(Click here for the photographs.)
It seems like no week is without adventure these days. We've been preparing for this day for a while, as the Support Service had a special programme for keen university students. It was all thanks to the collaboration of the "Lárifári Foundation" and the "Tihanyi Hajós Egylet (THE)". We were able to be part of a sailing experience.
Sailing is an enjoyable activity in itself, but especially for people who are visually impaired or confined to a wheelchair. I think most of us, though, were still very much in doubt when we boarded the minibus provided by the "Lárifári Foundation", which took us from the PTE building on the Ifjúság út to the sailing boats.
I looked into who we had to thank for this day, for this selfless donation, which was about nothing other than giving pleasure and promoting sailing. I quote from their website:
"The primary objective of the Lárifári Foundation is to support and help children and their families who are temporarily in a difficult situation for whatever reason, especially but not exclusively due to illness, and to improve their living conditions..."
Honestly, they really did their best to do this today. They welcomed us with openness and cheerfulness, as if nothing could be more natural than to make the day brighter for twenty-some people who were essentially strangers.
The "THE" provided the sailboats and crew. They are all competent sailors with a maximum focus on us.
Our team was assigned on board the 12-metre-long, over 4-tonne, yet graceful Balaton foamer "Tekila". We learned from the first minute to the last, and all our questions were answered. From the strange buzzing of the rigging, to the role of the keel weight, to the determination of the wind direction. We also learned that cigarette smoke was once used to determine which way the wind was blowing, or how to pull out of an 11-day race when there was no wind for 7 days.
But more than anything, it was the opportunity for both visually impaired and disabled students to steer the boat. I have to admit that I myself was shocked at how much they could feel the water and the wind. Beni amazed our captain by saying that he could tell where the boat was going by "hearing the sail".
The experience, even if it was short-lived, was, I think, a defining one for all of us, and I could see that the joy of experiencing it was mutual.
It seems so inexpressible to say now that we are very grateful and thankful for this unforgettable day to all the helpful people who gave us the gift of it.
- András Olessák -