The History of Disabled Sailing Association

At Expo 86, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher donated a British made Sunbird sailboat to Rick Hansen in honour of his ?Man in Motion? world tour. In 1988 Rick Hansen presented this boat to Sam Sullivan, who subsequently used it to help found the Disabled Sailing Association of BC.

Sam Sullivan became a quadriplegic in a skiing accident in 1979. Sam made the decision to ?reach out ?. He wanted to reach out to the community of disabled people to help them take more responsibility for helping themselves. He wanted the general community to know that barriers preventing or limiting full participation in society on the part of people with disabilities could be over come by reaching out and by taking action.

Today the boat used by disabled sailing programs is the Martin 16 sailboat. The Martin 16 is unsinkable, maneuverable and fast. It can easily be equipped with a ?Sip ?n? Puff? system, that allows even ? high quads? ? those with little or no upper body mobility - to discover or return to the world of sailing.

In 1991, Sam Sullivan envisioned a sailing regatta in which people would come together to promote public awareness of the capacities of people with disabilities and to provide those with disabilities the opportunity to participate in a world class event. The Mobility Cup is recognized as Canada?s International Regatta for Sailors with Disabilities. Through the use of innovative Canadian technology Canada has become a leader in making sailing accessible to people with severe disabilities. Disabled people from around the word are invited to participate in Mobility Cup.

Mobility Cup has become "Canada?s Showcase" for the development of sailing programs for people with disabilities. Both local and national media have shown interest in Mobility Cup and the event is well publicized. Mobility Cup is an event the competitors never forget, and they take their experiences home with them and initiate new Disabled Sailing Programs in their province or Country.

Disabled Sail Manitoba History

Disabled Sail Manitoba Inc. (DSM) was founded in 1997 by a small group of volunteers headed by Carol Miles and Van McLean. Through the fund raising efforts headed by Van McLean we took delivery of our first Martin 16 in 1997 and one more each year for the next three years. In 1998 we acquired our first sip ?n? puff controller. Our first year we sailed at Falcon Lake and in 1998 we moved to our present facility located at Fort Whyte Center.

Disabled Sail Manitoba provides sailing programs that teach the basics of sailing.

During the 2003 sailing season members of DSM attended regattas around the province and traveled to Ottawa where members participated in Mobility Cup 2003. DSM has three paid part time employees during the sailing season, and with the assistance of 17 volunteers there were a total of 269 people had a sailing experience and logged a total of 359 hours of sailing.

DSM has developed partnerships with St. Amant Center and the Society For Manitobans With Disabilities primarily providing their clients with the opportunity to enjoy the therapeutic aspects of sailing, and in many cases sailing is the highlight of their summer months.

The Future

Other partnerships that have been developed include both Pelican Yacht Club (PYC) and The Ridge Camp and Conference Center owned by Youth For Christ. Discover Boating Mobility Cup 2004 will be a success because of the efforts of both these organizations. PYC will host the event and The Ridge will provide accommodations for the 60 plus athletes and their aids and as many as 150 volunteers.

Through the cooperation of the three organizations Manitobans will be left with a Legacy of a World Class Facility for Sailing and Accommodations. Through the generosity of our sponsors and supporters PYC will be upgraded into a totally accessible facility with access to boats, funded programs, docks and trained staff. The Ridge will dedicate the third floor of its historic building to be renovated and install an elevator to accommodate any person with any level of disability.

This legacy will provide individuals and groups from within the disabled community with a facility that will enable them to experience the therapeutic value of the outdoors.

Access to these facilities will provide the disabled with sailboats and sailing programs that will be available to any disabled person who has a desire to participate. DSM?s current policy of ? Everyone Sails regardless of financial ability? will be extended to include any Disabled sailing program at PYC administered by DSM.

The Ridge will provide a fully accessible facility to accommodate individuals or groups with a retreat setting that is minutes from the sailing programs.