The Hindu : Sport / Sailing : `Sailability' turns its attention on India

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 16, 2005

Sport

Sport - Sailing

`Sailability' turns its attention on India

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH 15. An offer to donate two Access Dinghy and two ocean-ready canoeing boats to India has come from Allan Jones of Melbourne, Australia, who has been associated with `Sailability,' a movement conducting 200 `Accessible Sailing' programmes in 14 countries. The concept of sailability begins with the premise that any non-sailor is disabled in the sailing world, whether able-bodied or handicapped.

This proposal comes in a bid to start the movement in this region, as part of a plan to popularise the sport in Pakistan, Malaysia, Taiwan and China in addition to India.

What makes it attractive is that the Access Dinghy is a good training vessel for beginners, who can learn the ropes in a day, says C.S. Pradipak, Arjuna Awardee and International Juror (IJ), International Sailing Federation (ISAF).

Fitted with equipment to enable those without limbs and even paraplegics maneuver the craft with a joystick to their chins, the offer carries the bonus of free training in canoeing by Samantha, a volunteer ready to conduct a three week camp for the fishermen community in and around Visakhapatnam. Incidentally she has taught Aborgines back home to sail and make a living from fishing.

Costs

The costs involved would only be in transporting the above equipment from Melbourne, where Jones, a recent recipient of the Order of Australia medal for services to people with disabilities through Sailability, is stationed, to Visakhapatnam or Chennai.

Subject to approval from the Yachting Association of India (YAI), Pradipak has also planned a race or two for handicapped sailors during the National Hobie Cat 16 championships at Visakhapatnam in May. The International Foundation for Disabled Sailors (IFDS) world championships will be held in San Felice Circeo, Italy from October 1 to 10, he added.

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