Sail away

The 150kg-capacity T-Davit was installed on a jetty at the site, based at Kielder Water & Forest Park in Northumberland, UK, and has been in operation during the centre’s busy summer months.

The lightweight aluminium davit, which is designed for portability in other applications, is fixed permanently to the wharf with a special attachment, also manufactured by Reid. It works with a Voyager portable hoist, rated at the same capacity as the davit for personnel lifting. The davit is used almost daily to allow people with various disabilities to take part in sailing and canoeing sessions. Two attachments on the winch are connected to a special harness, which holds visitors securely at four points on the legs and shoulders. The hoist then slides along the davit arm to lift people from the jetty onto crafts, and back again.

The Trust had previously used an Oxford Dipper hoist, but at the end of the hoist’s five-year lifespan, sought a more longterm solution. A Reid system was already being used at the centre’s sister facility in the Lake District, and was suggested to the Trust by their colleagues, explained head of activities Pete Coulson: “We invested a lot of money in a section of the jetty that could support a personnel lifting device. The previous system worked efficiently but the relatively short lifespan steered us towards the Reid solution.

Their team were extremely helpful in listening to what we wanted and were able to manufacture a specialist bracket that allowed us to fit the davit to our jetty, which made the option even more viable.” Coulson added: “Calvert Trust Kielder is respected globally as a leading provider of outdoor experiences for disabled people. Our disabled guests, their friends, and families experience the same emotions and levels of participation as any other guest inside our safe, inclusive, uniquely challenging facility. A key component to delivering that access to waterborne activities is Reid’s T-Davit; we’ve been very pleased with the addition to our jetty and the memories it has helped to facilitate.” Nick Battersby, managing director at Reid, said: “Pete and his colleagues do a fantastic job of providing widespread accessibility to a variety of activities and we’re pleased to play a small part in getting visitors safely in and out of canoes and sailing boats.

“The application also serves as another example of the versatility of our T-Davit range and other lightweight lifting solutions.”