The Disabled Sailing Association celebrate their new arrival -
'DSA Free Spirit 2' - 2025, 3rd October, 1500 hours
After three years of fundraising the Disabled Sailing Association (DSA) was able to celebrate the arrival of their new Yacht, 'DSA Free Spirit 2', with a naming ceremony followed by a reception at Below Decks on Torquay Town Dock marina.
The yacht, a Bavaria C38, was built in Germany and shipped to a Solent boatyard, where it underwent its final fit-out, including the adaptations and other safety features which enables the DSA to offer “safe and affordable sailing for the disabled”. It was then sailed from the Solent to Torquay, with a stopover at Portland, by four of our senior DSA skippers.
The yacht was funded by a number of major sponsors including National Lottery Community Fund who were the primary sponsor, with significant donations from the RYA Foundation, the Clothworkers Foundation in London, the Asda Foundation and more locally from the Claire Milne Trust in Cornwall, The Sports Foundation for the Disabled Newquay, the Whirlwind Charitable Trust Honiton and another large Devon based Trust.
All of the sponsors were invited to the event, together with other local organisations and individuals who helped to raise the necessary funds to purchase the yacht.
The naming reception was attended by over 80 guests and DSA volunteer hosts. During the addresses, Steve Norman (Vice Chair) highlighted the network of over 40 organisations who support the DSA, including our major sponsors, local businesses, various disability groups and the Torbay NHS social prescriber team who regularly refer their patients for wellbeing experiences.
Shirley Musgrove (Chair) thanked all of the sponsors and highlighted that it was the DSA’s twentieth anniversary, having founded the DSA with her husband, David Musgrove (President), back in 2005. David made a point of thanking all of the volunteers for their support and presented awards to a few for their exceptional service.
Jim Parker (Chair of Torbay Watersports), spoke of the vision of the “Torbay Blue Economy” and the role that the DSA play in realising a truly inclusive and vibrant water sport community and the Civic Mayor, Councillor Barbara Lewis, praised the DSA for the service they offer, wished them well for the future and proposed a toast to their new yacht.
The most poignant moment of the reception was when two of the disabled members, one who travels from Essex to sail with them, and the other an ex-Police Detective Inspector, spoke openly about what the DSA has meant to them on their journey to overcome their respective disabilities.
The DSA now has two fabulous modern yachts, our other yacht is a 38ft Beneteau, 'DSA Freedom', which they have had for nearly 8 years and now DSA Free Spirit 2.
Both can carry up to 8 passengers, which includes 3 DSA crew and 5 members, so we now have the capacity to take out 10 guests on a daily basis – weather permitting!.
