More on sailboat racing...

I cannot think of a better lifetime sport than racing sailboats.

The enormous number of different boats that can be - and are - raced, means that, with appropriate changes of equipment, and some applications of cash, it is possible to compete effectively until one is really very ancient.

Part of this is because sailboat racing requires both physical and mental talents. As the boats get bigger, crew members must specialize. Those whose physical skills are not what they used to be are often very welcome for their understanding of weather, tactics, and rules.

And, so long as you don't insist on being the boat owner, the cost of racing is not high!

As I have previously discussed, I am a double leg amputee. I am still an active racing sailor (aged 62) and intend to continue for many more years. As a person with a significant disability - at least according to conventional medical wisdom, one of the really important things is that I can compete against able bodied sailors, under the regular rules of the sport, with no quarter given - or asked.

I just don't know of any other sport that permits this. Wheelchair basketball players are superb athletes but effective competition in the able bodied world, against even a modestly competent High School JV team on its feet, is impossible. Basketball is a sport in which lack of height is too important to be overcome. Without legs, competitive golf becomes really difficult: for those with spinal cord injuries, it is all but impossible.

In sailing, however, we can win if we are good enough. This is proven by three World Champions in the [open single-handed] 2.4 Meter Class http://www.inter24metre.org/ in the past twelve years. At the time of their victories, one was an arm amputee, one had Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), and the third Friedrich's Ataxia. There have also been several winners of open events in the Sonar Class. Those are only a few of the successes of sailors with disabilities competing against the world.

To borrow a slogan from the PGA Tour: "These guys [and gals] are good."

If you are interested in more information, try checking out these sites:

International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS)
http://tinyurl.com/IFDS2008
US SAILING - Council for Sailors with Disabilities
http://www.ussailing.org/swd/
Sonar Class Association
http://www.sonar.org/

Manwhile, sail fast and, if you haven't tried it yet, come and join us.