Sandy learned to sail in 2002 on an Access Dinghy at Quinte SailAbility based at CFB Trenton Yacht Club in Eastern Ontario. However, her disability, the result of cerebral palsy, prevented her from single-handed sailing. “I had difficulty with my balance in the boat and my lack of upper body strength meant that I always had to have a partner with me in the Access Dinghy,” says Sandy.
Thanks to donations from Catch the Rainbow and the Rotary Club of Brighton, Sandy had a new boat to sail this summer. It’s a Liberty with servo assist system allowing her to single-handed sail right from her first time out. “When I heard about the Liberty and how it would be just as easy for me to sail as it is for me to operate my electric wheelchair, I was very excited,” she recalls. “That I could do all the sail work myself and be able to go out on the waters alone as fast and as far as I wanted-well, I claimed that Liberty as my boat before it even arrived!” And, indeed, Sandy was the first student to sail the boat and was out on the waters three times a week all through the summer.
Sandy’s sailing skills have increased exponentially since the arrival of the Liberty. She was able to qualify for her White Sail I certificate in her first two years of sailing the Access Dinghy. Since starting to sail the Liberty, she has quickly obtained both White Sail II and III. She also participated in her first sailing regatta, something she is interested in doing again.
“Sailing in the Liberty gives me a great sense of freedom,” claims Sandy. “I absolutely love it.” The combination of the Liberty and the servo assist make it the only such boat in Canada at this time. The sailing season is now drawing to a close in Canada and Sandy is sad to see the Liberty coming out of the water for the winter. “I’m already looking forward to next year,” she says.
