Adaptive sailing, a realm of adventure and freedom, is well-established, safe, and exhilarating. Here, Bob Vogel, a paraplegic and correspondent for our membership publication New Mobility, shares his exhilaration and the sheer joy of sailing on the Impossible Dream.
“Sailing in gorgeous conditions, I’m at the helm during my first watch on a 60-foot catamaran, 130 miles offshore in the North Atlantic. The crystal-clear night is alive with stars. The Milky Way and constellations are planetarium-bright, accented by a sliver of a crescent moon rising in the distance. After a while, the stars seem to move in slow motion.
Around 3 a.m., a tiny light on the horizon matches a blip on the radar screen. The tracking system identifies it as a three-mast square rig tall ship, and we are gaining on her. I expect to see her sails by morning. I feel like a pirate ship hunting its prey. Yarr! The experience is so perfect and ethereal that I don’t want to risk pinching myself lest this is a dream, but it’s real. I’m on my first off-shore voyage, a 900-mile passage from Boston to Canada on board an ocean-going catamaran built with universal design, aptly named the Impossible Dream.”
Sailing is as natural as it gets
Scott, a sailor with progressive multiple sclerosis, teamed up with our partners at the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability to demonstrate how sailing can be made accessible. We tag along with Scott at the Jacksonville Yacht Club in Mississippi and watch him roll onto a J22 sailboat.
“It’s up on a hoist. I can roll my wheelchair right up next to the boat and do a lateral transfer that’s just about as easy as getting into bed for me,” he says.
“For me, sailing is about as natural as it gets,” continues Scott. “There are no engines. It’s just wind, water, waves and your friends and colleagues. And y’all have to work together to run the boat and sail.”
Plotting your own high-seas (or inner bay or lake) adventure
Our Outdoor Access Working Group presents the following adaptive recreational resources for you to plan your high-seas adventure.
Adaptive Sports New England
Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this organization offers a youth/family sailing program through a partnership with Community Boating Inc. Sailing sessions on the Charles River are designed specifically for people with visual or mobility impairments. Much of the emphasis during the sessions is on sailing skills and developing confidence, communication, and teamwork. (617) 690-9103, joe.walsh@adaptivesportsne.org
Arizona Adaptive Water Sports
This organization holds its events at Bartlett Lake in Arizona. Available boats include a Top Deck and pontoon boats that most wheelchairs can fit on. Staff can assist with transferring. (602) 228-3660, jo@azadaptivewatersports.org
Duxbury Bay Maritime School – ACCESSAIL
ACCESSAIL is an educational and recreational sailing program specifically for people with physical or cognitive disabilities. It provides wheelchair access to the boat, a Hoyer lift, and 5-point harness seats for the free 1.5-hour sail in its Marshall 22-foot-long Catboat. (781) 934-7555, dbms@dbms.org
The Impossible Dream
The universally accessible Impossible Dream is dedicated to raising awareness of barrier-free design and improving the quality of life for people in the disability community through sailing. Based in Miami, Florida, it is the world’s only catamaran built from the ground up to be fully universally accessible. Since 2015, the Summer Voyage Program has sailed approximately 40,000 miles along the Eastern Seaboard of North America. It stops at multiple ports and takes thousands of people sailing at no cost to the participants. info@theimpssibledream.org
Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation
The Judd Goldman Sailing Center is located at Burnham Harbor in Chicago, Illinois. Its adaptive program for sailors with physical disabilities consists of classroom and on-water instruction. (312) 747-7684, jgasf@juddgoldmansailing.org
RISE Adaptive Sports
Located in Irving, Texas, RISE offers adaptive boating on pontoon boats where friends and family can join. To participate in any of the programs offered, it is required for participants to join RISE free of cost. (972) 292-8650, info@riseadaptivesports.org
Shake-A-Leg Miami
Based out of Miami, Florida, this universally accessible Community Watersports Center offers programs utilizing the marine environment for youth and adults with disabilities. They provide specially designed boats and kayaks for people with disabilities, and during the winter months, the Impossible Dream docks and offers the opportunity to introduce people with disabilities, along with their families, to the excitement of sailing. (305) 858-5550
STRIDE Adaptive Sports
The STRIDE Sailing Program offers classroom and on-the-water instruction with certified sailing instructors at the Saratoga Lake Sailing Club. Based in New York, this program is open to participants aged 8-21 and Wounded Warriors. (518) 598-1279, aryan@stride.org
Safety first!
Being safe and knowing how adaptive water sports activities equipment should be handled and used is extremely important in making your experience fun. To have a successful day on the water, the following should also be considered:
- Pack a survival kit with your medications, seasickness pills, first aid supplies, repair tools and extra personal medical supplies such as catheters.
- Bring drinks and food if none are provided.
- Stay hydrated, wear clothing that protects you from the sun (hat, sunglasses, etc.), and remember sunscreen.
- Wear a properly fitted Personal Flotation Device (PFD) and, if required, a properly fitted helmet and wet suit.
- Always use the correct equipment for your ability level.
- Follow standard rules and instructions, know your limits and make sure you are well-trained.
- Know and recognize the common emergency and help signals.
- Do not go alone. Have someone nearby in case something goes wrong.
- Avoid adapted water sports at night or during dangerous weather conditions.
More Water Adaptive Recreation Resources
From United Spinal:
Adaptive Sailing In Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Paraplegic Surfer’s Zest for Life
From United Spinal’s membership publication, New Mobility:
Adaptive Scuba: The Diveheart Philosophy
Summer Outdoor Programs For All
Outdoor Access Working Group
Our United Spinal’s Outdoor Access Working Group collaborates with advocates across the United States to remove barriers and promote outdoor adaptive activities of all kinds. To join us, please fill out this online form.
The photo at the top of this post is of Deborah Mellen, who formed The Impossible Dream nonprofit.
