An interview with Sidaulia Lyons on the 2023 Special Olympics of Massachusetts Sailing Regatta
by David Schmidt 1 Aug 2023 16:00 BST
August 6, 2023
Community Boating Inc. opens its doors to the Special Olympics of Massachusetts Sailing Regatta © Community Boating Inc
There are many great reasons to fall in love with the sport of sailing. One of these is the sport's ability to be inclusive to sailors of all needs. Take, for example, the 2023 Special Olympics of Massachusetts Sailing Regatta, which is set to unfurl on the waters of the Charles River, in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday, August 6.
The event is being hosted by Community Boating Inc., and it will provide sailors with different physical and cognitive abilities the opportunity to get onto a racecourse on one of the most storied pieces of freshwater in the USA.
While racing is a great outlet, far more importantly, the regatta and Community Boating Inc. are striving to create an accessible and welcoming environment that encourages all participants can learn and grow.
All told, 28 sailors are set to participate in this regatta, including one athlete who is a two-time Gold medalist at the World Games. These sailors will be racing aboard nine or ten boats, and these sailors will be supported by a small army of friends, family, and volunteers.
I checked in with Sidaulia Lyons, who serves as the community relations director of Community Boating Inc., to learn more about this regatta.
Can you please give us a bit of background on the Special Olympics of Massachusetts Sailing Regatta Community Boating Inc.'s involvement?
Back in 2007, we created our Universal Access Program, which is tailored toward individuals with physical and cognitive needs. Racing was something we really wanted to get going, so when we got the ask to host the Special Olympics Regatta around 15 years ago, we were psyched to partner with an organization with a history and experiential knowledge like SOMA Sailing.
What kind of entry numbers are you expecting at this year's event? Also, are there any notable geographical concentrations to this entry list?
We are expecting between five and nine boats with about three sailors per boat totaling around 20-25 sailors.
Most of the competitors and partners are from the eastern half of the state, but Pleasant Bay down on the Cape can be a pretty long distance with your average Massachusetts traffic.
Weather wise, what kind of conditions can sailors expect to encounter on the Charles River in early August?
In the many years of hosting the event, we have had it all!
Sailing on the Charles can be one of the more difficult racing venues, with shifty variable winds. Sailors should expect a light variable breeze at the start of the day with more frequent puffs coming from the west down towards Longfellow Bridge as the day progresses.
Then again, this is New England and the Charles River, it could be anything.
As a follow-up to that last one, do you see local knowledge playing a big or small role in the regatta's outcome? I've heard that racing on that river can be tricky...
Local knowledge is always helpful, but what is most helpful is making sure that someone is always [sensing] for puffs and lulls. Expect the prevailing westerly breeze to be consistent, while breezes from any other direction to be more disrupted due to the surrounding buildings.
Will the event feature any "chalk talks" or any onshore learning/coaching opportunities? Or is the event focused more on testing the skills that athletes arrive with?
This event is the culmination of practice throughout the summer. There are three levels of competitors. The top-level sails with no coaching, the mid-level has a small amount of coaching, while the lower-level offers coaching as needed. The regatta focuses on the competition and sportsmanship.
If you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) sailors, what would it be?
If you don't like the weather (or wind...) just wait five minutes!!
Keep an eye upwind and what you think is downwind. Sometimes there can be large shifts that seemingly come out of nowhere. Always be ready to adjust your sails.
Can you tell us about any efforts that you and the other regatta organizers have made to try to lower the regatta's environmental footprint or otherwise green-up the regatta?
In 2017, through funding from 11th Hour Racing, we installed an energy-efficient water bottle filling station at the main entrance of our dock. During larger summer events like these, we add additional hydration stations via water barrels throughout the dock.
We will be offering Special Olympic Regatta participants a reusable water bottle. In recent years, we've been giving out these water bottles, and we see competitors bringing them back year after year.
We limit our powerboat usage to two, one race committee boat and one mark boat. For on-the-water media, instead of having an additional powerboat, we add them to either the race committee or mark boat that will already be on the river.
Is there anything else that you'd like to add, for the record?
If you're just starting out sailing or looking to volunteer in the sailing world, look in your area for community sailing organizations. Don't be shy, community sailing organizations offer affordable and adaptable programming, learning resources and lifelong friendships.