She was very cold, but didn’t seem to notice at first, as she was struggling to get the waterproofs off. Abi doesn’t give much information, so even when asked if she enjoyed it, she simply said yes. However the fact that she asked when she could go again was enough to say that it must have been good.
The next session is not until April next year; it is on Tuesdays usually between 10am and 4pm. For information the local contacts are Peterborough Sailability Tel. 07720 410452 or
sailability@btinternet.com. The cost is about £4 per session, but the first couple of sessions are free, so it’s worth giving it a go.
Nikki Spicer