The thrill of boating with Cowes Sailability Club has been captured in verse by The DyslexicPoet.
Cowes Sailability Club would like to thank Ruth for giving it permission to publish and share her poem.
During Cowes Week 2025, Cowes Sailability Club organised accessible boat trips for people with disabilities and their families, many of whom had never had the chance to try a water-based activity of this kind before. One first-timer was Ruth Levi-Kent, who was so positively impacted by her new experience that she was moved to express her day out in a poem.
Entitled ‘Flying on Water’, the poem clearly conveys Ruth’s excitement leading up to the trip and the uplifting feelings that she had on the water. The fourteen verses start with her anticipation (“I was waiting for Friday, Our time was set…”) and include a description of what it felt like to take a turn at steering the boat (“There I was now, The wheel in my hands…”).
One verse clearly sums up the feelings of joy that Ruth had on the boat:
“I felt I was grinning
From ear to ear
How amazing is this
I let go of my fear.”
Ruth has impaired mobility, as a result of fibromyalgia and other conditions, and uses a walking frame. She found it very easy to access the boat and is appreciative of the understanding assistance she received from Cowes Sailability Club’s volunteers on the day. She and her husband received a very warm welcome, which helped her to relax and enjoy the experience. Writing in her poem, she recalls:
At the desk we signed in
We were offered cake
Next we put on lifebelts
I really couldn’t wait!
Despite being challenged by dyslexia, she thoroughly enjoys poetry as a way to express her feelings and share stories of good days. She has been writing her own poems for nearly ten years and publishes them on Facebook under the penname of ‘Ruth The Dyslexic Poet’.
Jenny Clune is one of the volunteers at Cowes Sailability Club who helped to organise the Cowes Week trip that Ruth enjoyed with her husband. “During Cowes Week this year we were pleased to be able to give many people with disabilities the opportunity to try boating, in a supportive and accessible way, for the first time,” says Jenny. “Ruth was beaming after the trip, so we knew straight-away that she had had a really rewarding experience. It was a nice surprise, though, to receive her poem afterwards!”
The boat trip took place on a motor catamaran, chartered for the Cowes Week event by Cowes Sailability Club. Owned and operated by the Wetwheels Solent CIC, the vessel has been specially adapted to cater for people with disabilities and can accommodate up to ten passengers, including three wheelchair users. Ruth’s poem conveys the thrill of speeding rapidly through the waves on a motor boat, a sensation that people with disabilities rarely get the chance to experience.
We went faster and faster
It was so much fun
With the spray of the water
And the warmth of the sun.
Funding for the Cowes Week event was provided by five sponsors: the Isle of Wight High Sheriff’s Trust, Cockwells Modern & Classic Boatbuilding, Cowes Corinthian Yacht Club, Dasie Rich Trust and WightAID. “I can’t say thank you enough to our wonderful sponsors!” says Trish Rooke, Cowes Sailability Club’s Vice Commodore and Fundraising Officer. “With their help, we have been able to create really joyous experiences for people like Ruth, whose disabilities would otherwise prevent them from taking part in fun activities on the water.”