Existing and potential sailors CAT

 Cat A (only minor mechanical modification for upper limb):

1) Poon (MS) needs help to accommodation to sail on 2.4mR

2) Rabi  (SCI) needs help to provide modification of seating and steering

3) Issac (CP, JFK) needs help to provide modification of  and steering dur to his muscle tone problem

40 Ah po (limb length deficiency) inc efficiency for steering and sheet control

Cat B (lower limb mechanism)

1) nil case yet we can try from amputation assn or cuhk pediatric or children hospital

Cat C (motorised control)

1) Patrick (total qudra) needs full motor control with sip and puff, seating support on hand 303, a recardo seat alike

2) Angle (total qudra) MD same as Patrick

3) Hei tung (total qudra) MD same as Patrick somewhat like the girl from japan below

Ron professor plan for sharing at hebe haven 30/10/25

 Thank you Paul for all the suggestions!

I would suggest a 3-4 hour to have the program with the following structure for our student members!

The program can be seperated into 3 parts:

1) introduction and background

2) hands on sailing session

3) discussion and wrap up

 

Introduction and background

It would be great if staffs from sailability can help introduce us to the history and background of both sailability and sailing. We can look at how the hansa 303 compares to dinghies in different aspects including: speed, agility, accessibility…etc

paul feedback

History

Kay will be the best person to talk about the history esp the days with our late chairperon MIKE

Comparison with other boat pls refer to RYA (PY table)

PY_table

Hands on sailing session

We hope that this session could be a part where all the members get a chance on trying to sail on the hansa 303. 

This would provide great insight to how the sailing actually feels like.

Professor Paul cuhk idea

I think the most important thing is allowing them to understand how the boat  responds to the rudder and sail sheets.

This helps them to plan modifications.

Discussion and wrap up

After the hands on session, we can gather the group with a small discussion session where everyone can share their thoughts and ideas. 

Title: *Inclusive Sailing Innovation with Hansa 303 & Liberty Dinghies*

1. *Introduction:*  

- What is the Hansa Class Association?  

- How do Hansa 303 and Liberty dinghies make sailing accessible to everyone?

2. *Hands-On Activity:*  

- Try sailing or simulate handling both boats.  

- Observe design features supporting stability and accessibility.

3. *Design Challenge:*  

- Brainstorm or sketch ideas to improve adaptive controls or comfort.  

- Think about tech like electronic steering, seating adaptations, or safety gear.

4. *User Feedback:*  

- Discuss how involving sailors with disabilities can refine your ideas.  

- Why is real-world testing important?

5. *Global Connection:*  

- Share how these boats compete worldwide in inclusive sailing events.  

- How can your engineering skills contribute to this growing sport?

Professor Darwin(CUHK) reflection

 Sailability summary, after our visit the other day, I had thought about the type of work we need to do and summarize as follows:

1) Boat modifications for those with physical impairment, professor proposd categorise them into 3 options:

Cat A) Upper limb impairment but mostly functional, and hence require mechanical modification of the interfaces for the arm to control. No motors required.

Cat B) Upper limb is unable to provide enough force, but lower limb is functional, we can develop some foot interfaces (we have had previous works on this) to mechanically control the rudder and sail. No motors required.

Cat C) Upper and lower limb are unable to provide enough force, so require motorised boat, with a custom interface for those in need. This requires the motorised assistance. 

Suggested action: We should summarise the participants at Sailability into a table and categorise them based on their needs. Then our team can work out what to do first. 

2) Cable-driven sailboat simulator. This would replace existing types of rigid simulators (like those more common on the market), resulting in a more portable, more functional and probably cheaper system.  

please refer to the VR sailing website which is the most professional work done by medical professional with sailing experience

https://www.virtualsailing.com.au/

race simulator

race simu 02

Suggested action: We can have a look at the robot at our lab to better understand what cable robots are and hence how it can be helpful as the sailboat simulator.

Prepared according to the whats-app chat 

Sailability x CUHK MAE

202510_PEO_sailing _sharing

Inclusive Sailing Through the PEO Model & Engineering

1. *Person:*  

- Diverse sailors, including those with disabilities, have different needs and abilities.  

As proposed by professor Darwin we will gp our sailors with physical impairment in three cat.

2. *Environment:*  

- Boats like Hansa 303 and Liberty provide safe, accessible features (e.g., stable hulls, easy access).  

- Engineers works with occupational therapist , sailing instructors, national classifier to design and adapt the environment (boats " already done with the universal design by the builder", accessory equipment pls refer to the hansa class assn modification list for idea

https://hansaclass.org/technical/equipment-applications/

to fit  users with physical impairment e.g amputation , paraplegia, quadriplegia, hemiplegia, Muscular dystrophy, Multiple sclerosis , polio, short limbs, TBI etc

3. *Occupation:*  the task in laymen term

- Sailing requires certain physical and cognitive skills; technology  and design can adjust the demands. 

- The PY system  allows sailors of different class to race against each other as if the recent Bart Bash race 2025/9.

FB link

- Engineers working with sailing profession helps modify controls, seating, and safety tech to enable everyone to participate.  

4. *Engineer’s Role:*  it can also apply for therapist, nurse, teacher etc

- Analyze person needs and match with environment & occupation demands with the help of occupational therapist , sailing instructor, national classifer

- Innovate adaptive systems for control, stability, and comfort.  

pls refer to hansa class assn list above

- Collaborate with users for feedback to improve designs inclusively.