My name is Andrew Bonnet, I am a Maltese, 11-year-old boy and I am also a wheelchair user. I have always been interested in sport and I have practiced quite a few of them over the years. I started horse riding at the age of three and when I was six years old, I started to train para swimming because this sport allows me freedom of movement and helps me to gain more upper body strength. I have always loved the sea, because the water allows me to relax and move freely. I have also practiced para rowing and became aware of inclusive sailing in Malta about a year ago, when my mother met with Mr Joseph Muscat from Sailabilty Malta. He told her about the four Hansa boats which are available for sailors such as myself. I immediately wanted to give this a go and Mr Muscat invited us to a few open days. Since my sister Amy has been attending summer sailing with Vikings for the past 6 years, we also attended the open day at Vikings.
Sandra, Daniel, David and everyone at Vikings, immediately made me feel welcome. They were very eager for me to be able to practice sailing and I attended the summer beginners sailing class. Everyone at Vikings was committed to making this a positive experience for me. When I sail, I use a hoist crane in order to be lowered to the boat and back out once the session is over. I am assisted by my coach Emma, who over the summer taught me different ways to sail such as upwind and downwind. I learnt how to use the different ropes and the joystick. I love being out on the Hansa and I feel very safe since this boat is made in such a way that it cannot capsize. My favourite moment this summer was when I carried out my first solo sail. This was really exciting because I was able to sail on my own for the first time and I proved to myself that I am able to do many more things than people expect and that I can experience the same feeling of freedom whilst sailing, that I feel whilst swimming.
I hope that I will continue to practice sailing especially many more solo sails. I would like to see more athletes like myself practicing in this sport. I want to continue to improve so that I will be to compete in a sailing competition in the future.
I am Rachel Bonett, and I am Andrew’s mother. I first heard of para sailing at The Malta Paralympic Committee’s AGM a year ago and I immediately knew that this was something Andrew would enjoy. I was drawn by Joseph Muscat’s enthusiasm to have as many para-athletes as possible trying out this sport and this continued to encourage us as parents to have Andrew try this out. I was already familiar with Vikings through my daughter and so, having Andrew attend sessions at the same club was a natural choice for us. I was impressed with the level of commitment which Sandra and all the team at Vikings showed towards inclusive sailing. It was clear from the get-go they are invested in making inclusive sailing work and provide Andrew with the most positive experience possible. Having a club believe in the ability of persons with disability is not very common, and seeing such enthusiasm continued to affirm that Andrew would flourish within this community. The highlight of this summer was when Andrew carried out his first solo sail. To us parents it had already been an achievement to see him learn new skills and out on the water with his coach Emma. Yet, seeing him sail independently was something completely unexpected. This moment was significant for more than one reason, not only has Andrew exceeded expectations but it also proved the determination of the Vikings team to have him reach his full potential.
Andrew’s mantra is “never give up, keep moving forward,” my hope is that our experience will reach other parents and encourage more athletes with a disability to experience inclusive sailing. Vikings sailing club has proved that commitment towards active inclusivity is worth the effort, so I am very excited to see what the future of inclusive sailing will look like.
