Westwind Sailing’s Success: Innovative Opportunities and Partnerships

“We all have something awesome to offer the kids in our community,” said Diane Wenzel, Executive Director of Westwind Sailing, an organization located in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. that is dedicated to providing safe boating and sailing education for the general public. “We’ve built strong relationships with our neighboring clubs and organizations through the years and our passionate staff has worked hard to grow and expand in new communities.”

And Westwind Sailing has certainly expanded.

What’s New in Adaptive Sailing

By Sarah Everhart-Skeels and Cindy Walker

We recently had a conversation with Betsy Alison, US Paralympic Coach for the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider about the evolution of adaptive sailing in the US. We agreed that Nick Scandone winning US Sailing’s 2005 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award placed adaptive sailing on the map. Nick and his crew, Maureen McKinnon, kept the focus by winning a gold medal in the SKUD-18 event at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. Also, 2.4 meter sailor, John Ruf won Bronze in Beijing. Nick is no longer with us, but his wife Mary Kate wrote a great book about his life that I would highly recommend, In The Nick of Time: The Nick Scandone Story.

Daily Lift - Adaptive Sailing

Basic starter kit for physically disabled sailing and boat adaptations - Simple additions for any boat could include a camping or yoga mat, some short lengths of rope, a smooth wood plank, possibly a cooler or recycling bin and a roll of duct tape. With these items, one can create:

-A padded, non-slip seat
-Padding around sharp objects in the cockpit
-An additional thwart to assist transfer from side to side during maneuvers
-Extra loops of rope to grip and provide stability in the boat
-Extensions to sheets