WETA's for disabled people

Please select your home edition

Edition

WETA's for disabled people

by Mike Wood on 10 Dec 2016

Best performanc with crew to ballance the boat Mike Wood

While the Paralympic world ponders the technicalities of disabled people you may be interested to know that disabled people in the UK have been sailing and racing them for over 10 years.

The UK's Disabled Sailors Association (DSA) has a small fleet of Wetas and either provides dinghy sailing free of charge to disabled people or loans boats to people who promise to use them on a regular basis.

Rod steering is very positive © Mike Wood

Rod steering is very positive © Mike Wood

It is very easy indeed to adapt the Weta and the DSA provides modifications which allow any disability to sail them, single handed or with one or two crew. The most popular 'mod' is fitting a racing seat on the centre line allowing severely disabled people to enjoy this versatile craft.

Two Wetas are kept on the Mar Menor in Southern Spain which allows all year round sailing and racing and inexpensive holidays.

Spanish National Team members try a Weta in 2011 © Mike Wood

Spanish National Team members try a Weta in 2011 © Mike Wood

Very comfortable © Mike Wood

Very comfortable © Mike Wood

Wetas will sail with and rig combination © Mike Wood

Wetas will sail with and rig combination © Mike Wood

Easy access to seat © Mike Wood

Easy access to seat © Mike Wood

If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.yachtsandyachting.com/150331

Related Articles

Falmouth Harbour buoys up Children's Sailing Trust
Charity work at Trevassack Lake When the first ever Cornwall Swim Festival takes place next month at Trevassack Lake - home of the Children's Sailing Trust - the event will be that bit safer thanks to a new set of marker buoys sourced and funded by Falmouth Harbour.
Posted today at 1:52 pm

From youth dream to the world stage
For many young sailors the transition from dinghies to keelboats can be uncertain For many young sailors the transition from dinghies to keelboats can be uncertain - a point where even the most talented athletes sometimes step away from the sport. Yet in the SB20 Class, that transition has become a proven pathway to the world stage.
Posted today at 11:15 am

52 SuperSeries sustainability initiative on course
Specific goals at each venue which contribute to the main target Just as the international 52 SUPER SERIES race teams set their pre-season goals and objectives to achieve their best possible result at the end of the season, so to does the series lay out the sustainability aims and objectives for the year.
Posted today at 9:43 am

2025 J/70 Worlds at Buenos Aires day 4
Shakeup day on the Río de la Plata It was a sunny, beautiful day on the Río de la Plata with a ripping tide that challenged the 71 boats at the J/70 World Championship. The standings continue to invert throughout this series, with eight of 10 planned races recorded.
Posted today at 1:16 am

ILCA Statement on legal proceedings
NZ Court grant PSA interim relief and instructed ILCA to issue the following statement On September 20, 2025, ILCA sent an email titled "ILCA Announcement: Protecting the One-Design Integrity of the Class." Subsequently, Performance Sailcraft Australia (PSA) initiated legal proceedings against ILCA in the High Court of New Zealand.
Posted on 31 Oct

2025 IKA Youth Worlds at Praia da Vitoria Day 4
Youth Worlds build to a climax in wild Azores conditions Strong winds and Atlantic swells off the coast of Terceira made for a bruising day of racing in the 2025 Formula Kite Youth World Championships as the world's top young riders battled the elements and each other for a place in Saturday's Medal Series.
Posted on 31 Oct

17th Transat Café L'or Day 6
Re-start for the IMOCA fleet after the Canaries shutdown The compression at the Canary Island which the IMOCA leaders are experiencing because of very light winds was widely forecast pre-start last week before The TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR started.
Posted on 31 Oct

Francesca Clapcich tells life story in a new book
Currently leading the IMOCA fleet in the Transat Café L'Or Francesca Clapcich, the only Italian to have won The Ocean Race - and now aiming for the 2028 Vendée Globe - shares her story of the sea, her passion for adventure, and her courage in a newly published autobiography.
Posted on 31 Oct

DF95 Autumn Series at Barton's Point week 4
Peter Jackson celebrated his birthday by winning the first 2 races In perfect A rig weather increasing to 14 knot gusts 10 skippers contested event 4 of East Kent RSC's Autumn Series at Barton's Point Sheppey at the end of October, as member Mike Weston passed the reins of RC Yachts to Tim Long at Abersoch.
Posted on 31 Oct

Rockshore / Bosun Bobs RS400 Winter Series preview
19th year at Royal North of Ireland YC Following the celebrations of 20 years of RS400 sailing at the royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, this season also marks the 19th running of the hugely popular RS400 Winter Series at Cultra.
Posted on 31 Oct