Saltwater Veterans – getting veterans sailing
By Saltwater Veterans co-founders, Jen and Scott Reynolds
We are committed to creating a highly inclusive community that alleviates social isolation for veterans and families through the sport of sailing.
Originally known as ‘Four Men in a Boat’, Scott and three veteran friends with no sailing experience took to the waters to reconnect with life and each other. Following an 18-year naval career, Scott found the camaraderie, the movement, and the sheer enjoyment of being out on the water had immediate benefits for each veteran’s physical and mental health. Inspired by the effects on his wellbeing, Scott and Jen started volunteering, encouraging more veterans to get involved in sailing.
Based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Saltwater Veterans has been operating since 2017.
With a crew of ‘salty volunteers, yacht clubs and sponsors such as Young Veterans and more recently local RSL sub-branches, we are now fostering overlapping communities in Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide, Nowra, Perth and Mooloolaba, and upwards of 80–100 veterans each month on water.
Being on the water can be of physical, mental, and emotional benefit for a variety of injuries and illness. Plus, it’s a really fun way for our veterans to express teamwork – one of many things veterans have in spades.
‘When you have a participant turn up, it’s amazing the change from the beginning of the day to the end of the day,’ says Tom Spithill, Saltwater Veterans Sailing Project Sports Ambassador.
The Saltwater Veterans Sailing Project organises one event in each location every month. The biggest single event had 105 current serving soldiers sailing, with 20 boats largely skippered by volunteers.
We are volunteer-dependent and we see volunteering as an integral part of the veteran experience,’ says Scott. ‘You may start as a participant at the sailing events, but with time everyone has the capacity to volunteer whether it’s on the boat, handing out life jackets or taking the lunch order.
Our aim is social re-integration, so we want to keep people involved and connected in-between and beyond the events,’ says Jen. ‘I feel the volunteers take away as much as the participants because as a volunteer, it’s not about what ‘I’ want to achieve, it’s about what ‘they’ want to achieve. People recognise the gift of giving to the community beyond themselves.’
Funding is a constant challenge for any grassroots initiative. Local organisations can make a large-scale impact where it matters most, in the backyard where the majority of veterans live and socialise. Through its Community Support Advisors and Health and Wellbeing Funding, has DVA provided small, one-off funding towards Saltwater Veterans local initiatives, and equipment purchases.
External defibrillators
The DVA’s Wellbeing funding has meant we’ve been able to buy five Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). These will be a tremendous asset in supporting Saltwater Veterans projects in Sydney, Jervis Bay, Adelaide, Newcastle and recently Port Macquarie.
‘To have the support of DVA and a little funding for our own safety equipment will have a significant impact on our mission,’ says Jen. ‘Our AEDs will serve veterans, and other grassroots veteran groups during their activities.’
First aid kits
To raise money for Saltwater Veterans, Survival First Aid (@survivalfirstaid) are donating 25% of the purchase price of first aid kits. Use the checkout code ‘saltwater’ and you will also save 10%! See QR code below.
Get involved
Everyone can be a supporter of this veterans’ community. Check out the Saltwater Veterans merchandise, and share the word about us on our website (saltwaterveterans.org), which also has upcoming events and how to get involved.
- See the Channel 7 News About Saltwater Veterans
- Thank-you message from Saltwater Veterans about AED
