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Welcome to the Royal Western Yacht Club of Ireland Training Centre. Our courses are operated in the safe haven of Kilrush Marina. Our waters are non-tidal and a perfect place to start sailing.
Irish Sailing, who are the governing body for sailing in Ireland, run an inclusion project called Sailing for All throughout Ireland. This year they will be running the project at Kilrush Marina with the aim of taking children and youths with special needs out on the water during July and August. Wetsuits are not necessary for this activity.
The project is fully funded by Irish Sailing and Sport Ireland and is being run in partnership with Clare Sports Partnership and is open to any families with children with autism or who have mild or general learning disabilities.
The sailing is in a boat called a Hawk 20, a very stable boat, suitable for taking people with disabilities out on the water. Kilrush Marina has a hoist for wheelchair access to the sail boat if necessary.
This is a unique opportunity for children and teenagers with special needs and their families to experience on the water activities in Kilrush in safe environment with experienced instructors. Places are limited.
*New* Summer 2023
This year Irish Sailing are launching the Sailing for All Platform called Tapybl developed by Anitech Solutions. Participants in the Sailing for All project will be registered on the platform with access to numerous interactive videos to help develop an understanding of sailing. This project has received 100% sponsorship and as such there is no charge to families, however, we do ask that participants engage with the software prior to coming sailing and during the summer weeks while sailing. Participants will be asked for feedback on the software at various stages during the summer. We would appreciate your co-operation with this to ensure continued support and funding for projects such as this.
Families are asked to book a minimum of 4 sessions during the summer. There is no maximum limit.
Summer 2023 Dates
Week 1 - Mon 3rd to Fri 7th July
Week 2 - Mon 10th to Fri 14th July
Week 3 - Mon 17th to Fri 21st July
Week 4 - Mon 24th to Fri 28th July
Week 5 - Mon 31st July to Fri 4th August
Week 6 - Tues 8th August to Fri 11th August
Session Times: 10am and 12pm daily.
(If there is sufficient demand we will add an additional session at 2pm)
Irish Sailing, who are the governing body for sailing in Ireland, run an inclusion project called Sailing for All throughout Ireland. This year they will be running the project at Kilrush Marina with the aim of taking children and youths with special needs out on the water during July and August. Wetsuits are not necessary for this activity.
The project is fully funded by Irish Sailing and Sport Ireland and is being run in partnership with Clare Sports Partnership and is open to any families with children with autism or who have mild or general learning disabilities.
The sailing is in a boat called a Hawk 20, a very stable boat, suitable for taking people with disabilities out on the water. Kilrush Marina has a hoist for wheelchair access to the sail boat if necessary.
This is a unique opportunity for children and teenagers with special needs and their families to experience on the water activities in Kilrush in safe environment with experienced instructors. Places are limited.
*New* Summer 2023
This year Irish Sailing are launching the Sailing for All Platform called Tapybl developed by Anitech Solutions. Participants in the Sailing for All project will be registered on the platform with access to numerous interactive videos to help develop an understanding of sailing. This project has received 100% sponsorship and as such there is no charge to families, however, we do ask that participants engage with the software prior to coming sailing and during the summer weeks while sailing. Participants will be asked for feedback on the software at various stages during the summer. We would appreciate your co-operation with this to ensure continued support and funding for projects such as this.
Families are asked to book a minimum of 4 sessions during the summer. There is no maximum limit.
Summer 2023 Dates
Week 1 - Mon 3rd to Fri 7th July
Week 2 - Mon 10th to Fri 14th July
Week 3 - Mon 17th to Fri 21st July
Week 4 - Mon 24th to Fri 28th July
Week 5 - Mon 31st July to Fri 4th August
Week 6 - Tues 8th August to Fri 11th August
Session Times: 10am and 12pm daily.
(If there is sufficient demand we will add an additional session at 2pm)
This is a brief outline but the program but it can be adapted to suit the needs of the children or youths involved:
Further Information
*For queries between Wednesday July 12th and Tuesday July 24th please contact Sandy by text at 0892032793.*
Emails may not be checked during this time.
Western Yacht Club's Inclusion Officer
Elaine O'Mahoney
Email: contactrwyci@gmail.com
Irish Sailing's Inclusion Officer
Ciarán Murphy
Email: ciaran.murphy@sailing.ie
- All sessions are lead by a fully qualified sailing instructor experienced in working with children with special needs.
- Sessions are up to a maximum of 1 hour and 45 minutes long. We are aware that for some children 30 minutes might be more than enough and that is absolutely fine. The amount of time you spend on the water can be adapted to suit your child.
- A family member (e.g. parent, sibling) or a friend is welcome to join the session.
- Families will be met by an instructor at Kilrush Marina and all participants will be fitted with a bouyancy aid before being escorted to the boat. Bouyancy aids must be worn at all times. If you feel this may be a challenge for your young sailor please don't hesitate to contact us and we can discuss how to help your young sailor prepare for their time on the water. The Sailing for All app also has lessons on how to use a bouyancy aid.
- Activities will be weather dependent and will follow strict safety protocols.
Further Information
*For queries between Wednesday July 12th and Tuesday July 24th please contact Sandy by text at 0892032793.*
Emails may not be checked during this time.
Western Yacht Club's Inclusion Officer
Elaine O'Mahoney
Email: contactrwyci@gmail.com
Irish Sailing's Inclusion Officer
Ciarán Murphy
Email: ciaran.murphy@sailing.ie
Please note we are not in a position to take group bookings this year. Maximum persons onboard for each session is 4, this includes accompanying parents and/or siblings.
Sailing for All Video
Here are some of our wonderful young sailors enjoying sailing and powerboating in July last year as part of our Sailing for All project.
Feedback from Families
"I am just writing to compliment the inclusive sailing undertaken over the summer. Our 7 year old, is autistic. We have always wanted to take him on boat trips but were unsure how it would go, knowing if it went wrong and he had a meltdown that it would be disastrous. We attended the inclusive sailing at Kilrush Marina and it was excellent. Every person that we interacted with was wonderful, communicating and interacting with him in his way and time. I could see his confidence blossoming as he was taught how to steer the speedboat and the sailboat. He was so calm and at peace, even growing comfortable enough to talk to our guides on the sailboat, which is a big deal for him as he often prefers nonverbal communication in new settings.
It is beyond wonderful to have this new world opened up to us, and especially him. I hope similar experiences are available in the future and many thanks to all for the wonderful work this summer. "
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"Our son had his 3rd day of sailing yesterday - on both the Gina G and Johnny T. He enjoys it very much. Our hope is to keep sailing in the future. It's a wonderful activity that gets us out, off the ipad, but is contained to where I am not worried about our disrupting enjoyment for other people. And besides learning about the actual act of sailing there is so much to look at and point out to him. There is lots of new learning, Both David and Sandy are wonderful - they are calm, kind, and fully in control - and unflappable. I fully trust them to be able to handle whatever could happen. The marina is calm and feels very safe.
Like all parents I was apprehensive - but he is so calm on the boat. I thought the first time was a fluke - he went with Dad the second time and was just as calm. Yesterday on the 3rd outing I was sure he liked it when he was pulling me down the boat. We would love to take him to Scattery Island and the Aran Islands etc. but were fearful of how he would behave on a boat but now we feel we could do it. And isn't it wonderful that he will slowly but surely learn about different types of boats (as will we) and get to see different places and different types of nature.
So thank you for giving us the opportunity to explore sailing with our son. Neither myself or my husband have ever sailed - so it is a lovely opportunity for us to do something new too! "
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"Just want to say a big thank you for facilitating us in the inclusive sailing this week. We had a wonderful day in Kilrush marina and my daughter just loved it. I would like to pay particular thanks to Sandy, David and Eoin for being so caring and welcoming to us all. We learnt a lot about sailing too! You are all to be commended on making this inclusive activity available to children and families like us. We very much appreciate it."
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It is beyond wonderful to have this new world opened up to us, and especially him. I hope similar experiences are available in the future and many thanks to all for the wonderful work this summer. "
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"Our son had his 3rd day of sailing yesterday - on both the Gina G and Johnny T. He enjoys it very much. Our hope is to keep sailing in the future. It's a wonderful activity that gets us out, off the ipad, but is contained to where I am not worried about our disrupting enjoyment for other people. And besides learning about the actual act of sailing there is so much to look at and point out to him. There is lots of new learning, Both David and Sandy are wonderful - they are calm, kind, and fully in control - and unflappable. I fully trust them to be able to handle whatever could happen. The marina is calm and feels very safe.
Like all parents I was apprehensive - but he is so calm on the boat. I thought the first time was a fluke - he went with Dad the second time and was just as calm. Yesterday on the 3rd outing I was sure he liked it when he was pulling me down the boat. We would love to take him to Scattery Island and the Aran Islands etc. but were fearful of how he would behave on a boat but now we feel we could do it. And isn't it wonderful that he will slowly but surely learn about different types of boats (as will we) and get to see different places and different types of nature.
So thank you for giving us the opportunity to explore sailing with our son. Neither myself or my husband have ever sailed - so it is a lovely opportunity for us to do something new too! "
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"Just want to say a big thank you for facilitating us in the inclusive sailing this week. We had a wonderful day in Kilrush marina and my daughter just loved it. I would like to pay particular thanks to Sandy, David and Eoin for being so caring and welcoming to us all. We learnt a lot about sailing too! You are all to be commended on making this inclusive activity available to children and families like us. We very much appreciate it."
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ADDITIONAL LINKS:
New Inclusion Projects: Irish Sailing Watersports Inclusion GamesSailability Ireland
New Inclusion Projects: Irish Sailing Watersports Inclusion GamesSailability Ireland