Riviera Community
£25,000 Relocation Appeal Dart Sailability, which provides boating activities for the disabled, has had to weigh anchor and move from Noss on Dart Marina to Galmpton incurring major relocation costs. Can you help?
F
or 23 years Dart Sailability, which provides boating fun for people with a wide range of disabilities, has made its home at Noss on Dart Marina, with successive owners offering free berthing for this worthy cause. However, they must now weigh anchor and establish a new home for their charitable activities as they have been unable to secure affordable terms with new owners Premier Marinas. The good news is that the charity has now been welcomed by MDL Marinas at Dartside Quay in Galmpton, and Dolphin Quay has offered some free moorings. Naturally Dart Sailability and its members are immensely relieved and grateful. However relocation costs are very high. They include: over £10,000 for a ramp and pontoon so disabled sailors can access boats safely, the renovation of a Portakabin which will become a club house (£6,500), dinghy trollies (£1100), generator (£850), hoist (£300), clubhouse furniture (£750) and other significant moving costs including fuel tanks, tools, transport and ground works. In addition, it costs about £20,000 to keep the charity afloat annually. Principal of Dart Sailability Ian Wakeling says, “We desperately need financial help for these very significant relocation costs and our target is £25,000. Our sailors and volunteers get so much out of their sailing and activities and it is crucial that we deliver a really good summer programme of events. There is absolutely no doubt that our sailors’ mental and physical wellbeing and enjoyment are greatly enhanced by being out on the
englishrivieramagazine.co.uk
water and the freedom that sailing on the beautiful River Dart gives. The clubhouse will be a real asset for all our members, old and new.” Volunteers and sailors are standing by, ready to start preparing the new base and moving boats. This will provide members who have a wide range of physical and learning disabilities with the opportunity to get back out on the wonderful River Dart. These opportunities include cruises in a specially built landing craft, which can take a number of wheelchairs. Members can sail a range of purpose built and adapted sailing boats or learn to drive a powerboat. In 2018-19 Dart Sailability delivered 635 sailor days of activity supported by 860 volunteer days of support and, despite the Covid pandemic, the charity found ways for some sailors and volunteers to safely enjoy some sailing on the river last summer. The charity, which was established in 1997 is run and managed purely by volunteers and is a Royal Yachting Association Recognised Training Centre and also a centre of excellence for Sailability in the South West. It has identified numerous tailored access points for disabled people along the River Dart so they can enjoy its beautiful scenery, heritage and wildlife. dartsailability.org
To Donate There is a donation button on the website and there are further details including how to donate by BACS or by cheque on the home page. April/May 2021 | 47
