BLIND and partially-sighted members of Sight Support Ryedale took to the open sea with WetWheels Yorkshire on a day out to Scarborough.

Wetwheels builds disabled people’s confidence by providing the opportunity to access the sea in a fun, safe, stimulating and rewarding way using specially modified, fully accessible powerboats.

All the visually-impaired members from Sight Support Ryedale were active participants, rather than simply passengers and everyone had the opportunity to steer the boat and learn about the sea creatures presently being seen off the coast of Scarborough.

“This was an amazing experience for our members, most of them over the age of 70,”said Julie Atkinson, the charity’s chief officer.

“Everyone had a go at driving the boat, with the support of WetWheels staff, most of them exceeding 27 knots which is around the same speed as the Scarborough lifeboat.”

Peter Richardson, chairman and a founding director of Wetwheels Yorkshire, who was the skipper for the day, said: “We are only a small team at present, but we have plans to expand our operations and that will mean our team will also grow to meet the demand.

“Everyone at Wetwheels has a personal understanding of disability and all our team have training to understand the many and varied challenges that disability brings.”

For more details about Sight Support Ryedale and to register for their free quarterly newsletter, phone 01653 698860 or go online at sightsupportryedale.org