Isle of Wight High Sheriff Graham Biss (right)
There was plenty to smile about in Cowes Week this year. Cowes Sailability Club organised twenty accessible boat trips for disabled children and adults, enabling them to have a fun day out with their families. In total, 196 people from the Isle of Wight enjoyed excursions on a wheelchair-friendly motor catamaran during the five-day event.
“The weather was glorious and everyone had so much fun,” says Paul Wilks, the Cowes Sailability Club volunteer who coordinated the event. “Cowes Sailability Club has been organising boat trips for people with disabilities during Cowes Week for eleven years now, and it has become a highlight of the summer for many families. It is great to see children and parents with disabilities returning year after year and having adventures on the water.”
Roger Sutton, Commodore of Cowes Sailability Club, adds: “Our mission is to ‘put smiles on faces’ and this is so evident during our annual Cowes Week activities. I absolutely love being on the quayside to greet families after their boat trips and seeing their beaming faces. It is a pleasure to be a part of a voluntary organisation that makes it possible for people with disabilities to have incredible days out with the rest of their families.”
Five local organisations sponsored the Cowes Week trips, each providing the funding for Cowes Sailability Club to charter a boat for a day. These incredibly generous and supportive organisations were: Carisbrooke Shipping, the Isle of Wight High Sheriff’s Trust, Royal Southern Yacht Club Trust, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation and the Daisie Rich Trust.
Graham Biss, High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight, visited the Cowes Week event to meet families and Cowes Sailability Club volunteers. “The Isle of Wight High Sheriff Trust was delighted to continue our support for the fantastic work undertaken by Cowes Sailability Club. A massive thank you to all the volunteers, who literally put smiles on the faces of everyone involved. It was brilliant to see at first hand their sheer enjoyment of being able to take to the water.”
The Cowes Week trips departed from East Cowes Marina and took place aboard Wetwheels Solent, a nine-metre catamaran that can accommodate up to ten passengers, including three wheelchair users, at any one time. The boat is owned and operated by Wetwheels Solent, a not-for-profit Community Interest Company that provides barrier free boating opportunities for people of all ages and all abilities.
Paul says: “I would like to say a huge thank you to all our sponsors, East Cowes Marina and the crew of Wetwheels Solent for their support. I am particularly grateful to all of Cowes Sailability Club’s amazing volunteers who welcomed the participants, helped them into their lifejackets and ensured they had a wonderful time.”