Rebuilding Confidence through Sailing

WORDS: KEVIN CHUNG

On Saturday 6 November 2021, in conjunction with cancerinformation.com.hk Charity Foundation, the Pandora class held a charity fun sailing event for six cancer recovered patients as part of a series of sports programmes designed to enable cancer survivors regain confidence through participation in different sports activities.

Charity Foundation representative Katy (lymphoma recovered) said that when one suddenly encountered cancer in life, the experience is like sailing out to sea encountering squally thunderstorms, which is very frightening. The mental and social fall-out from cancer can be just as devastating as the physical illness. The purpose of holding these sports events is to encourage cancer survivors to jump out of the box, try more different types of sports, and actively live a wonderful second life.

On the race day the weather was perfect for sailing, being a sunny day with a gentle breeze. Each of the six Pandoras was assigned a guest and the skippers were asked to allocate tasks for the guests and to get them involved in the fun race as much as they were able to handle. The tasks range from simple ones like looking out for possible obstructions on water, releasing the Genoa sheets to complicated tasks such as trimming the sails to some physically demanding tasks like pulling the Genoa sheets quickly when tacking and steering the boat.

After a mandatory safety briefing, the skippers then went on to talk about the wind, the tide, the course and the racing strategy. A few minutes before the start, all the boats were jostling for a favourable starting position. The guests were surprised to note that the race had effectively started even before the start gun! Everyone on board had to be aware of the surrounding boats, to trim the sails according to the changing wind direction, to make sure that they do not cross the start line prematurely. Everyone had to be alert and react quickly. Bang! Off we go.

After two hours of sailing in the harbour, there was a significant drop in the wind and the race was shortened with a finish at the Club line. All of the Pandoras were able to complete the race and make it back to the pontoon safely. The skippers were all amazed that the guests performed their allocated tasks admirably. Well done to all the crews. Mission accomplished!

The feedback on the fun race were all positive; Jennifer (lymphoma recovered) said: “I thought I was just sitting down and enjoying the scenery. It turned out to be full of challenges, quick thinking and fast reaction to changing conditions. It is indeed a very meaningful activity.” Another participant, Jessie (breast cancer recovered) said: “Sailing is a knowledgebased sport and it is not simple at all. It is a very good experience!” Participant Jasmine (bone cancer recovered) said: “I thought it would be difficult to experience sailing for the first time. I didn't expect it to be so interesting. It also made me realise the importance of teamwork when riding the wind and waves. There are many skills and terminology to understand. I look forward to participating in similar events again.” On reflection, sailing is a sport that may take a sailor a long time to hone his skills, but it is not difficult at all for new comers to get seriously involved, no matter what his/ her physical condition is. One can do relative simple tasks; others can do more strenuous and physically demanding ones. No one task is more important than the others and no one person onboard is more important than the rest as we need the whole team to work together in order to perform well. After the event our class secretary Joseph Wong philosophically drew parallels between a restored old Pandora and a person who has recovered from cancer. Once confidence is rebuilt, the cancer survivor can actively live a second wonderful life just like the rebirth of C150 after it was extensively restored a year ago. Katy further added that cancer is a pause, not the end of the road.

Joseph hopes that event like this would inspire the cancer survivors to rediscover their sporting spirit. The Pandora class is now planning to hold this meaningful event on a regular basis.