Meet the team.

Mike founded the DSA in 1993 and has been its Chairman ever since. An engineer by background, he designed and built Verity K — the world's first fully wheelchair-accessible ocean-going yacht — and has spent the years since making sure accessibility is the starting point of every boat and every decision, not something added at the end. In 2003 he turned the same thinking to dinghies, designing boats that disabled and able-bodied sailors could enjoy together.

His work has been recognised with an MBE. At 80 he remains closely involved in the charity day to day, as happy talking through a design problem as he is welcoming a first-time sailor aboard.

Dale joined the DSA as Chief Executive in 2026. He spent the previous decade in the charity sector, most recently as Head of Operations at Spinal Research, where he built up a close understanding of what disabled people need from an organisation — on the water and in every other interaction.

That understanding is partly first-hand. A road accident in 2021 left Dale paralysed, and he went on to compete as an elite wheelchair racer, completing the London Marathon in 2026. He brings both that experience and his operational background to the DSA, with one aim: making the charity run as well as the boats it puts on the water.

office@disabledsailing.org

John is the DSA's Head Skipper and, for most people, the face of their sailing day. He leads the voyages out of Portsmouth and gets thousands of people onto the water each year, including plenty of first-timers who arrive nervous and come back regulars.

Much of that comes down to how he reads people — knowing when to hand someone the helm and when to just let them enjoy being out on the water. It's what makes a day with the DSA feel personal rather than processed.

"I didn't think I was capable, but John believed in me before I believed in myself. That changed everything." — Philip, Day Skipper and Round the Island Race winner