Sailability.ch

Sailability.ch is the Swiss association for inclusive sailing and enriches the lives of people with special needs on various lakes. The association is based in Arbon on Lake Constance and is also present at Lake Neuchatel and in Central Switzerland. Its infrastructure includes a mobile fleet of accessible Hansa 303 dinghies, the yacht mOcean 26, support motorboats and a person lift on the pier. The programme offers day sails, weekend courses, holiday weeks, regular training as well as joint regattas and camps with partner clubs. Since its foundation in 2006 the association has combined sailing, inclusion and community, celebrating its twentieth anniversary in 2026.

Arbon, Schweiz

History

Sailability.ch was founded in 2006 by Arbon physician Willi Lutz. As an enthusiastic wheelchair athlete and sailor he brought the ideas of Sailability World to Switzerland and led the association with dedication until his death in October 2023. The goal was and remains to give people with special needs independent access to sailing. Over the years a mobile fleet of colourful Hansa 303 dinghies and the accessible yacht mOcean 26 developed, complemented by support motorboats and a person lift on the pier. Key bases are Arbon on Lake Constance and Neuchatel on Lake Neuchatel; since 2025/2026 the offer in Central Switzerland around Lucerne has also been expanded. The association works closely with partners such as Yacht Club Arbon, Segelclub Cham and Yachtclub Luzern and uses their facilities for taster weekends, camps and regattas. Sportingly, Sailability.ch takes part in the PluSport Cup, the moonlight regatta series in Arbon, the inclusive Swiss championships, the Belgian Sailability Cup and international Hansa 303 events; in 2026 the team also competed at the Special Olympics National Summer Games in Zug. In April 2025 the association received the sports recognition award of the city of Arbon. On 6 June 2026 Sailability.ch celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a general meeting, the unveiling of an anniversary sail and the Willi Lutz memorial regatta.

Information

Facilities

Mobile fleet with Hansa 303 dinghies and accessible yacht mOcean 26, support motorboats, person lift on the pier and cooperation with club facilities in Arbon, Cham and Lucerne.

Activities

Day sails, weekend courses, holiday weeks, leisure and Tuesday sailing, regatta training, inclusive camps and taster sailing for schools, care homes and groups.

Youth section

Sailing days and camps for young people with and without disabilities, including with special-needs schools and PluSport camps.

Boating license training

Available: 1

Preparation on the accessible yacht mOcean 26

Board members

Name
Role
Contact
Ivo Gonzenbach
1. Vorsitzender
Pascale Maurissen
2. Vorsitzender

Regatta calendar

Training times

Type
Day
Time
Leisure sailing Arbon
Tuesday
17:30-19:30
Tuesday sailing Neuchatel
Tuesday
17:30-19:30

Membership fee

Category
Amount
Period
Active member
75 CHF
Annual
Patron
130 CHF
Annual

Opening hours

Location
Days
Time
Office telephone
Mon, Thu
08:00-11:30