Australian sailing staff and instructors from the Victorian State Sailing Centre recently participated in a session facilitated by Vision Australia to develop skills to assist, support, and interact with individuals who have a vision impairment.  

https://www.sailing.org.au/news/tips-to-support-people-with-vision-loss-sailing-session-guide/

Below is a session coaches and instructors may wish to try with sailors to develop skills to improve boat handling, crew communication, and to gain a greater understanding of supporting people with vision loss to learn to sail.  

Session Title:  

Blindfold sailing 

Equipment required:  

2-4 Marks 

Description:  

The aim of this exercise is to experience sailing unsighted. This requires one sailor at a time to be blindfolded or close their eyes and feel the boat balance, boat speed and wind strength with their other senses. The other crewmember must then feedback the positions of other boats and obstructions. 

Instructing skills: 

• Communication 

• Adaptability  

• Empathy 

Sailing skills: 

• Enhance automatic sailing skills 

• Train out visual dominance and heighten other senses 

• Re-enforce the importance of communication and teamwork 

Set-up:  

Using a course of your choice, brief the sailors on the rules and decide who will sail blind first (helm or crew). Start the fleet individually at 10 second intervals with sailors able to open their eyes / remove blindfold at any point if they become uncomfortable. The aim is for sailors to increase the time they spend blindfolded or with their eyes closed. 

Top Tip:  

Give the teams an eye’s open’ word for dangerous situations that may lead to Collisions, and ensure the course is laid away from other water users. 

Adapted session:  

For single hander’s use 10 seconds eyes closed 2 open cycles, with someone directing from a powerboat. 

Coaching Points: 

Talk about what is happening visually, giving useful details. Use general measurements, for example, ‘the boat is about three metres to your left (or port).’ 

When giving directions or instructions, be specific. Try not to point or say, “over there.” Instead, direct the person to their left or right or preferability use words like “push or pull tiller,” this will not only help better your instructing language with people with vision loss, but people with all abilities too. 

Intermediate sailors:  

This drill will helps develop crews to provide better input on the racecourse improving timing and content of communication. 

Advanced sailors: 

Your eyes are the least effective sense at judging boat speed. Your sense of balance is better with your eyes shut. The more you learn to feel the correct angle to the wind, the less reliant you will become at using the tell tails. 

Further information from vision Australia can be found here.