Twelve physically-challenged Indians will get a hands-on experience in sailing on board STS Lord Nelson, a training vessel of the Jubilee Sailing Trust of the UK, on a trip to Ezhimala Naval Academy and back next week.
The special purpose high-mast vessel, currently anchored at BTP berth in Kochi harbour, has been travelling around the world, providing training for persons with disabilities.
"We are calling on a port in India for the first time. We circumnavigate the globe and provide training in sailing for physically-disabled persons," said captain Barbara Campbell of Southampton-based Lord Nelson, which took to the seas in 1986. The ship will go to Ezhimala and return to Kochi before proceeding to Singapore on May 1.
For aiding visually-challenged people at the wheel, the ship has a talking compass. "Our ship is specially designed for physically-disabled people. It also has a system that will help them put up sails before a voyage. The rooms and floors of the ship are designed for wheel chairs. There are also elevators to help the disabled to move from the lower to the upper deck," said first officer John West.
The ship has a crew of 30 and can carry a maximum of 20 people with physical disabilities. "We conduct a short training programme for the persons selected for the voyage. We follow the buddy system wherein a disabled person will have a fully abled person as his buddy during the voyage," said Barbara.
The ship, which started its voyage from Southampton on October 21, 2012, reached Kochi from Durban in South Africa after covering 4,750 nautical miles in 47 days.
Source : TOI , 16th April 2013
The special purpose high-mast vessel, currently anchored at BTP berth in Kochi harbour, has been travelling around the world, providing training for persons with disabilities.
"We are calling on a port in India for the first time. We circumnavigate the globe and provide training in sailing for physically-disabled persons," said captain Barbara Campbell of Southampton-based Lord Nelson, which took to the seas in 1986. The ship will go to Ezhimala and return to Kochi before proceeding to Singapore on May 1.
For aiding visually-challenged people at the wheel, the ship has a talking compass. "Our ship is specially designed for physically-disabled people. It also has a system that will help them put up sails before a voyage. The rooms and floors of the ship are designed for wheel chairs. There are also elevators to help the disabled to move from the lower to the upper deck," said first officer John West.
The ship has a crew of 30 and can carry a maximum of 20 people with physical disabilities. "We conduct a short training programme for the persons selected for the voyage. We follow the buddy system wherein a disabled person will have a fully abled person as his buddy during the voyage," said Barbara.
The ship, which started its voyage from Southampton on October 21, 2012, reached Kochi from Durban in South Africa after covering 4,750 nautical miles in 47 days.
Source : TOI , 16th April 2013
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