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"Orza!" The scream from the skipper echoes between the
choppy waves of the Adriatic Sea and the unfolded sail, tight like a
blade. The young helmsman reacts rapidly, the stem changing direction now
pointing to the open sea. The crew of the sailboat cannot see it, the sea,
but they can "feel" it. It's like an emotion rising in their small bodies
suspended between the reality and a dream, in a day that is unlike the
others.
Certainly, they are not members of the Luna Rossa or Mascalzone Latino
teams, enveloped in their ultra-technical nautical designer attire. These
young people don't
want the water to splash far from their skin because, to them,
water is like drops of
freshness cradled by the wind which settles on their faces tensed with
emotions.
The
crew is composed of six young people: four are fourteen years old, and the
other two are only ten. They move about carefully on the deck of the
sailboat where they will stay for a week. They are not afraid to break
anything, to make the typical mistakes of those who sail for the first
time, distant from the land, from the security of
the familiar environment which can also be limiting. No. Their cautiousness stems from the
fact that they are blind teenagers and that they
only rely on two tools: their instinct and, above all, their skipper's
voice, Daniele Poscetto. Everyone knows, the
commanding officer boasts all power on the crew. But in this case, the
sailors would follow their commanding officer anywhere because any
destination is synonymous with freedom.
Deborah, Matteo, Giulio and Camilla,
as well as Elena and Giulia have experienced the honours and the burdens
of a week of a different colour, |
Group of sail
boats near the beach |
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precisely "blue",
organized by the Institute for the Blind F. Cavazza and the Italian Blind Union, Rimini Chapter.
Objective: to become more independent, thanks to reciprocal
help as well as educational
and guiding experience.
And so every day, from Sunday, July 1 to
Saturday, July 7, 2007, the boat went out, in two sessions of about two
hours so that expert sailors, divided into two groups of three members,
always different, learned to develop new independent skills necessary in
their every day life now and later. The initiative of the Istituto Cavazza's Parents
Committee was made possible thanks to three educators, among which Lucia
Iovone, who supervised the kids during "Blue
Week", except during the "cruises" at which time they were under the
heedful supervision of skipper Daniele Poscetto,
helped by his assistant. |
The educators
have even accompanied the young people to Cattolica's dolphinarium,
and succeeded in giving them a marvellous and unforgettable souvenir: to
touch the dolphins (even on their tongue...)!
Not only that, Deborah and her
friends literally "touched
with their hands" the beautiful sights of Italy
by visiting a theme park called "Italy in miniature". In both cases, the
remarkable availability of managers in these places was well
noted.
Thanks to the
attentions, small and big, of Fernando Torrente and all those that made
this experience possible, these young people have discovered that they are
truly differently abled. Because
this boat, without them, would never have left its moorings and never,
without them, would it have found the right wind to come back to port.
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