December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), a day proclaimed by the United Nations to promote the rights, dignity, and well-being of people with disabilities worldwide. The day is used to raise awareness about disability issues and the benefits of an inclusive and accessible society.
- An estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. This represents 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us.
The leadership of persons with disabilities is epitomised by the global disability rights movement’s slogan “Nothing About Us Without Us”. It connotes the basic requirements of participation, representation and inclusion and calls for persons with disabilities to actively shape the conditions of their lives.
Able Sail Toronto continues on its exciting trajectory. With recent accomplishments and a renewed focus on accessibility, we need a strong team to keep that momentum going.
The Nominating Committee is inviting talented and dedicated members to consider leadership roles on our Board of Directors and be part of the team!
In accordance with ONCA legislation, members interested in Board roles must come forward through the club’s official nomination process.
Board Opportunities Available This Year
There are four positions open for election at the 2025 Annual Meeting. Some incumbents are seeking another term, while others are stepping aside.
Candidates may express their interest by November 21, 2025 through the following process:
- Find a Member in Good Standing to be your nominator / Nominate a Member in Good Standing
- Have both the Nominee and the Nominator fill out and sign the Nomination form
- Each candidate must fill out a Candidate Bio form
The Candidate Profile includes a brief biography of the candidate including their occupation, Club history, Board of Directors experience at AST, other organizations and sailing background.
The Nomination Form and Candidate Bio should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by November 21, 2025.
Each candidate will receive a phone call from a member of the Nomination Committee for brief interview.
Candidates will be presented to the Board of Directors during the December Board of Directors Meeting.
Election of new Board Members will occur at the 2025 Annual Meeting January 10, 2026.
Meet your nominating committee
- Sheila Donohue
- Tracy Schmitt
Ready to Learn More?
Interested, or even just thinking about it, we’d love to hear from you.
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Deadline: November 21, 2025
Check out an update from Able Sail Toronto regarding one-on-one sailing lessons culminating in CANSail Para 1 certification for 15 members.
Able Sail Toronto is dedicated to providing people living with a physical disability, the opportunity to enjoy sailing. to learn to sail with independence.
Our vision is to promote inclusion of people with physical disabilities in healthy, active and safe physical recreation; to increase access for people with physical disabilities to outdoor activity; to promote creation of community and social inclusion for people with physical disabilities; to support independent sailing with instruction and coaching for people with physical disabilities.
Throughout June, July and August 2025, Able Sail Toronto ran CANSail Para 1 instruction for 20% of the membership, with course curriculum including theory and practical sessions. The number of sessions varied depending on the time required for each person to learn.
In 2025, we certified 15 participants with CANSail Para 1 and processed them via Checklick. The program was delivered by 3 sailing instructors and a team of supportive volunteers.
The sailboat used is the Martin16 sailboat, a 16 foot keelboat with a 350 lb keel, designed specifically for accessible sailing. Some participants used assistive devices such as specialized seats, power sheeting with windlasses and steering devices.
The Sailing for All program is funded thanks to the Government of Canada, everyone had an amazing time and are looking forward to doing CANSail Para 2 next year. In addition, our race team grew by 50% and we sent 6 sailors to the Mobility Cup 2025 regatta, racing against participants from Canada and the US, and 4 of our sailors podiumed. Thank you Sail Canada and the Sailing for All Program!
Another successful season for Able Sail Toronto. We had some exciting highlights:
- Our membership numbers grew so much we are near capacity! Our sailing participation statistics were through the roof!
- A new program for SailCanada is CANSail Para – Able Sail Toronto is a training site, and we certified 15 sailors this past year.
- I (Karen-Ann) am now certified as an Accessible Sailing Module Learning Facilitator – I can offer the Accessible Sailing Professional Development Module, for sailing coaches who wish to teach/coach people with disabilities. Developing their coaching skills, understanding accessibility equipment and aspects to facilitate equity for sailors with disabilities
- Six Able Sail Toronto members competed at Mobility Cup 2025, which was held in Pointe Claire Quebec this past year, our six sailors took home a sweep of awards.
- In Gold Fleet: 2nd place – Tracy Schmitt
- In Silver Fleet: 1st place – Quinto Zimmerman, 2nd place – Oda Al-Anizi, 3rd place – Alan Abrams, 6th place – Ron Buckle, 12th place - Wojtek Wieclawek Quinto Zimmerman was presented with the Coupe Dallaire, presented to the winner of the Gold fleet, Tracy Schmitt was presented with the Debbie Donald Award presented to the highest placing female sailor; Oda Al-Anizi was presented with the Hamilton Harbour Commission Trophy, presented to the highest placing first time participant.
- September 25th Able Sail Toronto and the Toronto Marine Police did a Great Lakes Cleanup event, with a cleanup at the waters edge around National Yacht Club starting outside at the NYC gates and going west. Two Toronto Marine Police divers went down along the seawall pulling up trash from the water. We believe in giving back to the great lakes that provide us so much joy, and it was also a fascinating opportunity to see the marine Police in action! We’ll be doing it again next September, 2026.
A huge thank you to our dedicated staff, our wonderful volunteers and especially our donors who made all of this possible. Able Sail Toronto is a charity, and we fundraise for 96% of the annual revenue - what it takes to run our program.
We’ll be hosting a fundraising dinner Saturday, January 31st at National Yacht Club in the dining room, keep an eye out for upcoming notices!
Your friends at Able Sail Toronto
September 25th Able Sail Toronto and the Toronto Marine Police did a Great Lakes Cleanup event, with a cleanup at the waters edge around National Yacht Club starting outside at the NYC gates and going west. Two Toronto Marine Police divers went down along the seawall pulling up trash from the water. We believe in giving back to the great lakes that provide us so much joy, and it was also a fascinating opportunity to see the marine Police in action! We’ll be doing it again next September, 2026.
The 2025 staff were awarded OORA jackets at the End of Season Luncheon.
MLUITUTLTBF means "Made Like You Imagine To Use, To Look, To Be Forever".
This is a marketing phrase used by a specific brand, OORRA, to promote their jackets. It emphasizes the idea that the jackets are designed to be durable, comfortable, and long-lasting, with the intention that they will be cherished and used for a long time.
We’re on the hunt for amazing Sailing Instructors. For the Summer 2026 Season (May – August) we have 6 OPEN positions. AST hires six students under the Canada Summer Jobs Grant, ages 15 to 30 with sailing experience.
The job description can be found ablesailtoronto.com/about/were-hiring. Please share this opportunity with your friends and family and other contacts! Interested parties can contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with their resume.
We provide the right tools for the job.
Membership is closed for the 2025 season as of August 1st
Able Sail Toronto's ParticipACTION Community Challenge presented by Novo Nordisk grant application has been approved!
The objective of the grant is to incentivize changing the social climate of physical activity to promote and more easily integrate the term social climate into day-to-day operations, programming and mandates.
Able Sail Toronto has been awarded a grant as part of Sail Canada’s 2025 “Sailing for All” initiative. This initiative was created to support grassroots programs delivered by Member Clubs and Schools focused on providing grassroots sailing experiences for individuals from underserved or underrepresented groups, at very low or no cost to participants. Programs must also be designed to engage participants from one or more of the following communities: Black, Indigenous, Racialized, 2SLFBTQI+, Low-Income People, Persons with a Disability, Newcomers to Canada, or Seniors. Read more
We had a visit from Constable Kjell Maro, Toronto Police Marine Unit, Constable Ryan Horwood Toronto Police who brought us some donations!
A heartfelt thank you to the Toronto Police Association, the Toronto Police Amateur Athletic Association and the Toronto Police Marine Unit Social Fund and the Spring Pike Fishing Tournament for their generous donations to Able Sail Toronto.
The Marine Unit provides support to PortsToronto, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, and the Toronto Islands. Marine Unit officers enforce the Criminal Code, Canada Shipping Act, Fisheries Act, Provincial Offences Act, and Toronto Port Authority by-laws. The Unit conducts many water-related operations, which include providing medical transport to communities on the Toronto Islands; performing ice and river rescues; and recovering persons and weapons.
Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) provides wage subsidies to employers from not-for-profit organizations, the public sector, and private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees, to create quality summer work experiences for young people aged 15 to 30 years.
Able Sail Toronto is proud to be a recipient of 2025 Canada Summer Jobs funding.
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