Carsington Sailability is a voluntary group of people with a wide range of disabilities and volunteers whose sole purpose is to provide the means and initiative to enable people with disabilities to sail. Based at Carsington Sailing Club they enjoy the freedom to sail alongside their more able bodied colleagues. The latest project which was to station a boat with offshore capabilities to allow their members and helpers gain experience of coastal sailing suffered a major setback earlier this year when a bid to finance the project through the National Lottery was turned down, the reason given being that demand for funding had increased whilst available cash was limited.

Being part of the national network of Royal Yachting Association Sailability this disappointment was noted by Peter Davis, a sailor living in Whitby who had recently become severely disabled and was no longer able to sail his boat single handed and offered it to Carsington Sailability as a gift. This boat is a classic Uffa Fox designed Fairey Atalanta; it is 26' in length and has four berths. The boat is sound and seaworthy but has been somewhat neglected since it was last sailed some nine months ago and is in need of some TLC. Being stored ashore at Whitby raises some serious issues regarding the refurbishment of the craft and seeking a safe cruising ground where it can be kept.

The most probable and practical solution will be to transport the boat by road from Whitby and keep it in the garden of one of Carsington Sailability's members to enable work to be done without being under the financial pressure of renting space in a boatyard. This will also allow time to seek the best place to station the craft. This could be anywhere around the UK but the major consideration would be one of safety so sheltered waters would be a priority. A number of members do have the necessary experience and certification to take this boat called 'Baby Seal' cruising in coastal waters with their less experienced colleagues to pass on to them their expertise in this fascinating, exhilarating and satisfying pastime. Another bonus would be that a classic yacht had been saved. If you are interested in this project or would like to help, contact Derek Lee through Carsington Sailing Club or the website www.sailingendeavour.com