All At Sea For Residents Of Cowes Care Home Old Charlton House

Residents at Old Charlton House recently took a day out sailing off the coast of Cowes and East Cowes.

The charity, Cowes Sailability, in conjunction with WetWheels based in Hamble, put provisions in place to allow the residents to enjoy a special day at sea.

They provided specially adapted boats and trained volunteers for people with complex needs to have a rewarding sailing experience.

Wheelchairs are tethered to the floor of the boat which means that residents with limited mobility are able to enjoy heading out to sea.

The sea was fairly choppy and the boat travelled quite fast, which meant that the water was being thrown over everyone on board, except the pilot, Ian — dry in the comfort of his cabin.

Residents did have waterproof ponchos on, but anything not covered got absolutely drenched, with all of them revealing they enjoyed the experience tremendously.

Some of the residents were sailors in their life before Old Charlton, and this provided them with an opportunity to relive some of their past.

Activities Coordinator, Debbie Webb, said:

“We like to ensure that all residents are offered as many opportunities as possible for life enrichment.

"We thank Cowes Sailability, in conjunction with WetWheels, for allowing our residents the opportunity to enjoy some time at sea”.

Resident, Jim, was a reticent before he went as he was unsure what to expect, but subsequently has a whale of a time.

He said:

“I had a wonderful time, it was fabulous, thank you to everybody who helped and I really want to go again”.