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Our plan 

The start of a new decade of empowering Visually Impaired Sailors

  • Increasing membership & volunteers
  • Delivering more sailing trips around the UK
  • Benefitting more visually impaired adults
  • Demonstrating ability over disability
  • Improving confidence and self-belief
  • Engaging with more clubs & associations
  • Building a sustainable organisation

We need you:

Like all organisations, our membership is the lifeblood and to make sure we continue to flourish we need to grow our numbers.

Membership is free for all registered visually impaired adults. We want you to join in with the sailing, help us run our charity, support events and become a member of the Visa-gb family, just fill in the contact form, click here for the link. https://visa-gb.org.uk/contact/

We are looking to partner and work alongside other clubs and associations that support the blind and visually impaired to introduce new members and supporters.

Our current sponsors are most generous but if we are to deliver more sailing trips so many more blind and visually impaired can get that most needed lift in wellbeing, confidence and independence we need additional help. New sponsorship and donations are needed to make the magic happen. We would like help in reaching out to companies and organisations.

So this is what you can do:

Existing members – can you help spread the word? Contact the trustees and ask what information you need so you can tell your friends and associates about us. Help promote the benefits of sailing, that feeling of freedom, being part of the team that makes the boat go. Relive that experience of wellbeing and help empower others. Call membership secretary Sue Hogge on 07767717440 for a chat or email membership@visa-gb.org.uk

Clubs and Associations – how about we come and tell your members about what Visa-gb does? Over a cuppa let us entertain you with a presentation on what we do, how we work, and what you get out of being involved. Salty sea stories from our trips suitably embellished tales high seas and the low taverns of our coastal heritage.

Completed in 2021 despite the dreaded Covid!:

  • Scottish Island Flotilla of four boats cruising the Western Isles, September
  • The Royal Escape Race across the channel was cancelled but we still sailed and
    had a great time
  • The Round the Island Race the biggest event in yacht sailing, July – Yes, and did
    very well!
  • Sea Vision 2021 four weeks of cruising and promoting Visa-gb, June/July,
    Amazingly over 30 visually impaired adults took part.  Pip Hare sailed with us as
    well and she makes a great cuppa!

Our Plans for 2022 :

  • Training sail, May.  Helping get volunteers ready for the season
  • Day Sail, May.  Offering first timers a taste of sailing
  • Solent Cruise, May.  A four day cruise in the Solent
  • Royal Escape race, May. To France, quick as we can!
  • Milford Haven Sailing Week, June.  Three boats helping to spread the Visa-gb word
    around the UK.
  • Round The Island Race, June.  Can we beat last year’s time?
  • Cross Channel Cruise, July. How far will we get, can we bring back any duty
    frees?
  • Plymouth & the Scilly Isles, September.  Two weeks, the island explorers!
  • Warm weather cruising, October.  The Med can be marvellous – Enjoy!

We need help with:

  •  Planning the voyages
  •  Talking to organisations around the UK
  •  Help with mail shots, phone calls and letters
  •  Interested in media, then ply your skills on blogs, social media and alike
  •  Based near the coast, can we visit?
  •  Part of a club or association? Would you members be keen to hear from us?
  •  Enjoy chatting, well there is plenty of encouragement needed

Basically, we are only going to make this work with your help so get in touch now!

Years ahead:

We’ve planned for the Fasnet race in 2025, Cowes Week, Cruising in Croatia – in fact, the world is our oyster and we need to recruit you to help us build it.

Blogging

Sailing trip blogs and reports, every trip will have its very own  ‘J K Rowling’ who’ll enthral you with tales of magic and daring do, on the high seas.  Ever fancied yourself as an author or publisher? If you have get in touch and maybe we can get you to collate, re-write, edit and publish the best of series!

Advertising and promoting

Advertising and promotion will also help our comms, we’ll be getting Visa-gb dodgers to go on the boats we sail, and t-shirts and fleeces will be available with the Visa-gb logos for members to wear (warning, we may need to charge for these). All we want you to do is chat to the folk on other boats, in the pub or down the bowling alley.  Let’s make it our club and be proud to wear the badge.

Newsletter

Sign up to get our regular newsletter pinging into your inbox, full of info, facts and fun – help us write it by sending your articles, all you have to do is sign up by registering on the site, just follow this link:

Membership

Membership, become part of the Visa-gb family.  It’s free to join! They’ll be members’ benefits, events both on and off the water and most importantly you’ll be doing something with like-minded people and your suggestions are most welcome. For more information please follow the link to the membership page.