Board of Directors

Headshot of Paul Tingley

Paul Tingley

CHAIR

Paul joined Sail Able of Nova Scotia in 1995 after a skiing accident. He attended his first Mobility Cup in Vancouver in 1996. For over 25 years, Paul has been deeply involved in disabled sailing, whether participating or organizing. He raced for the Canadian Sailing Team for five Paralympic games and won three medals (Bronze 2000, Gold 2008, Bronze 2016). Paul has organized Mobility Cups and international sailing championships, and is passionate about seeing more people with disabilities discover the joy and freedom of sailing.

Headshot of Paula Stone

Paula Stone

Vice-Chair and Secretary

Paula Stone worked as an occupational therapist with children and adults with disabilities for over 35 years. She has been a volunteer with the Association québécoise de voile adaptée (AQVA) program since 1998. She joined the AbleSail Network national board in 2008, serving as Vice-Chair since 2011. Paula is currently the Chair of the AbleSail Network Mobility Cup Committee.

Headshot of Mark Lambert

Mark Lambert

Director

Mark Lambert was introduced to sailing through the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet program and has enjoyed the sport ever since. Since 2010, Mark has volunteered with the Disabled Sailing Association of Alberta. When not on the water, Mark enjoys powerlifting, with the goal of one day being able to change the keel line on a Martin 16 without a hoist or crane!

Headshot of Doug Nutting

Doug Nutting

Treasurer

Doug’s longstanding role as the Executive Director for Recreation Integration Victoria saw him managing the accessible sailing program. He co-Chairs the OneAbility Collective Impact Group in Greater Victoria and is currently the Chair of the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability. For nearly 40 years, Doug has served on numerous boards of disability non-profit organizations.

Headshot of Matt Debicki

Matt Debicki

Director

Matt spent 10 years as a professional sailor, working on tall ships, multihulls and monohulls, including three years working aboard the Inventure, a 60-foot power wheelchair accessible trimaran. Now based in Newfoundland, Matt is helping develop Canada's eastern-most accessible sailing outpost!

Headshot of Kat Walker

Kat Walker

Director

Kat's passion for sailing has flourished since she first stepped into an Opti at sailing school over 20 years ago. Since 2011, she has had the opportunity to coach/manage several able-bodied and adapted programs in 4 provinces. Kat fell in love with the Able Sail community when she worked for AQVA (Association Québécoise de Voile Adaptée) from 2017-19 and has been a volunteer for Mobility Cup ever since. After graduating from Concordia University with a BSc in Kinesiology, Kat moved to Halifax to explore the marine community.

Eric Molendyk

Eric has been involved with ASABC since 2001, he currently serves as the program manager. He feels privileged to work with such great volunteers and staff, whose objective every summer is to provide as many experiences as possible or those of varying ages and physical abilities. 

Candice Drescher

Candice has been involved with adaptive sailing since 2016 .  She is currently the president of Able Sail Toronto.