Sail Cape Cod gives the joy of sailing to all, including the physically disabled.

It is a beautiful summer day on Hyannis Harbor. Everywhere you look, there are boats—ferries rumble off to the islands, fishing boats head out with hard-working crews, sailboats skippered by happy campers of all ages cut through the water, sails full of wind—it is a sight of constant movement, of people enjoying the simple freedom of moving on the water, unencumbered by time, or space.

A young man sits on the harbor’s Gary Brown Ramp, not far from the Cape Cod Maritime Museum and Cape Cod Hospital. He is in a wheelchair, battling Muscular Dystrophy. But today he is happy, excited, his spirit lifting as a sailboat owned and manned by Sail Cape Cod awaits by the dock. He knows that today, he will be the captain of his own ship—that he will fly across the scenic waters of Lewis Bay, moving as fast as the wind can take him, his hand on the tiller with an experienced Sail Cape Cod crew beside him. For a few joyous hours, he is flying free, Monica Stevenson, president of Sail Cape Cod, knows just how special days like this are for those whose lives are confined to wheelchairs, or walkers—young boys with Muscular Dystrophy, long time sailors whose mobility has been confined because of Multiple Sclerosis, seniors struggling with Rheumatoid Arthritis, who often feel like prisoners in their own bodies.