Adapted sailing opens the sea to all
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César Maquieira of Spain and others with disabilities are finding freedom through adapted sailing programs, like the one at the Monte Real Yacht Club in Baiona.
Maquieira, who developed a degenerative muscle disease, discovered the Monte Real Club’s Adapted Sailing School in 2012. The school provides free, specialized lessons and custom-built boats to people with physical, mental, sensory, or intellectual disabilities.
The Monte Real Club, located in a town with a long sailing history, certifies dozens of participants yearly who complete daily classes taught by instructors trained in adapted sailing. The program uses specially designed boats, like the GOS16, equipped with features to assist those with reduced mobility and prevent capsizing. Participants report feeling a sense of freedom and increased confidence. Beyond Spain, similar initiatives are expanding access to sailing worldwide.
Mike Wood in the U.K. founded the Disabled Sailors Association in 1993 and has since helped over 25,000 people with disabilities experience sailing. In South Africa, Sailability South Africa built accessible boats in response to sailing’s removal from the 2020 Paralympics, due to insufficient global participation. These projects, though beneficial, often struggle with funding and accessibility costs, but they are working to promote inclusion and improve the wellbeing of participants.
