Novice sailors get ready to Sail the Island for Parkinsons

Thirty people who have never set foot on a boat before are getting ready to learn how to crew a 40-foot yacht and to take part in a special race circumnavigating the Isle of Wight in the Parkinson’s Disease Society’s ‘Sail the Island Adventure.’ Sixty others, with varying levels of sailing experience will join them at Haslar Marina, in Gosport, on Friday 5th May to take part in the challenge.

The novices will have only one day on the Solent learning the principles of sailing, whilst those with sailing experience already will develop their skills. Sunday is Race Day, so all the participants will get up bright and early to compete in an 8-10 hour race sailing the 60 miles around the Isle of Wight. The race starts and ends in Cowes.

On their arrival back to Cowes at the end of the day, the 16 crews will be welcomed by the Shanklin Town Band. The winning crew of six will be awarded the Boehringer Ingelheim Race Winners Trophy.

The Sail the Island Adventure is a fundraising challenge in aid of the Parkinson’s Disease Society and aims to raise £45,000 for people with Parkinson’s across the UK.

Hugo Middlemas, Director of Fundraising at the Parkinson’s Disease Society said: “Sail the Island is an exciting fundraising event giving both complete novices and more experienced sailors the chance to sail and compete whilst raising money for a very important cause. The event brings together people who want to make a difference for people with Parkinson’s by raising money to fund specialist nurses, information resources such as the Helpline and essential research. Last year, 36 people took part, learnt a new skill and competed. This year’s event will be so much bigger, and watching the 16 boats leaving Cowes at the start of the race will be a great sight.”

Judith Archer, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1999, but she’s not letting that stop her from trying something new and taking part in the sailing challenge. She said: “I’m really looking forward to taking part in this year’s ‘Sail the Island Adventure.’ Just because I’ve got Parkinson’s doesn’t mean that I need to stop! By taking part, I’ll be able to raise money for the Parkinson’s Disease Society, whilst having great fun and meeting a real challenge.”

Partners for the event are ‘Spirit Sailing’- a Royal Yachting Association accredited sailing school, based in the Solent. Steve Le Butt, Principal of Spirit Sailing Ltd said, “Following the outstanding success of the first event, we are delighted to be organising the sailing logistics once again. As the 36 novice sailors gathered together in Cowes last year, no one really knew what to expect. And, with just one day to train the crews, the skippers had their work cut out. Raising money for a fantastic cause, whilst having great fun and meeting a real challenge proved to be a great combination. With 90 participants this year, we are looking forward to more people experiencing for the first time the great thrill of racing a 40ft yacht.”