Mobility Cup History
Disabled Sailing in Canada
At Expo 86, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher donated a British made Sunbird sailboat to Rick Hansen in honour of his "Man in Motion World Tour". In 1988 Rick Hansen presented this boat to Sam Sullivan, who subsequently used it to found the Disabled Sailing Association of BC.
In 1991, Sam Sullivan envisioned a sailing regatta in which people would come together to promote public awareness of the capacities of people with disabilities and to provide those with disabilities the opportunity to participate in a world class event. The Mobility Cup is recognized as Canada's International Regatta for Sailors with Disabilities. Through the use of innovative Canadian technology Canada has become a leader in making sailing accessible to people with severe disabilities. Disabled people from around the word are invited to participate in Mobility Cup.
Today the boat used by disabled sailing programs is the Martin 16 sailboat. The Martin 16 is unsinkable, maneuverable and fast. It can easily be equipped with a Sip 'n' Puff system that allows even "high quads" - those with little or no upper body mobility - to discover or return to the world of sailing.
Quebec Disable Sailing
In 1995 René Dallaire, a Québec quadriplegic, founded the Association québécoise de voile adaptée (AQVA) with one Sunbird sailboat borrowed from Vancouver. Our mission is to enable people with physical/sensorial disabilities, including very severe ones, to increase their quality of their life and to reintegrate in the community by means of sailing independently.
Martin 16
Specifically designed for people with mobility impairments after DSA discovered that Sip 'n' Puff systems affected the performance of their existing Sunbirds. Sam Sullivan sent out a design brief in 1995 to create a boat that would allow everyone to sail together, without compromises or handicaps. The resulting Martin 16, designed by Vancouver's own Don Martin, is both fast and stable, meeting the needs of experienced and first-time sailors, irrespective of physical disabilities. It looks like a miniature America's Cup yacht, but has a joystick-operated rudder and self-tending sails, and cannot flip over or sink.
