Maintaining a diverse fleet of boats is central to our ambitions to make sailing accessible to as many people as possible, while enabling our members to challenge themselves and develop their skills.
Here are details of our current fleet:
Drascombe long boat
Our Drascombe longboats are the largest in our fleet, and therefore lend themselves to group sailing. All trips will be overseen by a qualified skipper, and passengers will be given the opportunity to get involved in crewing and helming.
The size of the Drascombe longboats enables us to carry medical equipment (such as oxygen tanks), and whilst most passengers and crew will sit on the wooden benches, beanbags can be used to provide supportive seating if required.
Hansa Access boats
Hansa Access boats have a very heavy keel, making them almost impossible to capsize. They can be sailed solo or by two persons, and novice sailors will always be accompanied by Assistant Instructors.
The simplified rigging and joy-stick steering mechanism mean that they can be sailed from the fixed ‘deck chair’ style seating, and bean bags can be provided for suitable support.
RS Venture Connect
The RS Venture Connect is a technical dinghy which has been adapted to meet the needs of sailors with physical disabilities. The heavy keel means that it can be sailed from fixed bucket seats, whilst a console has been designed to make all controls accessible with limited movement.
The Venture Connect enables sailors to practice many of the finer skills that a regular dinghy would require, including flying spinnakers. Most sailors will be accompanied by an Instructor when using this boat.
Bahia
The Bahia is a non-adapted performance dinghy boat that can be sailed by two or more individuals. Again, individuals are required to move independently around the boat in order to avoid capsizing. However as with the solo dinghies, the Bahia is a forgiving boat. Advanced sailing techniques, including the use of spinnakers, can be practised in this boat.
Single-handed dinghies
The Laser Pico and Topaz are non-adapted training boats which will capsize. Generally sailed solo, the sailor will be required to move independently around the boat. However these training boats are more forgiving and easier to sail than many other dinghies.
