2022 NEWS | sailabilityhk

2022 NEWS

December

As we came to close of another good year albeit only 8 months of sailing due to the 5th Wave of COVID suspension of programmes we have completed another staggering 3000 individuals sailings on our fleet. More info on December happenings to follow as we look to 2023 with more optimism and sailing for us all.

Thank you from us all at Sailability Hong Kong for your support and the interest shown in what we do.

November

November's sailings came in at 450+ which again was remarkable.

The Hong Kong Club Foundation Senior Sailing Programme saw new volunteer training for Seniors as well as visitors from within Elderly Care Centres and organisations joining our "Wet and Dry" Programmes. The interest in this programme has grown beyond belief in the past 3 years. Already some of the newly trained volunteers are supporting other programmes.

2nd Mike Rawbone Challenge Cup enters the second series of this 3 3 series event. Sailors in 2.4mRs and Hansa 303s which includes both Para Sailors and volunteers competing is showing as much appeal as last year. Without the ability to attend any overseas events this now provides competition for our sailors. Great effort by all involved in carrying on this series.

New sailors joining the Scallywag Foundation Programme. We are now instructing our 14th and 15th group of sailors with ASD as well as new sailors joining from Christian Action, Tutor Chan Centre, Green Leaves Music and groups finishing their courses.

TREATS 2nd Inclusive Race Day attended by around 60 people. We watched 14 teams compete in this year's race under the watchful eyes of our Race Management Team headed by Instructors Jesse and Jack. Parents and friends viewing the race from aboard Hebe One in the waters near HKUST. A great day of racing was witnessed as TREATs volunteers sailed with their SEN buddies. Well done everyone and thank you to Hebe Haven Yacht Club as the venue sponsor.

Schroeder - a new sponsor is supporting youth from the Hong Kong Society for the Deaf and the Down Syndrome Association to experience and join our sailing programmes.

Mo Han joined a Speed Race with the Cruiser Owners Association and participated in the HHYC Winter Monsoon 5 day race weriews which ends in December. The team is inclusive in all our Mo Han races with 3 Para Sailors on board supported by a buddy sailor for safety. They are really proving to be a great team and the teamwork and learning seen within the crew is amazing. Lots of training taking place with people interested in joining and learning more about inclusive sailing and the up keep and care of a 'big boat'.

All this hard work and practice culminiated in an amazing result at the RHKYC Around the Island Race. We achieved a placing of 8 out of 88 boats in the HKPN Division. What a great success for inclusive sailing.

A huge thank you to the sponsors of these programmes from us all.

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October

...and what a month this was with over 550 people sailing with us. A quick run down of some of the events which contributed to these numbers alongside our regular sailing programmes:

World Sailing's Steering the Course Women's Festival 2023 where we participated in 9 of the 10 days of the event. Sailors joining us were from Hong Kong Society for the Blind, Ebenezer School, Para Sailors, Saturday Sailors, Hong Kong Society for Deaf and ladies wishing to have their first sail on Mo Han. We also participated in the HHYC Port Shelter Regatta and the Ladies' Helm. Great participation by Sailability HK with a report on WS website.

24hr Dinghy Race 2023 where Sailability showed their support with 14 Hansa 303s and an appearance on both days by our Enterprise 'Bits & Pieces'. Mo Han was on the South Dock for viewing and what a great weekend it was.

Sailability showed their presence in their usual fun way and we had many achievements:

Best Dressed Stall

Best Dresses Team

1st and 2nd for fastest corrected average elapsed time at the 24 Hour Charity Race this weekend!! 1st Para Warriors + fastest lap, 2nd Saturday Sailors with help from Jockey Club Sarah Roe Sailors. Well done everyone - great participation as always and superb support from our volunteers.

Great coverage once again on RTHK Radio 3 with Noreen and Andrew - thank you!

Paralympics Day on 30th October at Tiu Keng Leng Sport Centre. With the help of our volunteers and Para Sailors we took along a 2.4mR and a Hansa 303 + simulator to the event. We received many positive comment on the day as we introduced sailing to others with disability within HK. It was a great time for us to see and experience other sports on display too.

Haven of Hope Elderly Day Care Centre joined a 'Wet&Dry" programmed sponsored by The Hong Kong Club Foundation Limited to offer sailing to sailors who had never or thought they would never thought they could sail at their senior age. The ages of the 3 eldest sailors was 87,91 and 92 years. Accompanied by their wonderful staff they group of 10 sailors split into 2 groups of 5, to enjoy both sailing, making Christmas Decorations and having lunch with volunteers during their 6hr stay at HHYC. What a transformation to be seen as they made new friends and made new memories to share with friends. A huge thank you to our sponsor and volunteers for making this a memorable day.

September

This month's highlight was Bart's Bash 2022. Due to the orginal date falling over the weekend of Hong Kong's Autumn Festival we were allowed to change to the following weekend.

This event with Hebe Haven Yacht Club is an annual event with club and Sailability sailors. This year Sailability's fleet of 14 x Hansa 303s, 1 x Hansa Liberty, 1 x Enterprise and 6 x 2.4mRs were part of the 63 boat fleet in the waters of Hebe Haven. We were joined this year by cruisers from HHYC who joined a rally to Yau Ley Seafood Restaurant. Mo Han acted as the Committee at the event with Para Sailors joining the race management team.

Bart's Bash is the largest global sailing event and one we are always proud to be part of. It's a charity event raising funds for centres like our around the world who make sailing accessible to everyone.

Sailability Sailors joining included our para sailors, sailors from our Scallywag Foundation Programme which included those from within our ethnic community, Saturday Sailors, Tsui Tsing Tong School, Morning Hope School, Saturday Sailors and our Senior Sailor Volunteers all racing together.

An amazing day with great Bart's Bash Burgers and dancing during the break for lunch!!!

A fantastic HK$50,000 was raised at the event and a huge thank you to all those who took part; sailors, volunteers, instructors, SB drivers, Mark Layers, Donors, HHYC and its staff. If I have missed anyone out, sincere apologies.

August

Mo Han Training begins and the team achieves a 2nd place!

Following Mo Han's arrival in July crew training has begun. Those signing up for this training include sailors of all abilities which includes our Para Sailors, Volunteers, Big Boat Sailors as week look to fulfil all the crew needs on board and to keep the boat in pristine condition.

The photos show the crew practicing manoeuvring Mo Han for wheelchair boarding from the stern, and then sailing out at sea. The boat will provide both leisure and racing for our beneficiaries with a trained crew and skipper. We are all looking forward to more inclusive sailing for our beneficiaries, volunteers and supporters.

Mo Han also participated in it's first Rally with the Cruiser Owners Association (COA) - the 4 Bays Rally. This was our first race and with 3 Para Sailors, our Skipper Tai, Snr Coach Ed and volunteers we took on the challenge and came 2nd!!! Unbelievable and our sailors are now looking for more challenges and learning onboard Mo Han. Para Sailors onboard were Sylvia, Puk, Eric and Tsun Ming. Well done Team!

MoHan is a therapeutic platform made possible by a donation from the Li Ka Shing

Foundation to Sailability HK. Members of the Solarista club have pledged to cover the operating and mooring costs.

Sailability Hong Kong's Sun Hung Kai Scallywag Foundation Programme provides pathways.

Two very special sailors share their stories this month. Read on as you learn about the feelings and thoughts of sailors Tommy and Lotus and their journeys with Sailability Hong Kong:

Tommy Wong - from Sailability beneficiary to the HK Sports Institute and representing Hong Kong!! Well done Tommy from us all at Sailability. His story begins below and please click on Read more as it's quite a long one!!!!

and Lotus another beneficiary of the Scallywag Foundation programme reflects on his journey

Mid August saw the return to Sailability, after a Covid enforced break, Lotus, who is now 16, started sailing when he was 13 and is now sharing this reflection of his first time back on the water in several months. The photos show him growing up through the years, top left is his return to Sailability.

“When Instructor Paul let me know that I could go back to help as a Sailability volunteer, I felt a little excited as I had not been sailing for a while due to the pandemic, and so I had some concerns whether I would forget things or would not be able to adapt. But when I started my “mission” those apprehensions vanished! All I knew was that I was working hard and sweating, a feeling I was familiar with.

“My favourite boat is the green Hansa 303 Tender Won, but sadly I did not get to use it this time. When I go out to sea, I like to have a period of time on my own when I sail and take pictures of the scenery. That unrestrained feeling is the happiest and most satisfying thing for me.

Lotus’s Mum came to Hebe Haven with him and commented: “During Sailability sessions I have observed that Lotus is learning to become better when dealing with other people, he’s more tolerant and not as stubborn. This can be difficult for an autistic child because typically their temperament tends to be really direct.”

Thank you Lotus and Mum Candy! Huge well done for him progressing to be a volunteer.

As always sessions continued during the month with 250+ individual sailings!!

As a local kid, my journey starts as Paul, instructor of Sailability Hong Kong, gives me a trial session prior to the Scallywag Program in July 2019. Turns out he was really happy with my performance and that’s how it all started with myself getting into the second group in the Scallywag Program. The program was set up to provide a pathway for kids to get into sailing as it’s not the most accessible sport and that’s why Scallywag, Sailability and Hebe are trying to promote it more around the community. With the program, I also met Mike and Kay, they were one of the few biggest supporters to us throughout the program, and also, our lovely parents, to be always there. My group took quite a long period of time to finish the course with various bad weather situations, but for me, I actually started volunteering for other Scallywag program courses but also different Sailability programs even before finishing mine. In that perspective, it just gives me more hours to spend with the boat and on the water which is perfect to me as a new sailor to keep practicing but also sharing joy to various other people who are willing to join in. I actually remember that back in the days, I was just always using the same boat, Star Fish, a Hansa 303 launched in memory of John Fisher. That boat actually sort of turned into my personal boat as pretty much I am the only guy taking it out. But with all that, I meet up with Ryan in May 2020, another volunteer to Sailability which he brings me into the other dinghy sailing world with the Enterprise and also RS Quest which then we were partners for nearly six months with my first proper event as Hebe Open 2020 which we are grateful to pull off a third overall. In the meantime, I was fortunate enough to be receiving the title of Scallywag Sailor of the Year. Let’s move to where I start ILCA sailing. Just two months before Hebe Open, I met with Alfie, Hebe Dragons Race Team Head Coach, we actually was chatting in the changing room, which he invited me to give a go on ILCA, I don’t know what to expect and just say ‘Sure’, which that turns out to be a really huge turning mark to my life. Alfie gave me all new stuff, boat and riggings, and that is also how I met Richard, a friend and training partner that made me be competitive in Hong Kong within one year of training. Both Alfie and him, basically I am with them every weekend from day to night, we got quite close actually. We did lots of training and also different types of racing together also with Faber and Daniel which they joined the team later in time. Somewhere later, I was given the title of Hebe Dragons Laser Fleet Captain as the oldest but also ‘youngest’ in the team. More responsibility on the shoulder but also showing the appreciation from the Hebe Team to myself which is so great. Taking all that, we step into Hebe Open 2021 where I finished 5th out of 12 boats, not bad for the first race but also room to improve and be aware. Training carried on but with the leaving of Richard for the UK, a sad thing but it’s the reality. Yea, I kind of lost the best mate in sailing which helped me so much but yea, you can also keep stepping up no matter what is happening around, as long as you are with the sport. Time flies and the next race was ABC Southside 2021, finishing 4th overall and 3rd in youth. It’s a not bad result but I am not totally satisfied, anyway, that’s sailing. Still with that result, I was lucky enough to be selected into the HKSI National Sailing Team as a Youth Athlete which at the age of 17, youth is pretty much closing the gate on me but it’s good to gain as much as I could from the team with my lack of experience. Still we got lots of lockdowns as always in the winter since 2020. We all stopped for nearly 3 months. Still the team held strong and we managed to pull off some good results in Hebe Open 2022 with podium finishes. As with that, we set ourselves for European Racing in the summer which is amazing as last time I was out was three years ago and this time around, will be my first sailing trip, and might be the last as a youth athlete. So yea, the first race was the EurILCA 6 Youth European Championship in Thessaloniki, Greece. We are lucky to team up with a local team from Athena, Greece throughout the regatta which I would say is one of the favorites. With differences in sailing abilities, they are still very nice and we had some great times throughout no matter on or off the water. Thanos, Thomas, Alex, Gabriela, Iro and Evelina, led by Vagelis, a great team to be with anytime. Race result going a bit up and down which… Yea, you really don’t know what will happen till it happens. Black flag and yellow flag with one each throughout the regatta. That's actually a bit devastating when you see your name on the committee boat whiteboard or someone chasing you down and raising up a yellow flag behind you, but I had to know one thing, the regatta still got to go on. You get a Yellow Flag, you do the penalty, then keep racing. You get a Black Flag, you start preparing for the next race. The regatta just never ends, gotta keep going, gotta keep going! So yea, as I said, it keeps going so we moved on to the UKLA National 2022 held in Hayling Island. To be honest, a tough place to sail with the strong current. Three training days is still less than enough to get into the situation. I actually took it to the second racing day to actually get into it. Yea so it’s a tough regatta with all kinds of conditions from 4 knots to 22 knots, sunny to stormy, it’s just the tough way for a regatta but also something that fits everyone with some better in the strong wind, some in the light wind. 4 days of qualification puts me in the top batch of Silver fleet, with the last day of fleet racing starting with wind over 22 knots, strong current, and storm, ending with 4 knots in the last race, got to be real adaptive to everything. Finishing 7th in silver, not bad, but I was expecting more from myself, still it’s sailing, gotta move on. Going to the Europeans was actually something never ever thought of since my start cuz I didn’t even expect myself stepping into the ILCA class which thanks to Alfie, I am now here, keep stepping up, racing in higher and higher levels of regattas. Mike, Kay, and Paul bring me into the sport, Alfie brings me to another level of the game, and my mum, my biggest supporter throughout the past three years in the sport. Without any of them, I would never make it to this far with Europeans and overseas regattas. Thank you! People say it takes years to race competitively in sailing, but I say it takes passion and love. Still, time plays its role during the journey, the more training hours you get, the more you can gain.

July

Mo Han has arrived!!

Sailability’s new flagship arrived in HK on the Beluga Ace this morning 1st July, the 25th Anniversary of the handover and in the middle of a typhoon. What a great welcome.

From there Mo Han was accompaanied by Enrico Zanella from Solaris Yachts Asia and his Team on 4th July to the Royal HK Yacht Club to have her keel and mast fitted and other final preparatory work.

Mo Han will add a new dimension to the lives of Sailability sailors who achieve so much by overcoming their personal challenges and getting out onto the water.

Sailability is grateful to The Li Ka Shing Foundation, members of the Solarista Club for enabling this exciting new development and and HHYC for providing a home for her!

A momentous day for Sailability Hong Kong 23rd July 2022!! MoHan Arrives

MoHan arrived home at Hebe Haven Yacht Club! She sailed from RHKYC in Victoria Harbour and was accompanied by members of the Solarista Club who have worked so hard to make this day happen, plus boats from the Sailability fleet joined for the final stages.

On this sunny Saturday afternoon, speaking to mark the arrival of Mohan at Hebe Haven Yacht Club, Barry Hill, Chairman of Sailability Hong Kong, paid tribute to the many people and organisations who made it all possible.

He firstly said a big thank you to the Li Ka Shing Foundation and the Solarista Club adding that “Mohan is much more than a sailing boat, it is a therapeutic platform which will add to the sailing dimension of our sailors and develop their skills in team work and big boat handling.” Barry called the arrival of MoHan “a sparkling day” for everyone associated with Sailability.

Barry went on to say since 2009, Sailability has conducted its operations from HHYC who have offered a berth for Mohan. He thanked Commodore Don Johnson, past Commodore’s, General Manager Paul Arkwright, members of the General Committee, and HHYC staff for their support of Sailability.

A huge thank you to our Volunteers for the time and enthusiasm they put into all we do to make our programmes a success ....... Kay

Hester went sailing for the first time on 23rd July, using a Hansa 303, then managed a few minutes on the deck of MoHan for some extra inspiration! She now shares a reflection of this experience with us.

“We only live once, that’s the reason why I want to take new challenges. This time I have taken sailing as my new challenge and I have set a goal for the new challenge.

When I sail, I am facing different challenge from nature like the direction and strength of winds. Dealing with these fast-changing factors, I was freaked out and lost the control of the sailing boat. But then, I realised, I must adjust my mind and adapt to the the challenges. It just like when I encounter uncertainty in daily life, it’s okay to be worried but I am gonna get ready for what’s coming.

“What I am learning from sailing is not only the skills, but also a life attitude.”

Hester continues her journey and whilst improving her sailing skills she also acts as a volunteer as a buddy to sailors with different life challenges. Well done! What a transformation from new sailor to buddy sailor.

Programmes continued as usual ........

With all the recent news about MoHan it would be easy to forget that Sailability’s usual programmes are still running!

Although Saturday Sailing was affected by bad weather , before that there was group of special needs students sponsored by Treats, a group of people with muscular disabilities from the Haven of Hope District Clinic, and new sailor who has a lower limb disorder.

Scallywag Foundation - Ebenezer School for the Blind

Thank you from the heart!

A group of visually impaired children completed their first sailing course. The course had been spread over several months in part due to Covid interruptions and more recently the bad weather.

We’re sharing one of the lovely “thank you” letters from the participants or their parents which are written from the heart

From Anna’s parents

We thank every volunteer at Sailability for giving Anna a brilliant experience at sea. Not only did it widen her senses, but allowed her to understand the art of Sailing. Despite the recent typhoon, bad weather, and the effects of COVID all making uncertainties in availability and dates a constant factor, Anna really enjoyed, and looked forward to every chance she had to sail. I hope Sailability would continue to host activities which allow more disabled minorities a chance to gain this once in a lifetime experience!

From 心晴 Ele

We thank every volunteer who helped us gain a thorough understanding of sailing! Thank you so much Auntie Kay!

From Henry’s father

Thank you Kay and Paul for reaching out to us giving our kids such a wonderful opportunity to explore. Thank you Coach Jesse and the lovely volunteers for your heart-felt coaching and being along side with them on the water making the journey safe and fun. The kids have learned a lot from everyone at Sailability. As parents, in the moment watching them sail out, the only thing that mattered was their ability, instead of worrying about their disability. I believe the kids were having the same feelings too and it will change their lives in the future.

From Chan Ching 陳靖

Thanks to Salibility for arranging this sailing class, thanks to Paul Sir, Jessie Sir and Coach Karen for their patience in teaching the children, and also to the volunteers for their leadership. In addition to learning basic sailing knowledge, it also let Charllin experience the joy of using other senses to feel the fun of water sports. She really enjoys the feeling of being at sea! Hope to have the opportunity to participate in sailing again!

The Sun Hung Kai Scallywag Foundation programme continues to provide sailing opportunities to the under-represented in our community. This month we saw a group from Christian Action who had a great time on the water sailing with their friends. Thank you so much Sun Hung Kai for your continued support. Your programmes changes so many lives.

June

A brilliant month for our sailors with 252 sailors joining programmes. We conducted 24 courses over 17 days of sailing. We had a few days of very wet weather with some cancellations.

Our news for the month:

Simpson Marine come onboard as a new sponsor. This is great news and their donation will be for the following 2 years as they support the maintenance of our Hansa Fleet and also to provide additional sailing opportunities for students with more complex needs. A big thank you to you ALL from ALL of us.

American Club Foundation - we would like to say another big thank you to the American Club Foundation for choosing Sailability Hong Kong as one of the recipients of their amazing May online funding platform 'Fund a Future'. Thanks also to the ACF Team who made this happen in days - amazing! This additional funding will be used to support our regular outgoings and operating costs. Sailability along with many other charities in HK experienced loss of income during the 5th wave of COVID19 this year. Your support will make a huge difference to what we can now and going forward.

Mike A Rawbone Challenge Cup returns - following the success of this Race Series in 2021 - with a slight difference. The first two races of the 2022 series began with the Kaplan Series on 5th, 19th June. Participation has increased to include sailors from our Senior Sailing Volunteers who have recently discovered a new aspect in sailing – racing!! Sailability Company Secretary and the Series RO Catherine Smith has done a great job in continuing this from last year with the regular support of Fred Vaudaine (volunteer) and others now becoming more interested in joining the race management team. This really is inclusive racing. Classes racing are Hansa 303 & 2.4mR.

Yang Memorial Elderly Centre in Choi Hung brought along 7 of their members to a sailing taster day funded by the Hong Kong Club Foundation. These new sailors, 5 females and 2 males were accompanied on the water by our Senior Sailing Volunteers who received their training from funds from the Hong Kong Club Foundation last year. We was so pleased to welcome this new group, so happy to come to Sailability to try something new. One of the new sailors was a very spritely 86yr old lady who was so excited about the opportunity given to them all. They all had a great day and are looking forward to the next time!

Other programmes conducted during the month included:

Para Sailing Training on Wednesday and Sundays when not racing. T

Saturday Sailing for sailors with SEN/ASD who are joined by regular volunteers who support us in so many ways. Thank you.

HAD Racial Harmony - an introduction to sailing course for Mothers and Children and Youth from within our ethnic community. What a great time they have had.

Scallywag Foundation Programme - designed to offer sailing to others within our community under the age of 22 years who have not had the opportunity to learn to sail before.

Senior Sailing Volunteers as they learn more about volunteering and racing and for others how to help with boat maintenance!!

Take a look at Mo Han's arrival on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjoDCg-wRRs

HHYC & Sailability Annual Awards

As in past years Sailability Hong Kong joined Hebe Haven Yacht Club at their annual Sailors Award Presentations. For us it shows the inclusivity of the club whilst recognising the accomplishments, commitment and progress of our sailors and volunteers.

Awards were presented by Barry Hill, Sailability Hong Kong Chairman, Kay Rawbone, Co founder & CEO and Jesse Lam, Instructor.

Sailability had the following categories for their Awards:

Male Para Sailor of the Year - FOO Yuen Wai

Female Para Sailor of the Year - Sylvia Leung

Most Improved Sailor of the Year - Mark Poon

SEN (Special Education Needs) Sailor of the Year - Joseph CHEUNG

Most Improved SEN (Special Education Needs) Sailor of the Year

School Award - Matthew CHIANG

Female Volunteer of the Year - Carolyn Chan

Male Volunteer of the Year - Frederic VAUDAINE

Awardees are chosen after consultation with our Coaches, Instructors and Team members. Well done to all our Awardees

The School Award is a special award to recognise the schools who join us on a regular basis and have integrated our sailing programmes into their school curriculums. We look at the accomplishments, commitment, progress of the sailors and staff at the school and in this respect the School Award for 2021 went to a school which fitted every box and more! In past years this award has gone to Caritas Lok Yi School and Jockey Club Sarah Roe School. This year we chose TWGH Tsui Tsin Tong School for the following reasons:

Teachers trained to Sailability Hansa Level 1&2 in order to be able to support new student sailors
Teachers trained to HKSF Level 1&2
Continued training for their students with TREATS and our Scallywag Foundation Programme
Race Winners at the TREATS inclusive Race in 2020 & 2021
Participation in the 24hr Charity Dinghy Race 2020 & 2021
Participation in the Hebe Haven Yacht Club Open Regatta Nov 2021
Students progressing to a Sailability Scholarship Sail Training Programme funded by TREATS

Amazing accomplishments by this school and their students – well done EVERYONE

May

Senior Sailing Graduation

With the restart of sailing we also saw the continuation of training for

senior sailors joining our 2021/2022 programme sponsored by The Hong

Kong Club Foundation. Two groups who started their training in 2021

finally completed their 5 days. This included on the water, on shore and disability awareness training, as they leaned how best to support our sailors of all abilities on and off the water. They are now looking forward to joining us as volunteers. A huge thank you to The Hong Kong Club Foundation for making this programme possible and for their continued support of a new programme in 2022/2023. This new programme includes different elements of sailing and caters for those who can help us with on shore sailor support /maintenance and much more.

This opportunity has provided the groups with new friendships, new skills, the ability to support sailors of different abilities and they have found a new interest. Rain or shine they have come along to learn and help. Interested in joining? Know anyone who would like to join and benefit from what we do?

Contact kay@sailability.org.hk or seniorsailing@sailability.org.hk

FOO Yuen Wai

Mark POON

Matthew CHIANG

Carolyn CHAN

Sylvia LEUNG

Joseph CHEUNG

Senior Sailors supporting the event

Fred Vaudaine

Tsui Tsin Tong School Principal Ms NG Ching Man, Aimee & Teacher SZE Tin Shun

HHYC Scallywag Open Dinghy Regatta 2022 - 21st & 22nd May

What an amazing weekend it was with two days of brilliant sailing.

Saturday was a relatively calm day compared to Sunday which saw tougher, rougher seas and some amazing sailing.

Sailability HK CEO Kay Rawbone said “Many of our SEN sailors from Saturday Sailing and other programmes were accompanied by a sailor/volunteer recruited from our Hong Kong Club Foundation Senior Sailing Programme. The matching worked so well and much improvement was seen in all who sailed. It marks a new dimension of inclusiveness - age, special needs, different cultural groups all working together. I’m so proud.”

Results - Hansa 303

1st - Leo Purdie & Joel Suarez

2nd Meena Chatjaval & Rheanne Buitre

3rd Mark Poon Para - Sailor single handed

Results - Hansa Liberty

1st - LEUNG Wun Wa, Ok

2nd - CHAN Tsun Ming

3rd - Sylvia Leung

Results - 2.4mR

1st - FOO Yuen Wai

2nd - PUK Chi Yeung

3rd - Candy Tze (Sailability Instructor)

Racial Harmony Programme– funded by Home Affairs Department (HAD) and supported by Daoud Kamal who was in our first group of ethnic community sailors sponsored by the Scallywag Foundation Programme and has gone on to become one of our Safety Boat Drivers after passing his PVOL2 last year.

This Racial Harmony programme began in December 2021 with a family day on the seas around Hebe Haven with Hebe One and our own fleet of Hansa 303s as an introduction to sailing. Hebe One provided an educational tour of the area + trial sails in our boats to a different group from within our community, who had not had the opportunity to sail before. Lots of smiling faces once again and a big thank you to HHYC's F&B for providing a great vegetarian lunch, enjoyed by everyone.

Now we are back to the real part of this programme – learning to sail which restarted on 30th May offering sailing to Mothers and Children and another group of youth. Watch this space for more details.

Saturday Sailors returned

How good it was to see that their sailing skills had survived the shutdown. As always, they were very excited to see everyone after such a long time and their first few weeks of training including racing starts in anticipation of the Hebe Haven/Scallywag Open Regatta which was just a few weeks away.

Para Sailors Training restarted with our sailors getting themselves and their boats up to speed for the upcoming Regatta. They were also looking forward to the 2nd year of the Mike Rawbone Challenge Race Series which would start on 5th June. This series you may remember is made up of 3 individual race series; The Kaplan Series, The Blacklaws Series and The Sean Browne Series with the overall winners in their classes winning the Mike Rawbone Challenge Cup. This year they will be joined by new sailors and volunteers to make the race even bigger and better. Thank you to Catherine Smith, Sailability Hong Kong Limited Director and Company Secretary for being RO again this year.

The Nautical Institute of HK Webinar - 11th May 2022

Sailability was invited to speak at a webinar last week hosted by the Nautical Institute of HK. Sailability CEO and Co-Founder Kay Rawbone, Para Sailor Foo Yue Wai, and Director Catherine Smith all contributed to the presentation.

Award winning sailor Foo Yue Wai told the webinar that when he was a small child he could walk but at age 3 polio changed his life, and since then he has used a wheelchair. He reminded everyone to “cherish our healthy bodies”.

Surprisingly he admitted to getting nervous about sailing before he gets into his yacht saying it’s because he cannot swim, but once the boat leaves the pontoon he relaxes; “the sea is like a mother cradling a child” he said. “My advice to anyone thinking about sailing is to try. At least don’t say no without trying it.”

In 2014 Sailability HK took part in the Asia Paralympic Games in South Korea and even though this was early in Foo’s sailing career he managed to get onto the team. The water conditions in Seoul were different to HK, the waves were rough, the temperature lower, the wind stronger. Many competitors from other countries were more accustomed to the conditions than the HK team. Foo said “I fought hard and managed to win one race and overall finished third for a bronze medal.”

Kay added that Foo is a “strong character” and told the webinar that Sailability HK is one of the busiest Sailability centres in the world. Sailability is an NGO that reaches out to people with different abilities, age groups both older and younger, sexual orientation and status. She said “our mission is to change lives. We provide an opportunity, and a pathway to sailing qualifications”. She reported that one young sailor who commenced sailing on a Sailability programme has just been selected for the HK international squad .

Since its foundation in 2009, 14,316 people have sailed with Sailability of which 12,135 are people with disabilities. Sailing is one of the most inclusive sports where people with a physical or intellectually disability or those who have had a life changing accident or illness and able bodied can all take part together.

Catherine Smith, a Director of Sailability Hong Kong, told the seminar there are many ways for companies and individuals to contribute to Sailability including volunteering, joining a Race Management team , sponsoring a sailor or an event, joining the monthly donation scheme, or joining a corporate Team Building day.

The webinar was hosted by the Nautical Institute HK which is the professional organisation for maritime professionals in HK and we thank them for allowing us the opportunity to talk to their members.

Scallywag Foundation Programme – restarted our 2022 programme with students from our ASD13 group graduating on 8th May. Well done to this group who had a huge gap in their training programme but all achieved graduation level.

This was followed by the restart of Ebenezer School for the Blind. Sadly, there was also a gap in this group’s training and everyone was so happy to be able to come back to Hebe Haven Yacht Club to get back on the water and in the water. An amazing group supported by our amazing volunteers. Thank you Scallywag, this really is a fantastic programme for the under-represented within our community.

Parent & Teacher Training - designed to teach new teachers and parents, who will accompany their children/students when they join our programmes. The first group to start their training in 2022 is from the Hong Kong Red Cross Margaret Trench School who started their training on 7th May. The group really appreciated the opportunity being given to them to learn to sail and for their children/students to have this sailing opportunity in the months ahead. This is second group of teachers and parents to be trained by us from this SEN school.

ASD13

Ebenezer School learning to rig their boats and experiencing the slipway and where it goes to!

understanding the slipway and feeling the sea.jpg

APRIL

30th April re-opening after a 4 month closure with our longest running program Saturday Sailing. What a great day it was.

18 SEN/ASD sailors + 13 volunteers came along on the day and to see this number of volunteers on our first day back was something to be proud of. There were 9 boats sailing in the morning and 10 in the afternoon full of Saturday Sailors and Volunteers. After a closure of 4 months it was unbelievable to see the sailing skills on the water. Everyone had remembered what to do and followed Instructor Jesse's lead. There were other things to remember in order to comply with the Government restrictions so that we can all keep sailing during this first phase of re-opening of recreational activities. Mask wearing is a must on and off the water, groups of 4 to be adhered to, the change to the Garden Bar Area and a temporary change in location of the ladies washroom facilities whilst renovations are being undertaken. Everyone coped really well.

Sailors Joshua and Edward worked with Volunteer Paul during the morning to tidy up the area near our container which had become very messy with debris and leaves - they then wrote a blog about their morning's work. Of course they got to sail with everyone else in the afternoon. Here they are tidying up the debris. Thank you Joshua and Edward for your hard work.

Volunteers help us and HHYC to 'Get Ready to Sail Again' on 19th/20th/28th April:

Sailability Hong Kong Volunteers, recruited via our Hong Kong Club Foundation 2021/2022 'Silver Sailing' funding , came along on 19th & 20th April to help the club get ready for their re-opening on 23rd April. We needed to move our shed to the playground to make more room on the slipway, participate in a general tidy up, move lockers for HHYC and ourselves for storing sailors bags and the re-organising of the Garden Bar area etc. Great Job everyone - we couldn't have done it without you. Thank you.

Another group of 13 Sailability Volunteers joined us to clean and check over our boats on 28th April. The boats had not been used since 2nd January and they needed to be in good order for our Saturday Sailors Program, the first in 4 months, on 30th April. Safety is paramount in all we do and everything had to be to standard. It was an extremely hot day and the Volunteers were happy to be able to also conduct an on the water test!! They deserved it after all the hard work. What amazing volunteers we have - we are so lucky.

Today, 2nd April is Autism Awareness Day and let's celebrate our amazing ASD Sailors - wear blue if you can. Our t-shirts were obviously made to wear today.

World Sailing Announcement 1st April #BACKTHEBID

Paralympic fever in San Francisco as leading figures get behind World Sailing’s #BacktheBid LA28 reinstatement campaign.

Click on the link below and read the Inspiring stories of athletic ability, perseverance, and skill were the order of the day at the St Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco on 25 March 2022, when World Sailing gathered three USA Para Sailors to an exclusive meet and greet with national and international media during the Grand Finale of SailGP.

https://www.sailing.org/2022/04/01/paralympic-fever-in-san-francisco-as-leading-figures-get-behind-world-sailings-back-the-bid-la2028-reinstatement-campaign/

ALL of us at Sailability Hong Kong are so proud to be part of this campaign.

JANUARY TO MARCH has been a challenge for us all and I am sure some good news is very welcome. Here is some from us:

HHYC Scallywag Foundation Open Dinghy Regatta

At last something to look forward to and it will hopefully go ahead as scheduled over the weekend of 2lst & 22nd May 2022 with 20+ of our boats joining. It's always such a fun weekend and one I am sure all our sailors and volunteers will be looking forward to.

Continuation of our Senior Sailing Program in 2022

After the success of our first program designed for seniors in Hong Kong, we would like to say a huge thank you to the The Hong Kong Club Foundation, who have once again provided the funds to enable more sailing for seniors within our Community. They will now have the opportunity to participate in certified weekday sailing courses or to learn more about the 'on shore' help needed which is so important in all we do. If you are interested in being part of this program please don't hesitate to contact us at kay@sailability.org.hk.

Caring Company 2022

We have achieved this again - our second year and we are so proud. Thank you Hong Kong Society for the Blind for your nomination for this year too.

Mercedez-Benz Hong Kong become our 'Exclusive 2.4mR Maintenance Sponsors' for 2022 & 2023. A huge thank you to Mercedes-Benz for their continued support of what we do at Sailability Hong Kong. Look out for the new stickers acknowledging their support which will be on the boats very soon!! I'm sure they will look amazing.

Hong Kong Society for the Blind a reminder of the good times with our sailors. We hope you have time to listen to the Hong Kong Society's Cheers Band who have been sailing with us for the past 3 years and what a lot of fun they have had.

Let it Shine: http://youtu.be/o0w7z-MXLPM

We Can Overcome: https://www.hksb.org.hk/en/videoDetail/515976/TheCheersBandquot;Wecanovercomequot;MV/

We can't wait to get back out on the water and to see you and our sailors again. In the meantime keep safe and well.

SUN HUNG KAI & Co. SAIL HONG KONG 18 to 20 February 2022 POSTPONED UNTIL FUTHER NOTICE

Sun Hung Kai & Co. Sail Hong Kong is the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's new national based open dinghy and invited classes event.

A key 3 day event, the regatta will be based out of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s Middle Island facility. Racing will take place in 8 classifications across two dedicated race courses in the areas of Repulse Bay, Deep Water Bay, Stanley, Tai Tam and Beaufort.

*REMINDER: Competitors shall comply with any HKSAR Government Covid-19 regulations and RHKYC Covid-19 precautions in place at the time of the event.

SEE CURRENT CLUB ENTRY REQUIREMENTS as at 6 January 2022 here

*All members and guests (except those under the age of 12) must have received at least the first dose of a HKSAR Government recognised Covid-19 Vaccine. Vaccine certificates will be checked by our security staff upon first arrival at each of the Club’s three sites. For those members, and/or guests, who have a medical exemption, they must produce the relevant documents attesting to that exemption.

Lunch order

PROVISIONAL CLASSES | FLEETS | DIVISIONS

Optimist

Main 420

Optimist Intermediate

29er

2.4mR

RS Feva

ILCA 4

ILCA 6

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PHOTO-2022-04-02-03-59-32 - Copy (4).jpg

Ryan Porteous with SailGP USA in San Francisco. Photo credit: Tom Roberts

USA Para Sailors Jim Thweatt, Cristina Rubke and Ryan Porteous join USA SailGP sailor, Daniela Moroz at San Francisco SailGP. Photo credit: Jed Jacobsohn

POSTPONED