First-time racer takes the trophy

First-time yacht racer Susan Morris from Northland swapped the joys of fishing and dolphin-watching to scoop the Ability Trophy in a national yachting regatta on Wellington harbour.

Susan came to Wellington ahead of the regatta for some pre-race coaching. It paid off for her and also for second-place winner Matthew Henderson from Lower Hutt.

Fourteen teams competed in the Ability Trophy for sailors with intellectual disabilities or acquired brain injury, who sailed with a companion crew.

The Sailability Wellington Trust hosted the 2020 Hansa Class National Championships at the end of February. The regatta was held at the Sailability Wellington’s Seaview base in Lower Hutt, in association with the Lowry Bay Yacht Club.

It was the biggest national regatta so far with 60 sailors from around the country and Australia participating in the championships.

The IHC Foundation contributed $10,000 to two pre-race coaching sessions. Fourteen Sailability coaches from throughout New Zealand joined in a two-day ‘coach the coaches’ session run by Tim Coltman of Sport New Zealand. The second session of pre-race training for sailors was led by World Sailing accredited coach John Sanderson of Sydney. It attracted 18 sailors, 16 of whom were people with intellectual disabilities.

Competitors raced in two classes of boat – the HANSA 303s and Liberties. 

“My 303 sailor and skipper Susan Morris was stunned by what happened, as that was her first yacht race ever,” says Chris Sharp, who crewed with the Ability Trophy winner. “She has been sailing with me for very non-competitive experiences. We often catch fish while we sail and play with the dolphins.  It couldn't get further away from racing, but with a bit of excellent coaching, this result really stumped her.”

Sailability Wellington spokesman Don Manning was thrilled with the sailors’ achievements. “The speed of the people with intellectual disabilities getting around the course was no different than any of the others,” he says.