Windsurfing school updates arsenal with new boat designed for disabled

Foto presentacio nova embarcacio escola de velaJaume Ferrer, Jordi Vidal and Josep Verdera —the Formentera Council's chairman, the councillor of sports and the branch director at CaixaBank in Sant Francesc— metr to unveil the latest addition to the arsenal of equipment at the windsurfing school: a boat specially-designed for people with functional diversity.

The administration welcomed the support from Obra Social la Caixa, which brought €8,000 to the table for the initiative. The 12-person vessel measures 5.95 metres (m) long and 2.5m wide and retails for €13,000. The remaining €5,000 was put up by the Formentera Council, which paid €2,000 to give the school a trailer as well.

The CiF reached out to Obra Social in a bid to equip Formentera's Escola de Vela with special-needs services. The project's directors point to roughly 50 islanders —patients at Formentera's dependent care centre and individuals affiliated with an array of other local groups— as some of the service's potential users.

According to the men, the effort is part of the CaixaBank financial network's dedication to serving local communities. “Our commitment,” they said, “is to the Balearic Islands' most vulnerable”.