'It's freeing': Sailors with disabilities come from across Canada to compete in 2023 Mobility Cup

It's been 12 years since Linda Clarke lost most of her muscle function and her ability to speak to the neurogenerative disease ALS. But on the water, she's the same sailor she's been for 33 years.

"It's freeing to get out on the water and leave my wheelchair behind," Clarke told CBC Toronto using a device that turns text to audio.

This week, she's competing in Mobility Cup 2023, an annual regatta that gives sailors with neurological and physical disabilities the opportunity to compete on the water.

Competitors use Martin-16 vessels, which organizers say are specifically designed for people with physical disabilities. An adapted joystick tiller helps sailors steer the vessel, while electronic buttons that multiply hand strength allow them to control the sails. The adapted boats also have heavier keels to give them more stability and prevent tipping. 

Clarke, along with some of the other sailors, also have a coach accompany them while they sail.

"Mobility Cup brings like-minded people together. We know how to have fun, but we are really competitive," added Clarke, who raced against 17 other boats on Monday afternoon.

The annual competition has been around since the early 1990s, but organizers say it's grown in recent years and led to an explosion of sailing clubs across Canada that equip sailors with disabilities.

Karen-Ann Xavier, principal administrator for Able Sail Toronto, the city's local club for adaptive sailing, says there are 17 such clubs across the country, with growth happening especially in the Maritimes. 

The beauty of Mobility Cup, she adds, is that it brings all those clubs together.

"People look forward to it every year, going to Mobility Cup," said Xavier. "They're meeting friends that they see once a year."

She says the event is made possible by its 110 volunteers, some of whom travel a long way just to help out.

"It's like one big happy family," said Xavier, who adds next year's Mobility Cup will be held in Nova Scotia.

Robert Muzzy has cerebral palsy, but gets in and out of his boat using a harness attached to the dock. He says that's allowed him to spend lots of time on the water while the weather is hot.

"If I'm not here, I'm coming. If I've been here, I'm coming back," said Muzzy. "It's like all summer, I'm always here."