About Us

Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (BAADS) seeks to make all aspects of sailing accessible.

To fulfill this mission, we offer weekly small boat sailing and keelboat sailing out of South Beach Marina, adjacent to Oracle Ball Park.

BAADS hosts and participates in a variety of regattas and informal races both locally and internationally. To find out about racing opportunities, visit our race page.

BAADS Board of Directors and Committees

Our keelboat fleet includes five keelboats, each specially rigged and equipped with adaptive features to make sailing the San Francisco Bay possible for people with disabilities. Additionally, we have 27 Hansa Dinghies, ranging in size from 8 to 14 feet long, all of which are specifically designed for people with disabilities. Some of these are equipped with servo motors so that people with severe physical disabilities can sail solo.

BAADS serves approximately 15-50 participants each weekend who range in age, experience and disabilities. Some participants have never sailed before and some have been sailing all their lives. Through our weekend programs, participants learn to sail by themselves or with a partner in the small boat program and/or as part of a crew in the keelboat program.

BAADS is an all-volunteer organization. We run all our programs through volunteers and couldn’t function without a dedicated crew. Because we rely on volunteers, we invest a significant amount of time and effort in training our volunteers so they have knowledge of sailing and our equipment. All are welcome regardless of your skill or experience. Learn how to become a volunteer at our volunteer page.

A Short History of BAADS

Since 1991, BAADS has been supported by individual donations and grants from organizations like America One Foundation, St. Francis Sailing Foundation Club and the Odyssey Foundation. To learn more about how you can help, visit our donation page.

You can find our bylaws, committee lists, budget and other documents on our Club Document page. Learn all about BAADS and spread the word by sharing our brochure and website. See you on the Bay!

Contact Us

Address

Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors
Pier 40, The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94107
Location | Directions for the Blind

Email

Keelboat program, small boats, and more

Phone

Call Sail Mail at 415-281-0212 for sailing reservations, to leave messages or for the latest news.

Elsewhere

Check out the BAADS blog for photos, posts, and other fun. Or Like us on Facebook!