Dinghy sailing for all ages and any disability
What could be better than getting out into the fresh air and enabling our disabled members (sailors) to enjoy the wonderful sport of sailing? Add a great bunch of people, a beautiful location like Spinnaker Lake, and you have the makings of a fantastic day out. This is what our volunteers experience throughout the season.
Being a volunteer with New Forest Sailability (NFS) is a rewarding, satisfying and fun experience. You don’t have to be able to sail, but if you want to learn we can teach you. We need volunteers for a whole range of duties including:
* Meeting and greeting our disabled members, who we refer to as sailors
* Fitting sailors with buoyancy aids
* Making teas
* Chatting with our sailors and making them feel part of the team
* Rigging and de-rigging boats
* Helping our sailors into and out of boats
* Using hoists
* Crewing and helming for our sailors
* Driving the power boat
* Training
* Repairing equipment
* Fund raising
* Admin tasks
We welcome people from all backgrounds and walks of life, those with a disability, and people who are able-bodied but want to do something worthwhile.
Our volunteers and sailors make our club the success that it is so if you would like to become a volunteer come and see us any day we are sailing, normally Tuesdays and Fridays April to October or contact our Membership Secretary Stefan Hart on 07855 983853 or email membershipsec@newforestsailability.co.uk.
It should normally be possible to start volunteering immediately on your first visit if you wish provided you receive the minimum introductory requirement set out below.
Click here to complete and submit the Volunteers Membership Form.
Minimum introductory requirements
New volunteers are normally welcomed by the OOD and will be given an introduction to NFS following the minimum introductory requirements heading above. Guidance for those giving such an introduction is here Volunteer Introduction – Guidance.
Volunteer Roles
Click here to learn more about the roles for volunteers and our Best practice guides for volunteers are here, which provide a wealth of guidance on how best to do things for the safety and pleasure of our sailors and volunteers.
Volunteer Management and Organisation
To run our sailing days as smoothly and safely as possible we have a clearly defined structure of roles and responsibilities. These are set out here Volunteer management and organisation.
Volunteer Logbook
The TEAM SAILABILITY Scheme and Volunteer Logbook have been designed by the RYA to compliment your personal progression as a valued member of a Sailability Group and to provide structured learning to support you as you develop your skills.
Volunteers are encouraged to follow the scheme but it is not compulsory. There are four levels; Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum and as the scheme progresses the tasks become more challenging and some at the later stages require a formal RYA qualification. There are a variety of tasks to choose from covering essential jobs that you may take on.