Sailing for the Disabled

Published 17 November 2009, Posted in National

A Whangarei Opportunity

Earlier this year I accompanied my twin brother, who has multiple sclerosis, to a yachting event in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia.

As a yachtie from a long way back, what I saw there really impressed me, as previously I had thought that this activity was for able bodied people only.

What has changed is the type of yacht that is now available for people with any form of disability, be it mental or physical, to enjoy recreational or competitive sailing.

The ultimate in this sport is a 5 meter yacht that can be fully controlled by a suck & blow system!  The standard however is a 3.6m long centreboard yacht that has a weighted centreboard and can be sailed by one or two people, called an Access Dinghy.

I resolved after my Australian visit to see if this activity can become a regular feature in the Whangarei area.

To this end, an inaugural meeting has been held at the Whangarei Cruising Club and an interim committee formed to pursue this goal. Those involved are:-

Ron Miller -  Interim Chairman/Secretary
Geoff Fountain -Whangarei Crusing ClubMike Wright   -  Whangarei Cruising Club
Rex Ford – Commodore, Whangarei Cruising Club
Kim Silvey -Whangarei District Council Disability Advisor

Our initial job is to show all interested disability organisations just what this activity is all about. Fortunately this has been made a lot easier by Sailability, an Auckland organisation dedicated to this purpose. http://www.sailabilityauckland.org.nz

We have arranged for them to bring a yacht, instructor and equipment to Whangarei on Saturday 21st November from 10:30am to about 3pm at the Whangarei Cruising Club Centreboard Headquarters, Parua Bay

On that day any disabled individual or organisation will be able to view these yachts and more importantly…………….have a go!

Equipment will be available to enable most physically disabled people to board and if they have not sailed before, and instructor will sail with them. Lifejackets etc will be provided; however a change of clothing and towel etc. may be required, as this sometimes can be a wet activity! If the weather is not suitable then Sun 22nd will be used.

To avoid having a large crowd at any one time, we would like any interested persons or organisations who intended to take part, to book a time – at this stage we propose 20 minute intervals, starting from 10:40, and ending at 3:00pm.

Please call Ron Miller at (09) 4360904 for a time

If you just want to have a look and find out more about Sailability, visit at any time during the day, or visit the Sailability website www.sailabilityauckland.org.nz

After this weekend, a further meeting of interested parties will be held to determine the future of this exciting activity in Whangarei.