See the Sea

When I „saw the sea” for the first time I realised how different were all my notions as a blind person concerning a voyage. I understood that it is impossible not only to describe but also to give a close approximation of the sounds, a note of anxiety, uncertainty, or the willingness of victory over oneself… It is an electrifying mixture of sensations that comprise the recollection of voyages. The project presented here is to widen the group of friends of sea to the blind people. (Roman Roczen)

Project: See the sea is a phase voyage on „Zawisza Czarny” yacht – half of the crew are people either blind or  with low vision.

Aims of the project „See the Sea” comprise:

• Enabling blind people a direct contact with the open sea and sailing and participation in an offshore voyage.
• Influencing integration of able-bodied people with both the blind people and people with low vision from Poland and from abroad.
• Influencing and broadening people’s awareness on the scope of every-day life or unusual circumstances’ activities performed by blind people or people with low vision.
• Promulgating the idea of working with the blind people and people with low vision on the open sea among people who are professionally connected with sea and oceanic sailing.
• Making available to all blind people the output of Polish and European marine culture and art both in its material and non-material form as well as the knowledge on traditions and the history of sailing

This project anticipates that offshore integrating voyage will be organised with the blind people and people with low vision as the participants. The direct result of all the taken actions in 2008 will be allowing a group of 48 people with different visual impairments (3phases – 16 people each) to have contact with the open sea, sailing, as well as marine culture (visiting museums of sailing in Kiel, Bergen, and Den Helder but also monuments connected with the sea). There will be a rule during the voyage that all the watches will be only in mixed groups namely half – people with visual impairments and the other half  fully-bodied people, which will influence integration among the groups.