Across America and around the world, thousands of volunteers are providing sailing opportunities to people who perhaps never dreamed they would get on the water. Adaptive sailing organizations provide special equipment as needed, and sailors can go along for the ride, learn to sail on their own, or even enter the world of competition.

“Some people think sailing is too hard to learn,” says Miles Moore, a recreational therapist, rehab counselor, and owner of Sail Marine. “But people don’t know what they can do. Some people come wanting to learn to sail the boat themselves, others just want to go out and have a good time. My whole point is to try to help them become as independent as possible.”

Sailing Levels: Novice to Paralympics
In recreational sailing, participants learn about boating safety and experience the joy of being outside. Optionally, they can participate in manning the boat according to their abilities. Instructional sailing teaches participants everything from sailing terminology and boating equipment and parts, to how to tie knots and sail independently.

For those who want more of a challenge, competition is available at local, national, and international races, including the Paralympics.

The Adaptive Equipment
Adaptive sailboats can bring just about anyone to his or her desired level of independence on the water. Boats used for recreational adaptive sailing are unique due to their stability and ease of sailing.

The Sunbird 16-foot dinghy (a small sailboat) is the original adaptive sailing boat and still in use today.
Access dinghies, which come in various models, are popular because of their stability from a ballasted centerboard and concave hull shape. The sailor sits low down in the boat instead of leaning over the side as in traditional sailing. An optional servo-assisted joystick controls the boat via hand, foot, chin, or any moving body part, making it easier to control by those with limited mobility.

Another popular vessel, the Freedom 20, features a unique unstayed mast system, and its large size makes it ideal for teaching.
 
The Martin 16 was the first sailboat to offer an optional automated system for steering, sail sheeting, and bilge pumping called “sip & puff,” which allows quadriplegics with no mobility from the neck down to sail solo. The boat can also be controlled by a joystick. This two-person high-performance sailboat is unsinkable and allows sailors with disabilities to compete on the same playing field as their able-bodied peers.

Sonars, one of the choices for competitive sailing, are 23-foot keelboats with self-bailing, sit-in cockpits, a large sail area, and an inboard tiller. The boat features a high boom, angled backbench seats, and high coamings (frames to keep out water). This boat enables disabled sailors to sail safely and efficiently while enjoying the same high performance and excitement as their more able-bodied competitors.

The sonar jib trimmers bench, with sloped sides that help sailors remain seated when the boat heals, is ideal for those with no leg use but fairly good trunk control. Another choice for competition is the 2.4 Meter, which has all the classic lines of the America’s Cup yachts, but is one-fifth the size.

Get Sailing!
If you’re still feeling hesitant about heading out to the docks, consider this:
 
“Some people think that if there’s any risk, people with disabilities shouldn’t be doing it,” Moore says. “They think we have to protect them. But anything they do has risk. Having a disability doesn’t mean no risk. We simply build precautions, like life jackets, into the sport.”
 
Rob Racklief, director of operations for Connecticut Adaptive Sailing, agrees that anyone can learn to sail, adding that sailing is just good, clean, accessible fun.
 
“We call it miles of smiles,” he says. “People talk about their experience for weeks.”

Adaptive Sailing Programs:

San Francisco Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors
San Francisco Bay, CA
www.baads.org

Treasure Island Sailing Center
San Francisco and Bay Area, CA
www.tisailing.org

New England Competitive Sailing Center
Stamford, CT
www.necsc.org

Sail Connecticut
Westbrook, CT
www.sailctaccess.org

Sailability Jacksonville Inc.
Jacksonville, FL
www.sailability.org/us/Jacksonville

Shake-A-Leg
Miami, FL
www.shakealegmiami.org

Sailability Greater Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay, FL
www.sailabilitygreatertampabay.org

Sailing Alternatives
Tampa Bay, FL
www.sailingalternatives.org

Self Awareness in Leisure Lake
Couer d’Alene, ID
www.sail-s.com

Sail Marine
Hayden, ID
http://www.sailcda.com

Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation
Chicago, IL
www.juddgoldmansailing.org

The Adaptive Adventure Sports Coalition (TAASC)
Columbus, OH
www.taasc.org/sailing.cfm

Piers Park Sailing Center
Boston Harbor, MA
www.piersparksailing.org

The Duxbury Bay Maritime School
Duxbury, MA
www.duxbayms.com

Downtown Sailing Center
Baltimore, MD
www.downtownsailing.org

Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB)
Sandy Point State Park
Chesapeake Bay, MD
www.crab-sailing.org

Courage Duluth of Northeastern Minnesota
Duluth, MN
www.yknotsailing.org

Y-Knot Sailing
Pilot Knob, NY
www.yknotsailing.org

The Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience (EASE)
Erie, PA
www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=BCMS04

Sail Hampton Roads Community Sailing Center
Hampton, VA
www.sailhamptonroads.com

Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center
Burlington, VT
www.communitysailingcenter.org

Footloose Sailing Association
Seattle, WA
www.footloosesailing.org

Able Sail Network
Canada
www.ablesailnetwork.ca

Organizations:
Blind Sailing International
http://www.blindsailing.org/

US Sailing
Information on recreational and competitive adaptive sailing
http://www.ussailing.org/

*If you know of another organization that provides adaptive sailing, please contact the author at: http://www.disaboom.com/members/Lori-B.aspx

Photos courtesy of Shake-a-Leg Miami