No ! Smoking is strictly forbidden on all Visa-gb yachts or any offices where Visa-gb holds meetings or events. All rules and legislation governing smoking in public places must be adhered to when on Visa-gb trips by all members, volunteers and trustees at all times.

No. Sailing is not suitable for dogs. Why not give them a holiday whilst you are away!

The following description is an example of the accommodation of a typical UKSA yacht and other yachts we charter. All UKSA yachts are Sail Training School boats and are therefore well used throughout a season.

All the yachts we charter are fit for purpose with sufficient accommodation, a galley equipped with a gas stove and cooker, cooking utensils, a fridge, heads and sink, a chart table, a table to have our meals and storage for our provisions. The skipper and sighted crew will give all visually impaired a tour of the yacht and describe the locations of these items.

You will need to be a member of the Visually Impaired Sailing Association (Visa-gb) to be eligible to book a members berth and benefit from subsidised sailing events. This is free of charge to blind and visually impaired people who live and reside in the UK. Simply complete the contact form to join us here: contact us.

Sailing as a Visa-GB member is tailored for you to take it at your own pace. A general level of fitness is recommended so that you get the most out of every aspect of your sailing week.   Please refer to our application for membership and berths Terms and Conditions if you are unsure – https://visa-gb.org.uk/membership/

Our sailing calendar and trip invitations detail the voyage and the number of days that each event will run for. Final confirmation of the start and end dates will be in the joining instructions that will be forwarded to no less than two weeks before the start of your event.

Visa-gb works on being able to take between 4 to 6 visually impaired sailors to sea at any one time depending on the size of the yacht. The Yachts we use sleep a maximum of 9 people (6 visually impaired crew, 3 volunteers 1 skipper and 2 mates).

All visually impaired people over 18 years of age are welcome to join as Visa-gb members.

Yes & No! First of all, we need to know if you have any experience of sailing, maybe dinghies or yachts. If you have, great; if you haven’t, then no problem.  We’ll make sure that there is always a good mix of people on the boat so the experienced sailors can help those who just want to have a go.  We’ll make sure that we get you on the right trip.

A gentle cruise with regular stops is better for the least experienced, while the ones who’ve done it before might go cross-channel or do a bit of racing.   Don’t worry if you’ve never set foot on a boat before, as every sailor takes great pride in helping someone new to this wonderful pastime.

Safety is our absolute priority. Visa-GB skippers and volunteer crew have been chosen for their qualified yachting experience they have developed and their safety management. The oceans and seas environment in which the Visa-GB sails is demanding and testing.

Therefore, we work with them in selecting the sailing programmes that are safe, exciting and adventurous. All skippers and voluntary crew members are committed to providing the highest level of safety possible.

We continuously monitor and review your feedback to ensure that this happens. Our volunteer skippers and crew are trained and qualified to the highest standard, with experience from all around the world.

Skippers have a minimum Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) commercial endorsed Royal Yachting Agency (RYA) Yacht Master (YM) offshore qualification, with a valid Eng 1 medical, RYA first Aid at Sea, Sea Survival, and VHF DSC operators’ qualifications

Yes. Whilst you are on board the Visa-gb  yacht, all meals, and snacks are included. Meals or drink taken ashore are excluded and the costs will be your own responsibility.

It does depend on which part of the country we are sailing from, but joining your yacht details are sent no later than two weeks before the start of any trip. We will make sure every trip starts and finishes at an accessible location.

Visa-gb does not own any yachts so our sailing events tend to be where we can charter a yacht. This is mainly on the South coast of England which has a long history of sailing and racing sail boats, Milford Haven in Wales and Largs Scotland. From time to time we use yachts from the United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA) whose boats are in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

In addition we charter yachts overseas, typically in the Mediterranean for non subsidized sailing holiday events.

Specialised equipment is provided. Life jackets that are easy to fit and comfortable to wear. We can cater for [small to extra-large sizes]. if you need a different size, you will need to let us know in advance as we may need to make a special request.] Waterproof jackets and trousers [Oilies] can be hired by members for no additional cost.

You will need a sleeping bag for nights on the yacht.

Deck shoes or sea boots are recommended; alternatively, a good pair of non-slip rain shoes. Multiple layers are better than very thick chunky clothing, as you are able to remove layers or add an extra layer if you get too hot or are feeling the cold.

It is strongly recommended that a hat is packed as well as gloves, and possibly a scarf

A Comprehensive list of what you should bring is available in MS Word –  Download.

It is also in an Iframe below, so you can read it now without the need to download it.

No alcoholic drinks are allowed while sailing. It is quite acceptable for crew to enjoy a drink at the end of the day. Our alcohol policy is no spirits and only wine, beer or cider. Visa-GB practice is for crew members who wish to drink alcohol to contribute to a kitty and for a volunteer to purchase alcohol using this kitty. Those who do not wish to contribute to the kitty do not have to do so unless they would like specific non-alcohol drinks. Excessive alcohol consumption is not allowed and any breach should be reported. We want all crew to enjoy their sailing, you can’t do this with a hangover.