Being in contact with the sea has multiple benefits for people’s wellbeing and sailing even more so. This is the aim of the ‘Sailing for everyone’ programme led by the Catalan Sailing Federation and the Mi Alex Foundation with the support of the Barcelona Nautical Capital Foundation and in which the organisation of the America’s Cup shows its full support as a legacy project of the competition.
The ‘Sailing for everyone’ programme aims to bring water sports closer to people with functional diversity in order to normalise their access and practice, all while guaranteeing equal opportunities. To facilitate this, a series of initiatives are proposed.
In addition, the initiative aims to involve all the sailing clubs in the territory so that they can incorporate the proposals of the programme into their services and activities. In order to broaden the base of adapted sailing sailors, dissemination actions are being carried out in the different clubs to motivate and attract new users, while at the same time facilitating recurrence among those who have already started. Thus, a calendar of initiation tastings, apprenticeship courses and competition initiation courses has been created for the 2024-2025 season.
The establishment of a sailing school adapted to the Barcelona International Sailing Center (BISC) is also planned for September. This school will guarantee universal access to sailing and will also contribute to the training and development of an adapted sailing competition team.
Another axis of the project is the training of technicians in the field of adapted sailing, with clinics to expand, specialise and strengthen the knowledge of these professionals in this modality, in which more than 30 technicians have already participated.
To make available to these professionals, training materials are also being updated, such as the methodological guide, the ‘White Book of Adapted Sailing’, which will be available to everyone thanks to its digitalisation and open publication.
Kakapo Open Race, the first adapted sailing regatta in Catalonia
The starting shot of ‘Sailing for everyone’ will be last July with the Kakapo Open Race, being the first time that Catalan waters hosted an international competition of this modality. The regatta, of international scope, aims to promote events that promote and make the elite athletes in this modality visible and has achieved a record of participation. The spirit of this regatta seeks to make the fact that sailing places us all on an equal footing visible, as it is an activity that can be carried out by anyone, regardless of their abilities. With this project, the three institutions are working towards a fairer society, seeking to empower and guarantee equal opportunities for all by opening up the sea and the sport of sailing to all groups, especially the most vulnerable, which the organiser of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Barcelona has now joined.
