MEET THE TEAM

Steve Alvey
Steve is the brains behind the Power-Assist System. Growing up, Steve fell in love with the sport of sailing, competing at a high level. As an adult, Steve remained active in the sailing community, while pursing a career as an engineer. After a childhood sailing friend sustained a severe spinal cord injury, Steve set out on a mission to remove the barriers of sailing for individuals with severe physical disabilities by developing the Power-Assist System. For the past 20 years Steve (Inventure Management Limited) has designed and fabricated technology to provide sailors with disabilities the equipment they require to sail independently. His passion and dedication have been instrumental in increasing the number of sailors with severe physical disabilities in Canada and around the world.

Dee Osmond
Dee was introduced to the Power-Assist technology when she began working as a sailing instructor with Sail Able Nova Scotia in 2013. She was instantly impressed by the technology and the opportunities it gave to sailors with severe physical disabilities. She was taken back by the possibilities available with the help of assistive technology and it motivated her to pursue a career in healthcare. Dee now works in the Assistive Technology field at the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre. Over the next years of being involved with Sail Able, she became keen to keep the Power-Assist equipment working to its full potential to ensure it was successful for the program sailors who depended upon it. She worked with Steve Alvey who helped her become confident doing the necessary maintenance. She has now been trained by Steve to provide service and fabricate new Power Assist Systems. She is excited for this new adventure and hopes to see the technology continue to be used to its full potential in programs across Canada and beyond.

Kevin Penny
Kevin Penny was introduced to adaptive sailing at Mobility Cup 2006 in Vancouver. "I had the time of my life there, sailing a Martin 16 with sip&puff controls, and was instantly hooked." When he returned home, he was motivated to re-launch Sail Able Nova Scotia with Paul Tingley’s support and, just one year later, they  purchased our 2 Martin 16s and hosted Mobility Cup 2007 in Dartmouth! Now 11 years later, Sail Able Nova Scotia once again hosted Mobility Cup 2018 and  operate a vibrant program with over 40 members, with the generous support of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax, and new chapters in North Sydney and Lunenburg  Nova Scotia!
As a high-level quadriplegic, Kevin depends upon a Sip & Puff Power Assist System to sail his Martin 16 independently. Before his accident, he was very active, playing all the sports he could. After his spinal cord injury, he was unable to find an avenue to unleash his competitive spirit and push his boundaries. 15 years later, sailing filled that void! He was finally able to play a sport on a level playing field, thanks to assistive technology.
He is excited to put his undergraduate degree at St Mary's University in Small Business Management to use as he embarks on this new venture.

We are excited to begin working with you!