The Sailing Education for All (SEA) project officially began with a two-day kick-off meeting held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 26–27 January, marking the start of an ambitious Erasmus+ Sport initiative aimed at making sailing more accessible, inclusive, and socially impactful across Europe.
Representatives of all four partner organisations gathered in Sofia to launch the project, align expectations, and plan the first stages of implementation. The SEA partnership brings together a strong and complementary consortium, combining technical sailing expertise with extensive experience in Education Through Sport (ETS) and social inclusion. The project partners are Mundus Bulgaria – coordinator, Bora Sailing (Bulgaria), Horn Kraków Sailing Club (Poland), and ASD Sport Compass (Italy).
The kick-off meeting began with introductory presentations from each organisation, giving partners the opportunity to get to know one another, present their expertise, and establish a solid foundation for collaboration. This was followed by in-depth discussions on the overall project concept, objectives, and structure, with a particular focus on Work Package 1 (Project Management and Coordination) and Work Package 2 (Inclusive Digital Sailing Academy).
Key organisational aspects were agreed upon during the meeting, including internal communication channels, reporting and monitoring frameworks, decision-making procedures, and the scheduling and logistics of future meetings. These discussions ensured a shared understanding of roles, responsibilities, and quality standards from the very beginning of the project.
A central part of the meeting was dedicated to the practical implementation of SEA’s core activities. Partners engaged in detailed discussions on the development of the AI-powered digital sailing platform, covering its technical features, structure, user interface, and content. Particular attention was given to ensuring that the platform responds to the needs of diverse target groups and remains accessible for beginners, sailing coaches, and practitioners at a basic level.
The consortium also worked extensively on the Digital Sailing Training Programme, exploring the structure and content of its learning modules, the levels of sailing education to be covered, and the balance between theoretical and practical components. The discussions aimed to ensure that the programme would be useful both for professionals working with beginner sailors and for learners themselves, especially those with limited access to traditional sailing education.
The two-day meeting proved to be highly productive. Beyond clarifying technical and organisational details, it helped build a strong team spirit and a shared vision for the project. Responsibilities were clearly distributed, and partners left Sofia with a strong sense of ownership, motivation, and enthusiasm for the work ahead.
We were pleased to host the first transnational meeting of the SEA project and warmly thank all partners for their active engagement and constructive contributions.We look forward with great excitement to the implementation of the SEA project and to advancing inclusion, accessibility, and innovation in sailing education across Europe.
Check out the SEA project’s page on our website and stay tuned for SEA’s first activities and the exciting upcoming initiatives!
