ON THE WATER
Left: ¯˔˘˦˦˔Ϡ˦ ˘ˣ˘˥˜˘˖˘ of depression led to her developing a person-centred ˧˘˔˖˛˜˚ ˦˧˘ ˙˥ ˦˔˜˜˚ʡ
Stepping into that new path
proved transformative. Before that point, Vanessa had worked in advertising but a desk job was replaced by wide skies and open water. Sailing became not only a new career focus but a personal refuge. ‘When you’re sailing, you can’t think about anything else because your boat will capsize if you do. It’s a really good way of getting away from everything and just being able to relax your brain.’ That belief in sailing’s restorative
Health
Out of the darkness S
ailing isn’t just about boats for Vanessa Weedon-Jones. It’s been a lifeline — a path
out of darkness and into purpose. Now in her 60s and a celebrated volunteer, instructor and advocate for inclusion, Vanessa’s story is a powerful reminder of the mental ˛˘˔˧˛ ˕˘˘Ѓ˧˦ ˧˛˔˧ ˕˘˜˚ ˧˛˘ water can give. Her journey into sailing began
early, crewing and racing 470s in her youth. But it wasn’t until life threw her off course that she discovered the deeper power of sailing. In the mid-1990s,
How sailing helped one woman recover ˙˥ˠ ˗˘ˣ˥˘˦˦˜ ˔˗ Ѓ˗ ˔ ˘ ˜˙˘
Vanessa went through a period of severe depression. She was off work, hospitalised at times, and ˦˧˥˨˚˚˜˚ ˧ Ѓ˗ ˔ ˔ ˙˥˔˥˗ʡ Everything changed when she was offered a place on a free dinghy instructor course in Exmoor. ‘I went and did it,’ she recalled, ‘and life sort of turned around after that, because I could see that there was a different career path to be had.’
power has shaped her drive ever since. Vanessa didn’t just want to teach people to sail — she wanted to give others the same space to breathe, to focus and to grow ˜ ˖Ѓ˗˘˖˘ʡ ˆ˛˘ ˧˥˔˜˘˗ ˔˦ ˔ counsellor and psychotherapist, and those skills naturally found their way into how she instructed. This approach has been especially important in her work with groups who might otherwise feel excluded from the sport. Vanessa creates an environment where people can move at their own pace. Now, based at Hunts Sailing Club
in Cambridgeshire, Vanessa runs a thriving Women on the Water group and supports other regional programmes through her role as an instructor. Participants are asked what they’d like to do – sail for fun, try racing, even just sit by the water and chat. ‘Low pressure, no pressure,’ as she puts it. ˇ˛˘ ˕˘˘Ѓ˧˦ ˥˜ˣˣ˘ ˨˧˔˥˗ʡ
Many of the women she’s coached have become instructors ˧˛˘ˠ˦˘˩˘˦ ˗˘˩˘ˣ˜˚ ˖Ѓ˗˘˖˘ that extends far beyond sailing. For Vanessa, the value of sailing lies not just in the sport itself, but in the self-belief it can restore.
“The emotional and psychological ˕˘˘Ѓ˧˦ ˔˥˘ ˜ˠˠ˘˦˘ʡ ˇ˛˘˥˘Ϡ˦ ˦ much to be had from sailing a boat”
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