| Sailing
is one of the few sports where people with many different disabilities
can compete against each other on an equal basis. In this sport,
you will regularly find able-bodied sailors competing alongside
amputees, alongside paraplegics, and many other
disabilities. Everyone is sailing the same boat, with no
handicapping system, and having a great time doing it!
Racing with other disabled sailors is governed by the International Federation of Disabled Sailing (IFDS) and locally by the US SAILING subcommittee Sailors With Special Needs.
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| The idea behind the governing bodies is that each boat,
when sailing in a "disabled only" event should be subject to
some rules and limitations, both for fairness and safety. The IFDS
has designed a "classification system" to help decide exactly
how functional each boat crew can be. Obviously, three
quadriplegics on one 23' Sonar could not compete physically with three
single leg amputees.
For this reason, each athlete is assigned a "classification number" between 1 and 7 that matches their ability level. The people with less ability receive a lower number, and those with more abilities a greater number. Then, there is a limit to the maximum number of points each boat can take on board... for example, |
 Canada crosses behind Great Britain |
| a boat could have a quadriplegic (1 point), a single-leg amputee (5 points) and a polio victim (say... 6 points) on board. This totals the maximumnumber of allowable points - 12. Obviously, there are other combinations, and there is no penalty for sailing with, let us say, only 5 points -- but there is no benefit to this either, as you would have a less "able" crew. | |
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Of course, most disabled sailors who compete seriously also engage in many able-bodied races and events. Gustaf Fresk of Sweden probably summed up their feelings the best when he said, "I got tired of beating up on my (disabled) friends and decided to go kick some AB butt." Below, Sonar teams compete in the 1998 National Offshore One-Design event in St. Petersburg, Florida. Eight out of 23 boats were skippered and crewed by sailors with disabilities. |
| The Sailors With Special Needs Committee (SWSN) not only is involved in races and competition, but also engages in activities to promote disabled sailing programs and chances to learn to sail. All competitors understand the importance of a strong program that provides therapy, rehab, and a chance to enjoy sailing. They have all, at some point, gone through the same thing, and have since moved, not "up to" but rather "toward" competition and away from recreational sailing. Most are more thank willing to discuss their own efforts and struggles with you, and would be happy to help you overcome any obstacles keeping you off the water. |  |
| If you would like to email the SWSN
committee, send mail to the chairman, Hugh Elliot at Tinleg@att.worldnet.net,
and he will get back to you as soon as possible.
Of course, competition occurs on many different levels. Just as in able-bodied events, there are regattas on a local level, a national level, and on the international level. There are many boats sailed on a local level, namely Cal 20s, Freedom 20s, Rhodes 19s, Illusions, Martin 16s, and many others. On a national level, there is one Disabled Nationals event held yearly in Freedom 20s. Most other events take place in Sonars or 2.4 mRs - which are also the premier racing boats on the international level. Indeed, both the Sonar and the 2.4 are full medal events in the Paralympics! |
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| For dates and times of any of these events, please check out our Yearly Schedule. If you would like to participate, you can always take a look at the Skippers & Crew pages to see if anyone in your area is looking for someone, or check our Links pages for information on other programs around the world. In the meantime, we wish you the best possible luck with all of your sailing desires. If we can be of any assistance: finding an event to sail in, getting some coaching advice or tips, training for a particular event, or just getting more information on the opportunities that competitive sailing provides, please let us know! |  |
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The 1996 Bronze Medallists |
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