on the Farries Flyer, aka the Arc
We had a great time despite the chill wind blowing up the river from the sea. Tim was skippering with Julie as coxswain for the majority of the trip.
With our Officer of the Day's permission we checked the sea state with Froward Point NCI, and went a short way To Sea.
This was the first time several of our members had gone beyond the Castles, let alone outside the harbour limits. And, apart from being chilly, conditions were ideal, with a minimal swell.
Every sailing member was offered the chance to steer the boat. She’s specially adapted with a secondary wheel that swings out for a wheelchair user to take full control, or as much control as they wish. Those who can access the helm seat use the helm seat.And as the sea state was slight it it was safe to manoeuvre the four wheelchairs while under way. All four wheelchair users steered the boat for a short while as well as one sailor not in a chair. This meant everyone, some with the help of their enablers, had to play musical chairs aboard as we repositioned wheelchairs. Tim and Julie took great care taken with the trim (balance) of the vessel during the ‘all move round one place anticlockwise' manoeuvre. The Arc is a wide, stable boat, well suited to such weight adjustments. Everyone, without exception, had a blast! And en route we paused at The Mermaid to pay our respects. We started the 2018 RYA Powerability Scheme logbooks which means that over the season all sailors that want, can complete the various achievements that lead to Powerability Bronze, Silver, and Gold certificates. Five achievements lead to Bronze level. Fifteen lead to the Silver, and twenty five to Gold. Gold is directly equivalent to the RYA Powerboat Level 1. There is also a Powerboat Level 2.. Saturday was a good practice session where everyone practiced the considerable skill of steering a steady course. There are many different achievements available in the book, for differing types of learning and ability. The log books have been given to the sailors, we hope they will bring them with them every time they come. Article written by Tim Trent, edited by Anna.