As in all our official stopover ports, in Sydney the Oceans of Hope project has been taking local people who live with Multiple Sclerosis out on the water for a taste of the freedom that sailing can provide. Across two days and four sailing sessions some 40 locals have taken the leap to come down to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) to spend two hours out in Sydney Harbour and another couple of hours joining together in a convivial atmosphere with each other and the OOH team.

For most, it is their first ever sail, for some it is a re-introduction to the sheer joy of being at sea under a cloud of canvas – something they did not believe they would experience again.

Most of our sailing sessions are carried out with the Oceans of Hope vessel, but today’s trips have been aboard one of three yachts operated by the amazing Sailing With Disabilities (SWD) foundation, which is based here at the CYCA. A big thank you to everyone at SWD and we hope many of our guests will come to sail with you in the future.

Perfect sailing weather has accompanied us here with the spectacle of The Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge seen from the water adding to the magic of an Oceans of Hope sailing experience.

From Sydney the Oceans of Hope sails north to Newcastle, Brisbane, Cairns and Darwin where further Taster Sailing Days will be carried out before we leave Australian waters in mid-July bound for Singapore. In between new MS Crews will join us for some grand offshore adventures - The Great Barrier Reef awaits us, the project which has no barriers.