Sailing: A Natural Fit for Dyslexic Processors

Updated: 5/18/25

I am the parent of a dyslexic processor and the manager of the PSST team. Our family has been very open about our son’s dyslexia from the beginning. We have never seen it as a disability, but rather a big advantage and a huge gift. It took him a bit longer, but he now realizes just how fortunate he is. He has had his struggles, and there were years that were far from easy. We were fortunate to have an early diagnosis and to have had the time and resources to support him. Today, the three of us are on a mission to help other dyslexic individuals and their families realize how truly fortunate they are.

Dyslexic strengths and sailing

I am neither an expert sailor nor a psychologist. My conclusions stem from close observation, extensive reading, and experiments my son and I have conducted together. There are no formal studies or papers on the relationship between sports and dyslexia, at least, none that I've been able to find. However, I have been collecting my own statistics that I will share with you. Again, these are not scientific, all purely empirical.

Keep in mind that in the Seattle area, we over-index the national average for dyslexic processors (at 2x the national average, or 15%). There are many theories, but it's likely related to the large number of people working in STEM, a popular field for dyslexics. In fact, at MIT, dyslexia is known as "the MIT disease." 😀 - need more proof? read on and some more here.

• 5 out of 10 of the best youth sailors in our area are dyslexics (50% vs. 15% national and 30% in Seattle)
• 3 out of 5 of the Opti high-performance coaches we have worked with the last 3 years are also dyslexics (60% vs. 15% international)
• Many of the best sailors to ever live are also severely dyslexic (e.g., Paul Elvstrom, Jessica Watson). (Still researching this one.)

Within the PSST team, we are seeing a significantly accelerated rate of progression with our dyslexic processors. They seem to be covering 2+ years of progression in a single year, as long as they remain challenged. My personal involvement with PSST stems from a desire to keep our sailors challenged and actively sailing. As this journey continues, we are starting to notice that sustaining this trajectory requires not just great coaches, but a strong fleet of amazing sailors. Dyslexic processors are agreat fit.

Understanding dyslexic strengths

So, if you're convinced by this idea, the next natural question is: why? For that, I will refer you to a fantastic book that every dyslexic person and their family should read: The Dyslexic Advantage. It was written by Brock and Fernette Eide, both psychologists who have spent most of their careers understanding and teaching dyslexic children. They also live here in the Puget Sound.

The work of Drs. Eide has led to identifying 5 areas where dyslexics tend to excel where two are usually dominant.

1. Spatial/Mechanical Reasoning (STEM). The ability to reason about the 3-D and 2-D world. A strong visual thinker who tends to think in images and visual patterns (e.g., analysis, design, solve).
2. Interconnected Reasoning (Innovator). The ability to detect relationships between phenomena, such as objects, ideas, and events (e.g., synthesis, identifying opportunities).
3. Narrative Reasoning (Storyteller). The ability to connect a series of mental scenes from fragments of personal experience to create, simulate, or recall (e.g., creating, describing).
4. Dynamic Reasoning (Improv). Strengths that confer the ability to accurately predict past or future states using episodic simulation (e.g., predicting, filling in the blanks).

In my experience, the youth dyslexic sailors I mentioned tend to also be very good at math and other STEM tasks. They are the type of children who engage in building projects, like to tinker, and are very good at figuring things out 'on the fly.' They excel at reading their audience (or the situation) and dynamically adjusting their plans and behavior. They have a very acute sense of awareness (they don’t miss anything) and can easily find correlations between events to predict outcomes. They display the #1, #2, and #4 dyslexic strengths in various forms. They are very good at processing a tremendous amount of inputs quickly (e.g., wind, current, course, boat direction, other boats, puffs and shifts, sail setup) and taking appropriate action or predicting a future outcome—the essence of a good sailor.

In Conclusion: Get Your Kid Sailing!

If you have a dyslexic child, encourage them to try sailing. If your experience was anything like ours, you'll find dyslexic children truly thrive when they engage in activities where they can excel, balancing the challenges of literacy. This is particularly true in elementary school, where approximately 80% of the curriculum revolves around reading and writing, and much of the remaining 20% is often inaccessible without strong literacy skills.

Sailing will be an activity that helps them develop and embrace their unique strengths, rather than solely focusing on shoring up their reading skills. It's a place where they can truly learn to embrace their dyslexic strengths, build confidence, and discover the joy of excelling. 

Feel free to reach out to us and we will help you find a local club for your sailor.  

Other resources

1. Embracing the Complexity of the Dyslexic Mind (Video). Brock Eide M.D., M.A. & Fenette Eide M.D., Speaker Series at Hamlin Robinson School.‍
2. The Dyslexic Advantage. Brock Eide M.D., M.A. & Fenette Eide M.D, February 2023, Plume.