CANSIN Set Sail with Hope and Passed Through Amasra

Amasra harbour, which since antiquity has welcomed sailors crossing difficult seas, this time hosted a brave-hearted young person: Cansın Yemlihaoğlu. Having fought the challenges caused by cerebral palsy throughout her 17 years of life, Cansın Yemlihaoğlu is sailing the Black Sea by yacht, overcoming barriers. During Disability Awareness Week (10–16 May), Cansın set out from Istanbul aboard a 12-metre sailing yacht she would single-handedly operate, with the aim of “drawing attention to the difficulties faced by people with disabilities”; she will complete her voyage in Samsun on 19 May. Throughout the journey, Cansın’s father Hakan Yemlihaoğlu is also on the boat, but all operations — from navigation and sail handling to helmsmanship and harbour manoeuvres — are performed by Cansın alone. Seventeen-year-old Cansın, who leads by example for those who lack the courage to realise their dreams, symbolises the belief that, given the opportunity, all disabled people can overcome life’s difficulties. On her Black Sea sailing voyage, Cansın was welcomed by Amasra Urban Council — Disability Working Group, Amasra Sailing Club athletes, Bartın Association of the Disabled and Amasra residents, setting an example for fellow sailors and disabled peers, and offering a lesson to adults. The Urban Council and Sailing Club also organised a walk and conversation meeting to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by disabled people in Amasra.