Celebrating 20 Years of Mobility Cup
Sam Sullivan established the Disabled Sailing Association of B.C. (DSA-BC), in Vancouver, in 1989, using an adapted sailboat given by Man in Motion Rick Hansen. The boat, a British-made Sunbird, had originally been presented to Rick during Expo '86 by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The Mobility Cup was founded as Canada’s “regatta of possibility” in 1991.
“I see the Mobility Cup more for its importance in helping develop new adaptive sailing programs and furthering existing ones,” continues Sam. “Many people see it just as a high quality race, but for me, that is not the essence of the Mobility Cup, although it is a high quality, competitive event.”
Each year, competitors go home full of enthusiasm, leading to the rapid expansion of disabled sailing associations. There are now more than 30 adaptive sailing programs across Canada.
The event “outgrew DSA-BC,” added Sam, prompting his 2001 Deed of Gift that transferred responsibility for the event to the adaptive sailing community as a whole. It is now overseen by the AbleSailNetwork.
For 20 years, Mobility Cup has inspired disabled sailing programs all
across Canada. Here is a list of locations:
| 1991 | Vancouver, British Columbia | 2001 | Victoria, British Columbia |
| 1992 | Vancouver, British Columbia | 2002 | Kingston, Ontario |
| 1993 | Vancouver, British Columbia | 2003 | Ottawa, Ontario |
| 1994 | Vancouver, British Columbia | 2004 | Pelican Bay, Manitoba |
| 1995 | Victoria, British Columbia | 2005 | Calgary, Alberta |
| 1996 | Vancouver, British Columbia | 2006 | Vancouver, BC |
| 1997 | Calgary, Alberta | 2007 | Dartmouth, Nova Scotia |
| 1998 | Vancouver, British Columbia | 2008 | Montreal, Quebec |
| 1999 | Toronto, Ontario | 2009 | Toronto, Ontario |
| 2000 | Montreal, Quebec | 2010 | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 2011 | Hamilton, ON |
