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The ACF secret sauce

Reflecting on personal transformation with Bex

Bex identified mentoring as possibly the most important thing the Andrew Cassell Foundation (ACF) does – perhaps of equal, or perhaps sometimes greater importance than the on water activity. They noted that it wasn’t only a vertical relationship between say coach and participants but that in some aspects other participants or volunteers are also very much appreciated for their quiet mentoring and for Bex their ‘translation skills’ which enable Bex to navigate settings which their neurodiversity makes complex.

Bex reflected on the value that they had gained from supported sailing projects before coming to ACF but that in those supported projects they had seen the means and the ends as being identical: people getting on the water was all there was. In the Foundation by contrast they noted the serious ambition towards performing better and better and said: ‘there is more purpose, ACF isn’t just about getting people on the water it’s about our community and the goals that we are working towards. Those goals are what leads the on water activity. Bex continued: What’s very obvious to me in ACF is how individualised it is, and how different the goals I might have are to other participants’ but that all of this focus enables Bex to become a better performance sailor.

ACF Dolphin with Bex in the front of the cockpit

Personal Growth and Development

Bex views their involvement with the Andrew Cassell Foundation as a critical part of their personal development. Through the careful mentoring and development work at the Foundation and Bex’s own work they have learned to manage the impact of their autism and other conditions and articulate their needs to others on the water, enabling them to move from sailing solo boats to effectively crewing and even helming the Sonar keelboats which are often sailed by four crew working together. This is a huge step for Bex as a non neurotypical person who has had major struggles with interacting with other people.

Bex spoke about the liberating realisation which had opened up wider sailing to them: ‘ Suddenly I realised it felt like I was sailing single handed because, it’s like everyone else is my arms, my legs and my eyes. I would ask crew to pull a line or control and they do it! I realised I’m no longer going to have to constrict myself to sailing the few boats that are around that can only have one person. Because I can now as long as I’ve got a good team built around me, with people I get on with, I can be with people on the water’.

Mentoring and Teaching

Like other participants Bex takes on a share of the skills development of other sailors – something they are then themselves mentored on. Bex remarked how they had worked with a brain injured participant and used the experience of their difficulties with processing information to relate more effectively to this new participant and effectively train them in how to fine tune the jib and run the front of the Sonar. This opportunity not only enhanced Jack’s skills but also allowed Bex to develop their own instructing and coaching abilities.

Building Confidence

A significant boost in Bex’s confidence came from their experience helming during an informal match race against more seasoned sailor.. Bex had come to join in with Andrew Cassell Foundation activity feeling somewhat depressed as they felt the impact of their autism had lost them the prospect of competing in the inter-university ‘BUCS’ competition that weekend. Furthermore, they felt that this anxiety around autism had led others to believe that Bex was ineffective on the water. Bex commented how transformational they’d found the experience of giving a much more experienced Foundation sailor a run for their money, and the self esteem they’d gained when the Foundation highlighted the best parts of the racing that weekend in a social media post. Bex said: ‘In kind of a way that was a huge confidence boost, to go from people not having the ambition to believe that an autistic person like me can achieve in sailing, to me having a load of people around me who are willing to move the earth to make things work for me at the Foundation.

The ACF Family

Bex attributes much of their growth both on and off the water to the supportive environment at ACF. The Foundation’s focus is not just on making boats accessible but also on fostering a community where everyone can thrive. This environment has allowed Bex to sail at a high level and cope with the broader sailing world, which can often be inaccessible to neurodiverse individuals.

They said ‘you need to find your people in sailing as a disabled or neurodiverse person because, sailing remains a very white, male, cisgender, heterosexual, middle class sport’. The Foundation family contains a wide range of folk and Bex has found some of them to be particular allies, and keys to a wider network in Cowes. They continued: ‘I think everyone I know in the Andrew Cassell Foundation would catch me if I fall, and I’d catch any of them. With that trust you can make amazing things happen.

Maintenance and Responsibility

The Andrew Cassell Foundation (ACF) embeds a sense of responsibility for the boats we sail and the equipment we use which is vital for development of the seafarer like characteristics in participants.They reflected on the challenges their dyspraxia posed to performing fine mechanical work or splicing. This meant they sometimes felt frustrated they could get when they personally ‘only’ felt they could attend to scrubbing and polishing. Bex said: ‘I think about the three ACF Sonars are they’re not just our training boats, they’re all for racing boats, We want them to be the best condition possible. And we don’t want to be rushing around 9:00 on the night before a regatta trying to fix them’.

Ben Foulsham preparing on Dolphin ACF 602 before racing

In conclusion, Bex’s journey with the Andrew Cassell Foundation is a remarkable story of personal growth, mentoring, and advocacy. The foundation has provided them with the skills, confidence, and support needed to excel in sailing and beyond. Bex’s commitment to making sailing accessible and inclusive for all is an inspiration to the entire sailing community.

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Andrew Cassell Foundation (Racing for the Disabled) is a Charity in England and Wales: 1057742

Supports people with disabilities (mainly physical & sensory) to take part in yacht racing and cruising and to encourage the integration of sailors with disabilities with able bodied sailors