DIFFERENTLY SAILORS: THE AIM, THE ITALIAN OFFSHORE SAILING CHAMPIONSHIP

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A beautiful project proposed by Diversamente Marinai (Differently Sailors), the Italian sports association (Elba Island) which has been promoting sailing for disabled since 2011. The aim is to participate to the Italian Offshore Sailing Championship, which will take place from April to August in different zones of the Mediterranean, by proposing a crew made up of 7 people, including some disabled.

The Offshore Sailing Championship is a very important and popular event and it represents an ambitious challenge for the group of Diversamente Marinai, who owns Feeling Kirié 13.50. The aim is not to win but to compete with high-level experts in order to demonstrate that “the possible is not everything but most of the impossible”.

The association is made up of very different people: disabled and not, teachers, sailors, photographers, restaurant owners. In addition to their love for the sea, they share a vision of sailing as an integration means: a way to remove any barrier and give anyone the same feeling of freedom. The Association is very active and it collaborates with many public authorities, non-profit organizations and companies in order to propose a different model of participation: disabled people not only are the users of a service but they teach and promote some sailing activities as well.

The Italian Championship should be the successful completion of this vision but it needs a small financial help to support all the participation costs: tranfers, harbours, fuel, enrollments. A total amount of 8,000 Euros the association is trying to collect with a crowdfunding campaign.

The campaign has been open since March 21st and it has already collected a support sum. It will be open until May 22nd. The benefactors will receive some little rewards: gadgets, on board weekends and dinners and the possibility to participate to the transfers from a regatta camp to another.