HRH The Princess Royal took to the water at Port Edgar Marina on 5 July to launch Wetwheels Edinburgh, a specially adapted powerboat giving disabled people access to the water.

Having been welcomed by Wetwheels founder Geoff Holt MBE, Princess Anne – Patron of the charity – took to the water to help launch the first Wetwheels boat in Scotland, which is based at Port Edgar Watersports at the marina in South Queensferry. Wetwheels Edinburgh is the latest addition to the Wetwheels fleet – with seven vessels now in operation including Portsmouth, Southampton, Falmouth, Dover, Jersey and Whitby. 
 
Wetwheels was founded in 2011 by Geoff Holt, a disabled yachtsman who was left paralysed in a swimming accident in 1984. Its mission is to offer unique experiences for people with disabilities, including those with complex challenges and impairments, by providing fully accessible and purpose-built powerboat trips across the UK.  
 
Wetwheels Edinburgh offers trips and experiences from Port Edgar such as viewing the majestic UNESCO registered Forth Rail Bridge from the sea, meeting the seals and puffins on the local islands, or seeing the Naval Dockyard of Rosyth where the new aircraft carriers were constructed. 
 
The boat will be operating across the east coast of Scotland, perfectly positioned to access Edinburgh, and numerous other ports and harbours on the banks of the Firth of Forth, such as Dundee, St Andrews, North Berwick, and Anstruther. 
 
The new base has already garnered much interest from local organisations such as disabled charities, veterans care facilities and special needs schools. The Edinburgh location will enable Scottish organisations from across the country to give people of all ages with disabilities a new and exciting experience this summer. 
 
Full access to each boat is ensured, including wheelchair access to the boat, a ramp to the steering position and adapted controls, so that service users are active participants in the experience. Passengers are given the opportunity to steer the vessel and learn seamanship alongside peers, friends and families.  
 
In the past 10 years, Wetwheels has provided the opportunity for more than 10,000 people to access the water, and the charity is now looking to broaden its reach with its new Scottish base. It aims to support 12,000 people every year to participate in a Wetwheels experience across the UK by 2025, including 1000 in Scotland alone.  
Holt, who in 2007 became the first disabled person to sail single-handed around Great Britain, commented: “Scotland is home to some the finest sailing waters in the world, and we have worked very hard to bring our Wetwheels experience north of the border to allow people with disabilities to enjoy these unparalled sailing opportunities.  
 
“Our own research tells us more than 80 per cent of Wetwheels’ participants have never previously been on the open water. By removing perceived barriers and allowing people with many obstacles in their lives to experience the mental and physical benefits that the sea can provide, we aim to give people a sense of new-found independence, and hopefully a new hobby to enjoy.  
 
“As a keen sailor, HRH The Princess Royal truly understands the benefits to be gained for everyone from being afloat on the water, including for those people with disabilities. We are very proud to have her Royal endorsement.” 
 

All Wetwheels skippers are fully trained and commercially endorsed, and their volunteer crew receive a bespoke disability awareness in a maritime context training. All boats are certified according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) Cat. 3 standards. The charity’s commitment to safety and quality of service delivery has led the MCA (their regulator as the government agency responsible for safety at sea) to declare Wetwheels as the ‘subject matter experts on taking disabled people to sea in power boats’. 

 

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