In 2022 I purchased a Colvic UFO 27 to return to my passion of yachting. I had met the love of my life (Juli) in 2021 and wanted to share my enjoyment of sailing with her and her children - something not possible in a tiny 2.4mR. That year we took part in the Round The Island Race, came 7th in class (189th overall) and the experience became the catalyst for me wanting a bigger challenge, namely to sail around Great Britain.
During early 2023 I met Neil Baxter, an Army veteran who had lost his leg to diabetes. He had previously been a Bosun looking after the Army yachts and then had done yacht deliveries. He wanted to get back to sailing and had always dreamed of sailing around GB. Having read about my plans to attempt the circumnavigation in a BLESMA newsletter, he contacted me. We met up for some sailing in the Solent and then entered a few races (winning a few trophies), in 2023 we also managed to improve our RTIR placing by finishing 6th in class and 83rd overall.
Through our sails together, it was obvious that the UFO27 was not really the right boat for the challenge. It had a hank-on headsail and that was going to prove difficult for Neil to manage, as I certainly wasn’t in a position to move forward. There was also the issue of the engine, an ancient Penta Md5a, which kept trying to catch fire and would only push the boat along at 3.8kts. The decision was made to sell her and look for something in the region of 32-36ft.
In August 2023 I was able to find MIURA, a Colvic UFO 34 for sale in Hull. Neil and a friend brought her down to Wicormarine, and we sailed her for the rest of the season in the Solent. A much better boat all-round and one with an engine that worked!
There have been a number of paralysed sailors who have completed the Round GB challenge: Mike Wood, Geoff Holt and Hilary Lister. All of these have been in heavily adapted or specially built craft, so the challenge I set myself was to do the circumnavigation in a standard yacht. I wanted to show others that with a bit of thinking and planning you can find solutions to difficult problems.
MIURA has a furling headsail and a stack pack system for the mainsail. All halyard lines have been led to the cockpit, so we can remain inside the cockpit for safety. At the moment the boat is out of the water being antifouled, as well as having various internal checks and refreshing wiring/gas/water.
Paralysis is far more than just not being able to walk, there are other aspects that impact day to day life and one of them is bladder and bowel management. Due to the way I manage my body it is necessary to be able to get to an accessible toilet every third day. I cannot use the facilities on the boat as we are not adapting the boat, so the journey is planned to be done in 15-20 two day hops around the coast. This is easy in some areas where there are plenty of large marinas with pontoon berths, but tricky in places like the north west coast of Ireland and Scotland. Planning is everything. We will have YB Tracking so everyone can see where we are from either the YB Tracking site or from the website I am creating for the trip.
It is likely I will remain in the cockpit for the majority of the time, so having decent foul weather kit is essential. Unfortunately all my kit is from the late 90’s when I did most of my yacht racing, so I am looking into which manufacturer is going to be best for the very specific requirements I have. Sleeping in the cockpit will need a type of bivvie bag, so again this is an area I am researching as well. Neil has limited movement, but is able to get down below so he will be the yachts chef for the trip, so I had better not get on the wrong side of him.
The trip, as mentioned, is to show others that challenges can be overcome and that sailing can be accessible despite the personal circumstances that a person might find themselves in. It is not always necessary to spend vast amounts of money on specially adapted equipment, and that thinking about issues in a rational way can lead to you finding simple work-arounds. I am also keen to raise money for charity, as it stands there are three possible beneficiaries - Disabled Sailors Association, Hilarys Dream Trust and BLESMA. I would like to be able to help all three with equal amounts, so any donations are greatly appreciated.
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