The SailAhead RIB
SailAhead's RIB needs care! Please consider making a donation for repairs and gas money. Do you own a RIB in good shape? Consider donating your RIB to SailAhead!
RIB stands for "rigid inflatable boat". The SailAhead RIB plays a crucial role at every SailAhead event. The RIB is a workhorse and SailAhead events would not the same without it. Just to fill up the tank costs $100!
The RIB serves three vital purposes:
1. Safety: At SailAhead Events, there is always a medic team on the water standing by. SailAhead's safety team is a team of veterans qualified to administer CPR and first aid to anyone who may be injured, ill, or otherwise. The RIB has a large beam with plenty of space to react and administer basic health treatment. The RIB has a 200 HP engine that can quickly transport any person back on land to meet medical professionals. And with a simple call over the radio the RIB can share water to other boats for really hot summer days.
2. Photography: How do you think SailAhead gets so many on-board pictures? Jenny Duclay and other photographers volunteer to literally travel from boat to boat to take onboard action shots via the RIB. Boarding sailboats while underway is fun for the photographer, sailors, and veterans! This is not a job for the clumsy! You have to be quick on your feet, agile, and take pictures at the same time! Sailors and Veterans alike watch with awe as the RIB zooms past, providing water when necessary, and taking pictures of each and every boat.
3. Fun: Sometimes it is fun to just go fast! The SailAhead RIB is super stable and can handle rough seas. With an overall length of 24 ft and a beam (width) of nearly 9 ft, this boat is unstoppable!
Our safety and photography boat needs a little more then wind to keep it going! It is one of SailAhead's most important tools, and is one of our biggest expenses. It costs $100 to fill up the tank, can you or our business help out with a donation? All donations are 100% tax deductible!
Some prestigious events our safety boat were required for:
- C. Thomas Clagett - North America's premier event for sailors with disabilities sailed in the 3 Paralympic class boats
- The Northport VA Adaptive Sports Day.
- 6 Annual SailAhead Events
- Transat Bakerly and other sailing events in NY Harbor
For many disabled veterans, adaptive sports is a means of taking back some part of their lives that disabilities have taken away. SailAhead has been providing sail boats, skippers, crew and its safety team and of course the safety RIB. During these events, veterans are given the opportunity to safely discover sailing and the therapeutic value it can provide.