On the 9th December the kids of the Durbanville Children’s excitedly arrived at the Waterfront for their Sailing Therapy Day. As they entered the conference room, their eyes lit up with excitement for afternoon that lay ahead.
The afternoon started off with Greg giving the kids an inspiring talk with a message of “Survive and Thrive no matter what your current situation may be.” The kids had so much fun listening to Greg! They actively participated in the group discussions and loved the treats that received when answering an answer correctly!
Before going out on the water, it was of vital importance that the kids learnt about water safety. Greg and Celeste gave them some important lessons on what to do when in an emergency. This was followed by some interesting videos. They also watched the cartoon movie of the Little Optimist. They were so chuffed to see that the book that was in their goodie bag was based on the cartoon movie of the Little Optimist.
After some snacks the kids learnt about sailing and did a trial run in The Little Optimist on land. Once they could sail on land, they were ready for sailing on water on and made their way down to the canal. Excitement levels were high!
These kids loved every bit of sailing and did want it to end! Watching them on the water was such a special experience as many of them had come with a bit of fear of sailing as they had never been on a boat before but watching them grow in confidence as they took charge of their Little Optimist Boats made our instructors as the rest of our team so proud. Many of the braver kids, got to sail their own boats and were able to experience the freedom, speed and feelings of joy, excitement, self-worth and achievement.
Despite the yummy smell of hotdogs, the kids did not want to even get off the water to eat. When they eventually got out of the boats, they thoroughly enjoyed their dinner. All that was discussed during the dinner break was the magical experience of sailing. They then made their way back to the conference room where each of them received a medal, certificate and a special teddy for the completion of the Sailing Day! Proud was an understatement!
This day could not have been made possible without our Headline sponsors, TWO OCEANS MARINE, ITALTILE and SOUTHERN WIND SHIP YARD. And thanks to the V&A WATERFRONT who made this day possible.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts
Thanks again to:
Two Oceans Marine
Italtile
National Sea Rescue
The Excellence Group
Southern Wind Shipyard
Ullman Sails
The V and A waterfront
Importers Coffee
Two Oceans Aquarium
The aquarium Foundation
African Blue Tours
