SAILABILITY: When bar talk leads to something good

SAILABILITY: When bar talk leads to something good

Published on April 9th, 2013

Sailability operates in numerous countries throughout the world, working with over 350 clubs, and through the activity of sailing, seeks to enrich the lives of people of any age, with any type of disability. Mike Rawbone shares how Hebe Haven Yacht Club became the first sailability program established in Hong Kong

“Sitting in the HHYC bar one evening in April 2009, the then Commodore Mark Houghton commented to me that the club should consider doing more for the local community and in particular, for those who had a disability ‘rather like the RYA does in the UK with their Sailability program’ he suggested. Seeing the chance to start something new and really worthwhile at HHYC (and for that matter – in Hong Kong), I got Mark to pay for my bar bill and volunteered to give Sailability a go!”

Fast forward to 2013, the club now has Access 2.3 and 303 dinghies (six of each), and hosted their first ever ‘Sailability Regatta’ in February. HHYC will be holding their first ‘International Sailability Regatta’ in June, and has a long term goal to reach the stage where Hong Kong can be represented by ‘Sailability Hong Kong’ in the 2020 Paralympics.

Here is a photo gallery from their recent regatta.

Sailability first regatta
History of Sailability

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