Able Sail celebrates Trillium grant

By Pepper Parr

June 20^th, 2024

BURLINGTON, ON

Where does all the money you spend on lottery tickets go?  A lot goes to the winners, some goes to the people who operate the Trillium Foundation and the rest is in a fund that gets distributed to community projects.

Able Sail in Burlington is one of the recipients and on Friday there will be a small presentation ceremony during which MPP Natalie Pierre will speak about the donation.

Able Sail, formed in 2021, provides sailing opportunities and instruction for individuals with a physical or cognitive disability to enhance their quality of life and promote the integration of sailors with disabilities with able-bodied sailors.

The motto “If you can breathe, you can sail.”

This program offers an opportunity for people with physical disabilities to go out on the water and enjoy sailing! They are open to any person aged 7 and up with a physical or cognitive disability. They are well equipped to give people who have suffered from stroke or trauma or debilitating diseases such as MS an unforgettable experience. The Able Sail team is well-educated and we have adapted boats as well as custom equipment to transfer participants from wheelchairs into sailing boats.

The format is for One-hour sessions. 1 or 2 sailors per boat, depending on their skill level.

Fee Schedule

The first trial session is free. The rate for each sailor is $220 for the season.

Able Sail operates out of the LaSalle Park Marina

“un-tippable and unsinkable”.

The program focuses on the Martin 16 sailboat, which is equipped to cater to physically/cognitively challenged people of all ages. The boats are extremely stable and can be sailed with either a companion instructor in the stern seat or solo by individual sailors who have attained enough experience to “go it alone”.

The Martin 16 is a keelboat design; easy to maintain and stable in all conditions. The Martin is famous for being “un-tippable and unsinkable”. Sailors who want to advance their skills from casual day sailing to racing are taught the fundamental of sailboat racing under the tutorship of our trained crew.

This is one of those Trillium initiatives that make the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation a worthwhile part of the community.  Know that when you buy a lottery ticket a lot of the money works its way back into the community.