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Adaptive Sailing
EASE: The Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience
On Saturday, 1 August 2009, Erie Pennsylvania Shriners Hospitals for Children kids sailed in the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies adaptive sailing program. Kids were lifted out of their wheelchairs and walkers and sailed on the BCMS Access Dinghies. Parents, siblings and kids waiting for their turn joined the sailors on the water on the Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience (EASE) pontoon boat. This vessel is wheelchair accessible and is the perfect platform for families to accompany their children on the water while taking photographs and networking with other parents. This is the seventh year BCMS has collaborated with the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The weather was perfect!
Thank you to the Junior League of Erie and Marylin Ellis for donating the Access Dinghies and pontoon boat, and The Erie Community Foundation, the Erie Western Pennsylvania Port Authority, The Shriners Hospitals for Children, Lakeshore Towing and ALL the many BCMS members, donors, supporters, and wonderful volunteers for helping to create and sustain this successful event.
Two Access Dinghies are sailing with kids from the Shriners Hospitals for Children at BCMS in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Smiles!
The EASE program provides barrior free sailing to the community.
In conjunction with the Junior League of Erie and several local agencies, BCMS has created the region’s first adaptive sailing program: The Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience (EASE). The vision of EASE is to enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities by providing them with sailing instruction and the opportunity to sail independently on Erie's Presque Isle Bay.
Specially designed access dinghies enable participants with a wide range of mobility issues to sail on their own. EASE participants enjoy the adventure and fun of sailing while experiencing enhanced independence, increased self-esteem and personal growth in a unique, therapeutic and recreational environment.
Volunteer coordinators work together with the kids and the families to give them an enjoyable experience. Each season is capped off with a family picnic on the BCMS campus.
EASE Volunteers
Sailing is one of the only sports where a physically challenged individual can compete equally with an able-bodied competitor. Many students benefit from EASE. Organizations involved in EASE include:
- Dr. Gertrude A. Barber National Institute
- Erie Homes for Children and Adults
- Millcreek Township School District
- Shriners Hospital
- The Achievement Center
- Three Rivers Center for Independent Living (TRCIL)
BCMS has expanded the EASE program by utilizing larger boats to accommodate a wider range and greater number of participants. The most significant change was utilizing our 42’ catamaran, Taco the Town, and our Friendship sloop, Momentum, to take out larger groups of participants.
We are able to accommodate children from multiple camps during the season. We use our catboat, Total Eclipse, as a spectator boat during these events to accommodate family members and participants. More students participate because they feel comfortable sailing with their counselors and other familiar faces on the larger boats.
BCMS has a Boston Whaler, purchased with a grant from the Erie Community Foundation. It is used as a motorized safety launch, which allows our staff to easily reach and supervise all of our boats. Additionally, we accepted the donation of a 16’ pontoon boat that enables us to take people in wheelchairs out on Presque Isle Bay.
Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience EASE