It’s not just about the sailing…
In April of this year The Norfolk Boat sponsored four service users of the Norfolk and Waveney Early Intervention in Psychosis Team (with three members of staff) to set sail with the Cirdan Trust on the beautiful ‘Faramir’ from Great Yarmouth to Portsmouth. The age range of the sailors was from early twenties to mid-fifties, and not only was it a first encounter with crewing a sail boat for some but also with sharing that experience with total strangers as the Leicester Early Intervention in Psychosis Team made up the rest of the crew.
Testing yourself on a physical level with the rigours of a sailing voyage is only part of the experience it would seem, six days with unfamiliar companions would be an exercise in itself. Here are some passages from Felicity Leighton’s marvellous report (Felicity is Care Co-ordinator, Early Intervention in Psychosis Team, Great Yarmouth and Waveney) :
“We settled into our cabins and spent time familiarising ourselves with our home for the next 6 days and our cabin mates. The joy of a busy schedule preventing any awkwardness in social contact as we would have a common purpose for the week…Everyone was really keen to learn and to be part of the team and we got to know one another in beautiful sunshine having our first lunch in the cockpit of the boat. Not long after we all met we could hear laughter and people who had never met before chatting to one another.”
“On day three of our voyage we set sail for Lymington where we spent three hours ashore which went so quickly…for all the groups on shore leave there were happy, helpful, supportive conversations with one another and a common theme of looking after one another as equals.”
“I feel I can speak for our group by saying I believe we all have warm memories of every single person in our voyage Family for those 6 days and that close bonds have been formed between Leicester and Norfolk Early Intervention Teams. We all have happy memories of an amazing 6 days and learnt new skills and enjoyed working as a team of equals.”
But I think the final word has to go to one of Felicity’s group whose feedback was : “I have learnt that the world is a beautiful place and that life is worth living”. Sailing, it appears, can very much be the starting point for so much more.
