HUNTERSVILLE – Thirty volunteers took 25 adults and children with special needs such as autism and Down syndrome out on sailboat rides this month at the North Carolina Community Sailing and Rowing Center at Blythe Landing.

Volunteers provided the free rides on eight, 19-foot Flying Scot sailboats. This is the second year the center has offered the outing.

Elizabeth Hobson of the Cornelius Parks, Arts, Recreation & Culture Department coordinated the event with the staff of the sailing and rowing center, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation developed in partnership with Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department.