Yachting Malta has stepped up its work to bring sailing to people with disabilities, building on an initiative that began in October 2021 when it supported Gianluca Aquilina’s entry to the Hansa World Championships in Palermo.
That spark, a dream of former chairman John Huber, grew in May 2022 when Yachting Malta bought the first three Hansa 303s, a World Sailing class. There are now four, one at every local sailing club, thanks also to Frank Salt Real Estate, the Agora Foundation and Transport Malta.
Training is the next step. Joseph Muscat, a Yachting Malta team member and keen yachtsman, has been giving training hours to the sailing schools on the Hansa 303. He recently attended the Campionato Italiano Classe Olimpiche and Parasailing (CICO 2023) at Marina Dorica in Ancona. There, 46 of more than 300 athletes were para sailors racing Hansa 303s and 2.4mR boats over ten races, and he gained first-hand experience of organising such events. Although these classes are not in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, they continue to receive special attention internationally.
