Disability Sailing

Sailing for athletes with a disability began in the 1980's and was introduced as a Paralympic sport in at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games as a demonstration sport before being given full medal status at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000.

In 1988, the International Handicap Sailing Committee (IHSC), which organised regattas and promoted sailing for people with a disability, was created and in 1990 sailing was accepted as a demonstration sport into the World Games for people with a disability.

Today the sport offers persons with disabilities the opportunity to experience the freedom of sailing.

Many standard boats are suitable for people with disabilities which can be made more accessible by adaptations.  Also you will find more and more boats and yachts are being designed with disabled people in mind and used regularly around the world by people with disabilities.

Sailability is a world wide organisation,which supports and facilitates sailing activities for everybody regardless of ability.

In 1991 Sailability was introduced to Australia, where there are currently over fifty groups covering every State and Territory,

Sailability World Inc. also operates in numerous countries throughout the world, through activities at local Sailability clubs including France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Greece, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Japan, Malaysia, Timor Leste and USA with new national Sailability organisations currently being established in all parts of the world. Sailability is a "not for profit", volunteer-based organisation which, through the activity of sailing, enriches the lives of people with any type of disability, the elderly, the financially and socially disadvantaged.

Safety is a concern with disabled sailors as it is with all other seafarers. For instance a lack of balance, mobility or agility may require extra support, boat seats, harnesses and lifejackets. Impaired vision can lead to stumbling over unseen obstructions and obstacles. Impaired hearing can mean failure to hear a shouted warning. There are many things you should be aware of if you intend to take up sailing and have a disability. Luckily your local disability sailing group can supply you with answers to your concerns as highly qualified instructors have experience within all aspects of the watersports industry.

There are many adaptions made to the boats to make them safe, for example special boat seats allow the sailors to position themselves so they can control the tiller and sheet without fear of falling. These seats can be as simple as a lawn chair modified to fit a cockpit or as complex as a translating seat, which allows a sailor to switch sides.

Contact your nearest boat club for details of boating opportunities provided for people with disabilities.

Further Information Regarding Disability Sailing

Paralympic Sailing Information
Paralympic sailing is open to male and female, physically disabled and visually impaired athletes. The Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games introduced Sailing as a demonstration sport, leading to its acceptance as a full medal sport at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.

Mobility Cup Disability Sailing Race
Marking its tenth anniversary the Disabled Sailing Association of Ontario will host the 2009 Mobility Cup at Toronto's Ashbridge's Bay Yacht Club. Today the Mobility Cup has become "Canada's showcase" for the development of sailing programs for the disabled.