We were very sorry to learn of the passing of David Bridson recently. A respected founder member of Sailing for the Disabled, David dedicated his efforts to ensuring that sailing was an accessible and enriching experience for people of all abilities- and demonstrated this perfectly by becoming SFTDs first enabled skipper.
He played a pivotal role in establishing the charity back in 1984 at the Creg ny Baa Hotel alongside the late Ivor Mellor the then head of physiotherapy at Nobles’Hospital, with landlord Ray Kelso and Friends of the Creg providing £2500 to buy the first boat, a Leisure 17. This was duly christened at the Creg and then set sail on Baldwin reservoir where David was very active.
The acquisition of Dunlin from the RYA opened up new horizons for the charity and for David as she was a cruiser and he loved his cruises. He was particularly fond of sailing on the Clyde where, rumour has it, the buoys were his nemesis…
When Arne Dahn, then chairman of Douglas Bay Yacht Club invited SFTD to use the club as their base, the sailing and racing took place in Douglas Bay which saw crews that included enabled sailors competing against each other.
David continued sailing with us for many years, and now his spirit and legacy of kindness and inclusivity continues to pave the way for many others.
Sail on David.
