March 2026

 

Additional programmes undertaken during the month included:

Saturday Sailing, Para Sailor Training, Caritas Lok Kan and Lok Yi Schools' Programmes, TREATS Scholarship Programme, Hong Chi Tung Chung and Pine Hill Schools' Taster Days, MoHan Spring Saturday Sailing Series

 

Some of the month's highlights....

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29th March - Teachers from the Caritas Pellitier School Graduate from their Sailability Training Course undertaken during the month!

Congratulations to these teachers from Caritas Pelletier School HK who completed their sail training last weekend !

Since September last year, three groups of Caritas teachers have sailed with us and all have graduated with a certificate.

We hope more schools will follow their lead and ask their teachers to train with Sailability HK.

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22nd March - Open Day at HHYC

........ and Sailability HK was out in full force!  The Open Day is as always a wonderful opportunity for the Club and Sailability to showcase what we offer the Hong Kong community as we provide access to the beautiful waters of Sai Kung.

This year the day was blessed with a pleasant temperature and a healthy breeze to accompany the water-based activity.

By the end of the day, over 40 Sailability volunteers had been involved, and 78 people from the community had sailed in our dinghies.  Another 20 people sailed on Mohan, which is our 40-foot Solaris yacht. And 9 people had a ride on one of our safety boats. Making a grand total of 107 people out in n the water during the day!

On land we had a stall and used one of our Hansa 2.3 as a simulator for those who wanted to try that before venturing onto the water.

The Club provided sailing opportunities using their fleet, plus F&B in the form of tasty burgers and chips with a range of drinks to suit everyone!

It was great to see the club so busy with many new happy faces.  Our thanks to all those volunteers who helped out, and whose support is essential for making the Open Day a day to remember!

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Our Enterprises are being resurrected!!  Why? - read on....

This year’s 24 hour Charity Dinghy Race takes place on 23 and 24 May, and a group of Sailability volunteers are working to get their boat ready for the challenge!

The boat is a reclaimed Enterprise dinghy called Bits n Pieces.  The boat was  named in memory of a dear friend Toby Jenkin-Jones.  It has been made ready for sailing by literally gathering together the bits and pieces needed and fitting them to the boat, so the name is very apt!!  Also huge thanks to Andy Service who sourced and donated many of the parts for us and sailors from the Outward Bound Alumni.   Pictured here are Mrs Fung, Jessica, Michael and Leon along with HHYC member Sammi Fu.  A huge thank you to you for your help and enthusiasm to get these boats back from under the covers and ready to sail.

Over the years, people have sailed Enterprises, all over the world, including many in Hong Kong. We are now looking forward to seeing this 'Enterprise Dream' becoming a reality again, following it's beginning during COVID, when we found our first boat, abandoned by a rubbish bin with the other two following quite quickly.  We are also now working on the second one which will be named RAW DEAL, in memory of Mike, our founder, who sailed and owned 3 wooden Enterprises with his wife Kay, also a founder and now our CEO  More details about the beginning of this story can be found in our 2020 News.

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8th March - International Women's Day

To mark International Women’s Day, which is Sunday 8 March, we interviewed one of our leading para sailors, CHUNG Oi Po (Ah Po) about her experiences on the water with Sailability HK.

How did you first hear about Sailability HK?

Po: I first heard about Sailability through 2016 HONG KONG PARALYMPIC DAY. I had always looked at the water and wondered if it was possible for me, so when I saw a program specifically for people with different abilities, I knew I had to try. Before this I had never imagined sailing was an option for someone with my body build. I thought boats were built for a very specific type of person—until I found Sailability.

What do you remember about your first time sailing?

I remember the initial nerves turning into pure excitement! Because of my short limbs, I wasn't sure if I could manage the equipment, but the volunteers showed me how the boat could be adapted. The best part was the freedom. On land, movement can be a challenge, but on the water, the boat became an extension of me. I felt fast, light, and completely equal to everyone else on the sea.

What do you like most about sailing? Which kind of boat do you like to sail?

What I love most is the autonomy. On land, I might need help navigating certain environments, but in a boat, I am the captain. It’s incredibly liberating to have that power in my hands. As for the boat, I love the Hansa 303. It’s stable, responsive, and the controls are perfect for my build, allowing me to focus on the tactics and the wind rather than my physical limitations.

You were part of the team that went to the World Ability Sports Beach Games in Turkey last year. How was that experience? What did you learn?

Turkey was a whirlwind! Competing on an international stage was both nerve-wracking and exhilarating. Seeing athletes from all over the world with different disabilities reminded me that the water is the great equalizer. I learned that I’m much more resilient than I thought—traveling across the world and racing in unfamiliar waters takes a lot of mental 'grit.' I came back with more confidence not just in sailing, but in everyday life.

What would you say to anyone who has no sailing experience and is thinking about joining Sailability?

Just get your feet wet! Don’t worry about how you’ll manage or if you’re 'strong enough.' Sailability are experts at adapting the experience to you. You aren't just joining a sports club; you're joining a family that sees your potential before they see your disability. The only thing you’ll regret is not starting sooner.

 

Making Sailing Accessible on International Women’s Day!

Sunday, 8th March, was a busy day as over 40 women gathered at Hebe Haven

Yacht Club to discover sailing with Sailability HK!

Arranged by the Institute of Leadership and Management, the group included

many Muslim women and also domestic helpers including some whose lives

have been impacted by the Tai Po fire which destroyed many homes last

November.  There was an opportunity to sail out on Hebe One, the club’s

43-foot powered catamaran, as well as Sailability’s Hansa 303’s which are

ideal for first time sailing.

Conditions were just right - dry and sunny with a fair breeze so the women

made the most of their opportunity and we hope some will come back again

in future. The women were delighted to sail and thanked Kay, the Sailability

team and ILM for the day’s arrangements.

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6th March - Catch the Wind 

Catch the wind had another great day, although it was more like Catch the

rain! Despite the grey and damp, there was lots of energy and everyone had

a great time!

The morning the session started with a class on environmental awareness

when the topic was Ocean Acidification followed by a poster making activity

(see photos). In the afternoon, the group sailed near Trio beach to practice

their gib skills!

 

February 2026

​​Other programmes during the month included Saturday Sailing, reduced Para Sailor Training Sessions due to it being CNY and on 28th MoHan took part in the first day of the HHYC Spring Saturday Series. 

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Catch the Wind HK!

Catch the Wind HK is a student-based initiative to protect the ocean through hands-on conservation and make sailing accessible to all!

They have joined up with Sailability HK as part of their school CAS programmes

and on their first day they  took a group of 8 young sailors from our Junior

Optimist Programme, youth Volunteers and Instructor Rex,  over to Nam Wai

Beach on paddle boards for an “epic clean up”!

During the day the participants built their teamwork, communication skills, and contributed to a cleaner ocean environment, whilst having lots of fun and a great experience.  We are looking forward to the rest of your  Sustainability and Sailing programme with your sailors unfolding!!

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Lunar New Year

It was a wonderful start to the Lunar New Year for Hebe Haven Yacht Club and Sailability HK with a Lunar New Year Lion Dance and blessing ceremony.

The ceremony was attended by a group from our Junior Sailing Programme

and their coach Kevin Lewis, plus several volunteers and Co founder

Kay Rawbone.  Wishing all our sailors and supporters good health, prosperity, and smooth sailing throughout the year of the Fire Horse!

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1st February  - ELCHK with Po Leung Kuk, Law's Foundation School

Sailors from the Po Leung Kuk Law's Foundation School who learned to sail with us last year came along again to support sailors with disability from the ELCHK.  It was the first day of sailing for the ELCHK sailors and as always the Law's Foundation School did us proud with the caring support they gave to the group.  Well done again and thank you for your help once again.  The link to a video made of the day can be accesed on our FB.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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