No need to miss the boat with this PA pilot venture

Student Emma Chan, 18, has scoliosis, or curvature of the spine, and her two legs are of different lengths.

Walking can be challenging and she gets tired more easily. But oh how she flew in a sailboat yesterday and on Thursday, with the wind in her hair and a big smile on her face.

"It was fun and enjoyable. I liked feeling the wind in my face. It was very refreshing," said Emma, a beneficiary of SPD, which serves people with disabilities.

Like Emma, who does not know how to swim, nine other young people aged up to 18 from Grace Orchard School, SPD and Children's Cancer Foundation took part in a pilot programme to allow people with disabilities to try sailing.

They were each accompanied by an instructor from the People's Association (PA) Water-Venture group in Hansa sailing boats, which are designed for up to two sailors.

The group, which offers outdoor water activities to the public, initiated the programme to help the young people develop confidence and encourage them to continue leading an active life, regardless of their circumstances.

PA Water-Venture assistant director Norhayati Daud said the group hatched the idea after learning that the Singapore Sailing Federation had the Hansa sailing boats, which are slower but easier to manoeuvre and less likely to capsize.

This makes them ideal for people with disabilities and the elderly.

These boats were also used in the Asean Para Games last year.

Ms Norhayati, 38, told The Straits Times: "We decided to borrow them, make our sailing programmes more inclusive and try this out with the beneficiaries. We want to build an inclusive society."

She said PA Water-Venture will review the programme and could partner other welfare groups eventually.

The group had run a similar course earlier this year, using a different sailing boat, for 10 people with mental illness.

Yesterday's session was the last in the programme which started on Dec 1. Each of the participants attended two classes, each lasting three hours. They first spent an hour in a sheltered area, learning the basics of sailing and water safety skills. The rest of the time was spent on the water. They set off from PAssion WaVe @ Marina Bay and sailed on the Kallang River.

On Thursday, after about an hour of sailing, two of the beneficiaries from Grace Orchard School did it on their own, with trainers guiding from another boat nearby.

Trainer James Leong, 60, said people with physical impairments in their legs and limited arm strength can still manoeuvre the Hansa boats with their hands. "We just need to emphasise and repeat some points, and guide them along, so they get familiar with it," he added.

Madam Tamil Selvi, a Grace Orchard School teacher, said: "I didn't expect it. I recorded the whole thing on video. I think the programme has built up their confidence."

Yesterday, Emma got to sail on her own. "At first, I was a bit scared about sailing. But now, no more."