06/03/2026
An interesting extract from the Sailing For Everyone Foundation newsletter 'Telltales'. Chris Mitchell, Designer of the Hansa Class boats we use, tells the origin of the design:
"The Hansa/Access story began over 30 years ago with the development of a little multi purpose sailboat that I thought was ideal to introduce Asian people to sailing. I lived in Singapore at the time, and didn’t see why Asians should be taught to sail in an unstable, capsizable, odd rectangular box called an Optimist. In my imagination was something far more appropriate for the
traditionally non swimming, non sailing people of Asia.
But the sailors in control of the sport weren’t interested in this revolution, instead they seemed intent on being more
western than westerners. So I moved back to Australia, with good timing as Sailability had just arrived and it turned out my boats, with ballast keel for stability, steered with a joystick and sailed seated were ideal for disabled people.
And thus began the symbiotic Access Dinghy, Sailability, Sailing for Everyone journey. Sailing for Everyone seemed the obvious way to go, that’s if you really want the best for disabled people as most don’t want to be segregated off into disabled sailing programs. Why not include them as equals?...
..Throughout the life of Hansa we have steadfastly rejected being branded as disabled sailing as that’s not how we started and obviously not what we do today. Instead we do offer disabled people the opportunity to leave their disability behind and participate as equals. So you can’t say our boats were specially designed for disabled people, but you can say they were designed with disabled people in mind."
Photos from The 2025 Hansa Class World and International Championships held at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in
Newport, Sydney in March 2025.
