Access to Sydney sailing

The donation of a new sailing boat will increase opportunities for people with disabilities to enjoy sailing on Sydney Harbour.

The new boat is an Access 303, specially designed and built to maximise participation by people with a wide range of disabilities. It has been donated by District 12 of Freemasons NSW and ACT and Masonicare, the organisation’s charitable arm, to Sailability Middle Harbour, a volunteer group operating from the Middle Harbour Yacht Club at The Spit, Sydney.

The new boat will be launched at a special ceremony on Sunday January 27 at Middle Harbour Yacht Club. Famous Australian yachtsman Sir James Hardy will christen the vessel John Freedman, named in honour of a fellow Sydney Freemason, yachtsman and former Australian Rugby Union team member.

John Freedman was a member of two Australian yachting teams for the America’s Cup, including the Gretel II crew skippered by Sir James Hardy, and was a Rugby Union Wallaby during the 1960s.

Sir James Hardy has had a celebrated career as a yachtsman, representing Australia at the Olympic Games, world championships and the America's Cup. He is also an active and long-serving member of Freemasonry, one of the world’s oldest and largest fraternal organisations with the fundamental principles of integrity, goodwill, and charity.

Sir James is a strong supporter of Sailability, a national and international organisation which encourages and facilitates sailing and boating for people with disabilities in social, recreational and competitive activities. He was the patron of the highly successful Access Dinghy World Championships at Middle Harbour Yacht Club in April 2012 which attracted 120 competitors and more than 300 volunteer helpers.

The generous donation by Freemasons NSW and ACT and Masonicare brings to six the number of Access 303s in the Sailability Middle Harbour fleet. Each boat can be sailed by a sailor and a volunteer together.

Sailability Middle Harbour is active on the second and last Sunday morning of each month, offering sailing outings to people of all ages with disabilities. Enquiries are welcome from individuals, families and organisations interested in trying sailing, as well as people interested in getting involved as volunteer members.

Some participants enjoy the sailing so much they go on to skipper their own boats in high level competitions. Sailability Middle Harbour member Lachlan Clear, a 22-year-old born with cerebral palsy and confined to a wheelchair, has been actively sailing for five years and has competed in two world championships in the Access class, including the 2012 series at Middle Harbour Yacht Club. Lachlan will be the first to sail the new donated vessel immediately after the launch ceremony.