Adaptive sailing allows people living with disabilities to safely enjoy the pleasures of sailing. Thanks to specially designed boats, adapted equipment, and a qualified team, everyone can take to the water with confidence.
Discover how it works and join us for a nautical experience accessible to all, regardless of your level or disability.
Our activities take place at the Pointe-Claire Yacht Club, a venue offering easy access to our facilities and our adapted sailboats.
The Martin 16 is a sailboat specifically designed for people with reduced mobility. Safe and stable, it cannot capsize or sink. The sailor sits in the bottom of the boat in a stable position, with all controls within reach. A second seat can accommodate an instructor or sailing companion.
Trunk Support: For those who need it, a special seat with thoracic supports, belts, and, if necessary, a headrest ensures proper support.
Adapted Control: For sailors with limited mobility or arm paralysis, the boat can be steered using a motorized joystick, similar to those on electric wheelchairs, or through a sip-and-puff system using two straws.
Each sailor boards and disembarks according to their abilities and needs:
Independently or with minimal assistance
Step by step using a transfer bench
With a lift for completely safe transfers
Watch our video to see us in action!
Our sailors always navigate under the supervision of a qualified instructor, specially trained in adapted sailing, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience.
AQVA offers sailing to children and adults with mobility and sensory impairments.
Some of our sailors have been disabled since birth whereas others have become disabled
more recently, for example following an accident or a stroke. Others must deal with
degenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, or ALS (Lou
Gehrig’s disease.)
For some our program represents a return to a sport they once
enjoyed before having to deal with a disability. However, the majority of our first-timers
are rookies to the sailing world and are thrilled to become acquainted with such an
exciting and liberating sport.
For all of our participants a sailing excursion also means
one of the few times of the week when a wheelchair, walker or other mobility aid gets
left behind on the dock, and the waters of Lac St Louis are theirs to explore.
©2025 AQVA. All rights reserved.
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