Mylor Sailing School

Mylor Sailing and Powerboat School is an independent training centre based in Mylor yacht harbour, near Falmouth. It offers sailing lessons and powerboat courses for everyone from complete beginners to experienced sailors, including people with disabilities via its charitable arm, Mylor Sailability.

Accessible and adapted sailing and powerboats enable the school to accommodate physical disabilities and learning differences from age 6+. Scheduled sessions run every week and one-to-one private lessons are available. Those who like to be prepared can find storyboards (social stories) and pictures to show what sessions are like.

A new project called the Good Day Promise offers free sessions for people with terminal or serious illnesses and their loved ones, to experience sailing together for free.

The sailing boats at Mylor take up to five participants plus an instructor. You can be as involved as you wish: get hands-on and learn to sail, or sit back and enjoy the sensation of sailing.

The team has clearly put a lot of effort into accessibility arrangements. A support seat brings sailing to those who cannot sit unaided, and a sling is available to hoist people across from the harbourside into the boats. There’s also an accessible powerboat with a ramp for wheelchair users and people with mobility issues - the interior can be rearranged so a wheelchair user can drive this boat.

A new adapted boat features Sipand-Puff electronic technology: the disabled sailor can control the boat through a series of straws, sucking or blowing to move the rudder.

Mylor harbour is situated on the Carrick Roads, with access to beautiful scenery in all directions. Sailors might see the twin castles of St Mawes and Pendennis, built by Henry VIII to protect the waterway and access to Falmouth and Truro; Falmouth itself, with Navy ships in the dock for repairs; and if you’re lucky, maybe even some wildlife.

Extensive information on how the school’s accessibility programme works, including full details of timings and how to book, can be found on the website mylorsailingschool.co.uk