New Marina For Boaters With Disabilities Opens, Offers Accessible Sailing In Annapolis

ANNAPOLIS, MD — An accessible boating nonprofit recently opened its new marina in Annapolis. The $6 million facility is home to a fleet of adapted boats that let sailors with disabilities explore the Chesapeake Bay.

Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating, also known as CRAB, cut the ribbon on its marina on May 2. The site is named the Adaptive Boating Center.

Jim Nolan, chair of CRAB's board of directors, called the center "an exceptional facility that truly goes above and beyond the requirements set by the American Disabilities Act."

"It is a pioneering example of how sailing can and should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical abilities," Nolan said in a press release. "By prioritizing the needs of all sailors, the Adaptive Boating Center has raised the bar for what is possible and has cemented Annapolis' position as the Sailing Capital of the World."

Boat lover Don Backe founded CRAB in 1991, 4 years after he was paralyzed in a car accident. The organization started off serving a few hundred guests per year. It welcomed 1,200 last year.

With this spike, CRAB outgrew its previous home at Sandy Point State Park.

CRAB secured private donations along with state, county and city money to build the Adaptive Boating Center.

The center sits on Back Creek where Port Williams Marina used to be. By land, it's located at 7040 Bembe Beach Road.

More than 70 guests visited the Adaptive Boating Center in its first 2 weeks. About two-thirds of those visitors have a disability. CRAB also welcomes recovering warriors and kids from underserved communities.

The new marina offers a slew of innovations to make boating more accessible.

There is a ramp onto the floating dock, which is wide enough for golf carts. Boats have lifts to get captains with disabilities on board.

There are extended tillers to let the guests steer. There is also a boat with sip-and-puff steering, letting helmsmen who are paralyzed steer the vessel by moving their mouths on a straw.

On shore, the property has a picnic pavilion and an educational building with classrooms.

The building also has 72 solar panels that generate 200% of the facility's electrical needs. That surplus lets CRAB put the excess energy back into the electrical grid.

Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman saluted CRAB's efforts.

"This project is setting an example for the state and nonprofits across the country by building a facility and running a program that is all about inclusivity and resilience," Lierman said in the release. "This project will help ensure that all Marylanders reach their full potential."

These leaders joined Lierman at the ribbon-cutting:

• Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman
• Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley
• State Sen. Sarah Elfreth
• Del. Dana Jones
• Maryland Department of Disabilities Secretary Carol Beatty
• Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Woods
• U.S. Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Sean Buck
• Annapolis Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles
• Alderman Rob Savidge

More information on CRAB is posted at crabsailing.org. Residents can also follow the group on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Related:

• Annapolis Sailing Nonprofit Collects Nearly $100K For Construction
• CRAB Breaks Ground On Adaptive Boating Center In Annapolis
• Sailing Nonprofit Builds Marina For Marylanders With Disabilities