Dear Friends and Fellow Sailors,
We’ve had a lot of fun over the 2023/2024 Summer Sailing season and our participants are truly grateful for the opportunity to enjoy our on-water experiences through our supported sailing programs, during the HANSA State Championships and at our weekend “Come and Try Sailing” activities!
Our two new Hansa 303 Dinghys have arrived from the eastern states and their colourful and bright sails can be seen in use on the Derbal Yerrigan and in Matilda Bay most Wednesday mornings, during our supported sailing days.
British-Australian Actress, Miriam Margoyles was in Perth during 2023 filming “Miriam Margoyles Almost Australian”. During her trip she sailed onboard Heaven Can Wait with Kylie Forth and myself. The show has aired and can be viewed on ABC iview.
Our Summer Season of sailing continues right through until the end of April. Our last day for mid-week Supported sailing is Wednesday 24th of April. There will be no sailing on Thursday 25th April due to RPYC’s Diggers Cup on ANZAC Day.
With warmest regards,
Gary Griffiths | President | Sailability WA
Alan Perkins starts solo sailing in a Hansa Liberty
The ‘Rob Carter’ Hansa Liberty has been on the water several times since the start of the season. In the last few months it has been undergoing technical development to be an accessible boat for sailors with high support needs. Alan Perkins, a former windsurfer and Sailability WA member, has been very keen to try out solo sailing with our assistance. We have been working closely with Alan to do a seating assessment, installing trunk stability in the seat, as well as technical development work with a port side hand controller to trim and steer the boat with the servo’s installed in the boat.
We are happy to report success! Alan sailed the Rob Carter solo three times during March with a support boat for on-water assistance.
Thanks to the immense support from the Rob Carter Foundation for the purchase of the Hansa Liberty ‘Rob Carter’ in 2023. Also a big shout out to Graham Brown (volunteer) for his ongoing time and technical skill to develop a hand control that Alan can use independently. It is truly awesome to see Alan sailing solo on the water with us!
Nev Thomas II Launched
Fishability WA has officially launched The Nev Thomas II. Our volunteers received training in January and had some practice navigating the vessel in and out of its new pen at RPYC.
Our volunteers were impressed with how maneuverable the boat is, considering its size. Sailability WA uses the boat on a Thursday morning for high support sailing days, for participants with disabilities who use electric wheelchairs to roll on and roll off the vessel.
BMS Insurance Brokers Sponsorship Secured
BMS Insurance Brokers have come on board as a Sailability WA sponsor, providing new sails for our fleet of 8 x 303 Hansa Dinghys and 2 x Hansa Libertys. The sails have been ordered and we are eagerly awaiting delivery of the same so that the fleet will have new sails, ready for the 2024/2025 Summer Sailing Season! The sails will be visible during our Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday sailing days and at regattas beyond our programs.
Thank you to Peter Gibbs, for securing this important sponsorship for us.
Our new 303 Dinghy “Lorelle”
Following the successful fundraising at our 2023 Finding Freedom luncheon we have purchased and named the latest addition to our fleet, a 303 Dinghy “Lorelle”, after Lorelle King.
Lorelle is an active Liberty sailor herself and joined the Sailability WA Committee in 2023. In the true spirit of our fundraising efforts, in her spare time Lorelle has been active in sourcing donations and joined the team at the RPYC Twilight markets in December.
Can you help us give the feeling of freedom to everyone?
Supporting people with different ability levels to be involved in sailing and supporting their participation in activities requires specialised equipment. We need to ensure our assets are well maintained – we don’t ever want to turn away a person with a disability who wants to try, or pursue sailing! We know that every donation, no matter the size, makes a significant difference. Any support you can give will be sincerely appreciated. Donations over $2 are tax deductible. Please visit our webpage to make a donation today Donations – Sailability WA.
Thank you to Kwik Kopy Perth CBD for printing our donations board and to Gary Griffiths for the display at The Boathouse on Mounts Bay Road.
Have you ever wanted to try sailing and not sure about all the equipment needed and how to go about it?
Come and Try sailing with us, in either a keelboat or a Hansa Dinghy, assisted by our volunteers. Our next sessions will take place as follows:
When: Sunday 7th or Sunday 24th April 2024
Time: 09:30am.
The cost is $20 per participant and support workers attend for free.
Register through the Humanitix booking system here: Social Sailing Sunday’s with Sailability WA- Hansa Dinghy | Humanitix
General Reminders
- Wednesday 24 April 2024 is our last sailing day for the 2023/2024 summer sailing season.
- When using the Sailability WA fleet please remember to record any maintenance issues you encounter in the Maintenance Book which is located in the SWA Office, Dinghy Division. This will ensure matters are attended to promptly.
Contacts
Program Coordinator
Rachael Cox
office@sailabilitywa.org.au
Administration Coordinator
Kyllie Whitehead
admin@sailabilitywa.org.au
Sailability WA Inc
PO Box 5
NEDLANDS WA 6909
www.sailabilitywa.org.au
Tel 0404 145 499
Hosted by Royal Perth Yacht Club,
Australia II Drive, Crawley WA 6009
