Sailability is the Royal Yachting Association initiative to enable disabled people to sail, and the Newhaven and Seaford Sailing Club is registered as an RYA Sailability Centre as part of our RYA Training Centre.
Set up by club members of the Sailability Group, Newhaven and Seaford Sailability (NSS) offers accessibility to sailing and boating for disabled people in our area, at our lake in Piddinghoe, just north of Newhaven, within easy reach of Lewes, Brighton and Eastbourne.
We have Hansa dinghies that are specifically designed for disabled sailors, with hand steering and weighted keels to ensure they can’t capsize, providing a very safe experience on our 14 acre lake. We have single handed and two person dinghies (novices can go out with an instructor) so even if you have never sailed before, you can still come and enjoy the experience, or two people can have fun at the same time.
We have several electric power boats with experienced crews in attendance, so if you do become stuck or have difficulties getting back to the shore, you do not need to worry, we will look after you. If you just wish to come along and have a look initially, rather than going out on the water you are more than welcome to come along.
Our site is wheelchair accessible, with access to the galley, accessible toilet and launching area where you can transfer to a sailing dinghy (further info on accessibility can be found here). We have hoists to allow wheelchair users to safely access the dinghies.
Please view our Sailability video on YouTube to get a better idea of what we can offer.
We also have two single-handed Hansa dinghies for the more experienced sailor, who wishes to experience the total freedom that sailing alone can provide, or indeed race against others.
Our core of enthusiastic volunteers will help you on and off the water to rig, launch, recover, wash and put away the boats, or on shore to make sure you get the best out of your time with us.
We can also provide training and race coaching for those that wish to either cruise or race. We have a trailer that allows us to attend open meetings at other clubs where you can engage at national level.
This year we are starting a new scheme to promote racing, it will be part of the RYA racing pathway and allow those that wish to be competitive to access training and events, please follow link for more details.
We also look forward to welcoming more volunteer helpers to assist this rewarding venture. For more information on volunteering please follow this link.
We have been running since 2019 and if you are interested in our history please follow this link.
Newhaven and Seaford Sailability runs alongside our RYA Training School and we use the RYA Sailability pathway for those that wishing to obtain their RYA sailing qualifications using the Hansa dinghies.
Sessions will generally run on Tuesdays depending on weather, from March until November, so do contact the Sailability Co-ordinator Chris Turner for more detailed information and to book in. The first taster session is free and thereafter £8 per session. We use a Whats app group to arrange each weeks sailing and keep all informed of any last minute changes due to weather. So if you wish to come along and join in please contact us and send in the application form below.
Facebook: Newhaven and Seaford Sailability
Instagram: nssc_Sailability
Email: sailability@sailinginsussex.org
Sailability Lead: Chris Turner, mobile 07485 192578
Once you have attended please use the online web collect payment system here. The system requires you register the first time you log in and allows payment by card , paypal , direct debit or bank transfer The application form can be found here
Application-Form-V5