Sailing Without Limits: How a Bay Area Visit Is Transforming Adaptive Boating at the CBC
By Bryan Rust | Executive Director
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to travel to visit the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (BAADS) alongside Daman Wandke—an integral member of the Community Boating Center’s Adaptive Programs Committee, and participant in the CBC’s expanding adaptive programming!
Daman brings a unique blend of expertise and lived experience to this work: he teaches accessibility studies at Western Washington University, leads Wandke Consulting to help organizations become more inclusive, and has been an avid sailboat racer for the past five years, competing in events both in the Bay Area and San Diego. Our visit to BAADS was driven by a shared goal—expanding meaningful, independent access to sailing for people with disabilities in our own community.
A central focus of the trip was testing power assist units (PAUs), innovative systems designed to steer the boat and control the sails, this tool supports sailors with limited mobility. We had the chance to trial these systems on both a Hansa Liberty and a 35-foot keelboat.
With the support of the PAU, Daman was able to sail completely independently for the first time since entering the sport—an incredible milestone that underscored the transformative potential of this technology. While these units typically cost around $4,000 per boat to build, we were floored by the generosity of longtime BAADS volunteer technician, John Wallace, who has offered to build one for us at no cost, helping expand access for our participants.
This visit directly inspires and informs the CBC’s continued investment in adaptive boating opportunities. This spring, we will welcome three more adaptive boats to our fleet, two Hansa 303’s, a double-handed dinghy, and one Hansa Liberty, which will be outfitted with a power assist unit for fully independent sailing!
These additions will not only expand access locally but will support competitive sailors, like Daman, in continuing to develop their skills and compete at regional and national levels. Our fleet will continue to evolve in response to our community's needs, with a vision of scaling our adaptive programs significantly in the coming years.
Looking ahead, we are especially excited about the planned completion of the Port of Bellingham’s new small watercraft dock in 2027. This facility will include four transfer lift stations and feature the region’s first ADA-accessible dock and kayak launch—creating unprecedented opportunities for independent access to the water.
We are so deeply grateful to Kristina, Chris, and John Wallace at BAADS for their warm welcome and for sharing their expertise, passion, and innovative tools. Their work is a powerful reminder of what’s possible. At the CBC, we carry that inspiration forward with a profoundly simple stance: everyone belongs on the bay, and the bay belongs to everyone.
