Special Olympics Sailing is a collection of events where competitors with mental or physical disabilities sail a boat, as individuals or as part of a team.

Special Olympics sailing is a form of sailing meant for physically or mentally disabled athletes. Special Olympics sailing has training and competition opportunities for individual and teams of Special Olympics athletes. As in all Special Olympics sports, athletes are grouped in competition divisions according to ability level, age and gender.

The goal of sailing is to finish a race in the shortest amount of time in order to defeat opposing teams.

Special Olympics Unified Sports is a program that combines Special Olympics athletes and athletes without intellectual disabilities (partners) on sports teams for training and competition. In Unified Sports sailing, crews shall be comprised of athletes with and without intellectual disabilities. If the boat is typically raced by a crew of 2, one member will be an individual with intellectual disabilities; if the boat is typically raced by a crew of 3 or more, the majority of the crew shall be individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Sailing was introduced into the Special Olympics World Games for the first time in 1995. In 1999, the Special Olympics World Summer Games hosted 50 sailors from four Special Olympics programs. At the 2003 Special Olympics Worlds Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland, 60 sailors from seven programs competed at those games. As of 2005, 4,408 Special Olympics athletes competed in sailing.

Sailboat

Special Olympics sailing focuses on developing individual skills necessary to be competitive at the Olympic level. Once individual skills have been developed, athletes learn to operate the boat as a team.

Aft - at or near the stern of the boat

Astern - behind the boat

Bow - the front part of the boat

Guy - adjustable steadying rope of a boat's rig

Headsail - a sail located forward of the foremast

Heel - a boat's angle, or lean to one side

Helm - tiller or wheel

Jib - a triangular headsail set on a stay forward of the foremast

Jibbing - changing direction with the wind aft

Leeward - away from the wind; down wind

Mainsail - boomed sail projecting aft from the mainmast

Mast - vertical spar to which the sails and rigging are attached

Rudder - vertical metal or wooden plate attached to the stern, whose movements steer the boat

Spar - pole, mast, or boom that supports a sail

Starboard - the right-hand side of the boat when looking forward towards the bow

http://www.specialolympics.org/Special+Olympics+Public+Website/English/Coach/Sports_Offered/Sailing.htm
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~elfox/terms.html