Yacht Competition Racing for the Disabled Takes Off! -

Home
>
Cruising & Sailing
>
Yacht Competition Racing for the Disabled Takes Off!

Yacht Competition Racing for the Disabled Takes Off!

Yacht racing, though it may seem like "a breeze" to spectators (to turn a phrase), is really a lot more complicated than it looks. Anyone who's ever been involved in a "backyard regatta" or a world-class yacht race will tell you: This is a sport that requires very savvy technical skills and a strategic mind. Still think anyone can do it? Just ask anyone who's served as a crew member in a yacht-racing adventure catered to the disabled. Here's a guarantee: They'll look at you like you're crazy.

Races are always set along a designated course, and are usually sponsored by a Disabled Sailors association (which can be found in most of our United States and abroad). Usually, men's and women's teams compete separately, and boats can range from Olympic-class dinghies to basic, modern fiberglass-planing dinghies. In fact, this sport has been internationally recognized since 1976, when it was featured in the Montreal Olympics.

As with any sport, volunteers are always needed for upcoming events. For example, the St. Francis Yacht Club will host the upcoming 470 Class North American Races in the San Francisco Bay area in mid- to late August. This race is just one of many taking place all across the United States, solely for disabled racers, and they'll need skippers and deck hands to help get the action going.

Usually, the schedule of events covers completing entry forms, yacht measurement, a festive "opening ceremony," often accompanied with music, light Hor devours and champagne; and on each race day, sailors will enjoy a continental breakfast in the morning and a fun-filled evening of food and drinks following the race.

The Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (BAADS), like most, allows every participant to solicit foundation or corporate sponsorships, and again, many positions are available, from one of the most important sailing races Association and the United States 470

And, no matter who wins, the closing ceremonies are nothing to sneeze at. You'll be entertained, wined, and dined while enjoying the sounds of a great jazz or blues band, commemorating the event's end. Another plus is that, for this race and many others throughout the country, you can qualify for an Olympic race ? if you're the lucky winner, that is.

David Dunlap is the owner and founder of Only For Yachts, an online resource for everything related to yachts. Visit http://onlyforyachts.com to get information on yacht charters, yachts for sale and also sign up for the free yachting newsletter.

In The News:

FAMILIES MAKE WAVES, HAVE FUN
Orlando Sentinel, FL - 22 hours ago
Wherever cruise ships sail from, extended families are sailing, celebrating anniversaries, gathering for family reunions or just trying to get away and find ...

Sail World
Glad to be Home - Sailing Grieves tell their Story
Sail World, Australia - 9 hours ago
Are you tired of reading all those stories of cruising couples who break the ties, go sailing and never regret it? How fantastic it is for families, ...

Sail World
Another day in maxi paradise
YACHTe.com.au, Australia - 9 hours ago
Today was another day for the holiday-makers in this vacation paradise to witness the impressive array of the big, the beautiful and the fast in the sailing ...
Images and results as Rolex Maxi Cup concludes Sail World
all 6 news articles

Washington Post
Cruising 101: Raise The Jib, Hold the Rib-Eyes
Washington Post, United States - Sep 2, 2008
I didn't know then that she had grown up sailing on a succession of her dad's boats. Jane didn't want to spend a fortune on some fancy yacht, ...

Cruising with a Crowd: Baltic voyage offers fellowship and ...
MiamiHerald.com, FL - 23 hours ago
The Baltic cruise was ringleader John's idea, broached a full year before the sailing date. There were demurs: Bad economy, been there before, ...

Baltic cruises to float your boat
Mirror.co.uk, UK - Sep 6, 2008
My four-day Baltic cruise started in Stockholm sailing on to Helsinki but the Grand Hotel, Stockholm (www.grandhotel.se) wasmy base for for one night until ...

The Associated Press
Vast model ship armada on display in Germany
The Associated Press - 13 hours ago
Tamm's father served aboard a German submarine cruising the Mediterranean in World War I. During World War II Tamm was a high school student in Hamburg — a ...

Leisure boating looking up, marina at Goa likely by next year
Economic Times, India - Sep 6, 2008
7 Sep, 2008, 0957 hrs IST, PTI MUMBAI : Leisure boating and coastal cruising look set to gain momentum in the country with two Indian and a British company ...

The UK’s top 10 new cruise ships
Easier (press release), UK - Sep 5, 2008
The ship was unveiled in Dover last October and is now sailing in the Mediterranean. A CruiseCritic.co.uk member describes their experience: “What an ...

Make your maiden cruise a short venture to discover your sailing ...
TMCnet - Aug 31, 2008
"The important thing to remember is that the 'traditional' cruise experience will exist on other sizes of ships still sailing. "Nothing says you have to ...

cruising sailing - Google News

Yacht Competition Racing for the Disabled Takes Off!

Cruising & Sailing