Boston Blind Sailing Inc

IN 2021, THE ADVENT OF EFFECTIVE VACCINES FOR THE COVID19 VIRUS AND A SUBSEQUENT DROP IN INFECTION RATES LED TO THE REOPENING OF LOCAL BOSTON SAILING CENTERS AND BBS WAS ABLE TO RETURN TO OUR CORE PROGRAMMING. IN MAY WE CONDUCTED A DAY OF BOTH LAND-BASED AND ON-THE-WATER TRAINING FOR NEW AND RETURNING GUIDES. AS WEATHER CONDITIONS PERMITTED, IN MAY THROUGH AUGUST WE CONDUCTED A TOTAL OF 12 WEEKLY ON-THE-WATER PRACTICES AT OUR HOST CENTER, BOSTON'S COMMUNITY BOATING, INC (CBI,). THESE PRACTICES USUALLY CONSISTED OF VARIOUS DRILLS, STARTS AND SHORT RACES. SOME OF OUR SAILORS ALSO PARTICIPATED IN TUESDAY EVENING RHODES 19 RACING AT THE COURAGEOUS SAILING CENTER IN CHARLESTOWN. IN ALL, 12 BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND 26 SIGHTED SAILORS TOOK PART DURING THE SEASON. IN ADDITION, THE ORGANIZATION WAS HELPED BY FIVE NON-SAILING VOLUNTEERS, THREE OF WHOM WERE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO WOULD LOOK AFTER AND WALK THE GUIDE DOGS DURING OUR PRACTICES, ENSURING PEACE-OF-MIND FOR THE BLIND OWNERS AND ACCUMULATING COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS FOR THEMSELVES. THE OTHERS ASSISTED THE TREASURER OR DESIGNED OUR NEW LOGO. IN JULY, OUR TEAM OF BLIND SAILORS PAULINE DOWELL AND KATY BOYD AND SIGHTED TACTICIAN GRACE OLSEN TRAVELED TO CHICAGO AND TOOK PART IN THE INDEPENDENCE CUP CLINIC AND REGATTA ORGANIZED BY THE JUDD GOLDMAN ADAPTIVE SAILING FOUNDATION (JGASF.) COMPETING IN THE SONAR DIVISION, THEY PLACED 3RD AND HAD A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE, MEETING AND NETWORKING WITH OTHER BLIND AND DISABLED SAILORS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY. FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THIS TRIP WAS PROVIDED JOINTLY BY BBS AND THE JGASF, RESULTING IN VIRTUALLY NO COST TO THE SAILORS. IN SEPTEMBER, WE ONCE AGAIN HOSTED OUR OWN BOSTON BLIND OPEN REGATTA THAT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE 2019 PANDEMIC SEASON, HAS BEEN HELD ANNUALLY AT CBI SINCE 2016. A TOTAL OF 12 RACES WERE SAILED OVER TWO DAYS IN SONARS. BLIND SAILORS DUANE FARRAR AND WILLIAM FONTANEZ, GUIDED BY SIGHTED SAILORS SOLOMON MARINI AND JEFF DUSEK, TOOK THE TITLE. BLIND SAILORS PAULINE DOWELL AND KATY BOYD, GUIDED BY SIGHTED SAILORS GRACE OLSEN AND ZACK SHAPIRO, FINISHED 2ND AND THE TEAM OF BLIND SAILORS JASON WALLENSTEIN AND CHRISTINE DIAZ, GUIDED BY SIGHTED SAILORS RICHARD KELLY AND GREGOR DZIALAS, PLACED THIRD. THIS REGATTA IS CONDUCTED AT NO COST TO BBS AND THE SAILORS. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE PREVIOUSLY POSTPONED ROBIE PIERCE ONE DESIGN REGATTA FOR DISABLED SAILORS WAS HELD ON WESTERN LONG ISLAND SOUND IN NEW YORK AT THE LARCHMONT YACHT CLUB. BBS PROVIDED FUNDING FOR THREE TEAMS, EACH CONSISTING OF TWO BLIND AND ONE SIGHTED SAILOR. THE TEAMS OF DUANE FARRAR, KATHERINE KERN AND JASON WALLENSTEIN FINISHED 3RD, 9TH AND 12TH, RESPECTIVELY. THIS REGATTA BEGAN IN 2009 AND BBS SAILORS HAVE PARTICIPATED MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS AND HAVE MADE MANY FRIENDS WITH OTHER BLIND AND DISABLED SAILORS AND THE YACHT CLUB ORGANIZERS AND VOLUNTEERS. BBS HELD REGULAR, MONTHLY BOARD MEETINGS USING THE ZOOM PLATFORM AND 2021 ALSO SAW THE LAUNCH OF OUR WEB SITE.