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2004 IFDS Single-Person Dinghy World C'ship
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13 to 22 January 2004 Australia |
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A CELEBRATION OF ABILITY
the final regatta story....it's only the beginning
Over a ten day period during January, twenty-two sailors from six countries made sporting history as they competed in the inaugural IFDS Single Person Dinghy World Championships. Included in the list of competitors were three sailors with paraplegia and ten who were quadriplegic. This was a regatta like no other. All the competitors were classed as "seriously disabled" or "very seriously disabled". The International Foundation of Disabled Sailors, or IFDS, is the world governing body for disabled sailing.
Competitors astounded all who had the privilege to witness their outstanding sailing skills, competitiveness and obvious joy of life. Spectators, volunteers, race officials, classifiers and friends, marvelled as the sailors took to the waters of Port Phillip Bay from the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron. Spectators on shore were able to identify competitors because of the brightly coloured sails of the Liberty. During the regatta, conditions varied between calm waters with ghosting breezes with strong tidal flows, to 25 knot winds and one metre waves.
Sailors travelled from Japan, USA, Great Britain, Portugal, Greece, Australia and Hungary. All the competitors' live with significant physical challenges, including conditions such as Paraplegia, Quadriplegia, Muscular Dystrophy and Cerebral Palsy. The youngest competitor, fifteen year old Ame Barnbrook of Narooma, NSW was born with Phocoamelia, a condition that manifests itself with the absence of limbs. Ame was born with no arms and a ¼ of one leg, with a foot and three toes. Ame controls the steering and sheets of her Liberty with a control box positioned near her foot.
This regatta was possible because of the new 3.6m Access Liberty. Innovative features of the Liberty enable the boats to be sailed by people with very severe disabilities, as they are able to utilise any moving body part to control the boat. Special design features allow sailors to remain dry at 45 degree angle of heel, the twin rudders guarantee directional stability and the ballasted centreboard ensures the Liberty's will not capsize.
South
Australian, Andrew Hartley became the first ventilated quadriplegic in
history to compete in a Worlds event at any sport. As a result of a Rugby
accident 22 years ago, Andrew broke his neck and is dependent on a ventilator
to breathe, 24 hours a day. Having no movement from the neck down, Andrew
steers and trims the sails using chin controls. As a competitive sportsman,
Andrew is thrilled to have the opportunity to compete again. "As
a severely disabled person, to sail single-handed in a highly competitive
environment was a wonderful opportunity. The Liberty gave me a sense of
freedom, exhilaration and most importantly safety that I don't experience
in any other aspect of my life, giving me the opportunity to compete in
the wonderful sport of sailing. The Liberty has opened up a whole new
world for me because there is no other sport in which I can compete at
any level. The Liberty gives severely disabled sailors an equal footing
in a racing event and as such would be an ideal boat for the proposed
Paralympic single-handed event."
While
sixty-one year old competitor from Pittwater NSW, Lindsay Dalmon, born
with Cerebral Palsy, summed up the regatta, commenting, "To be able
to compete at the highest level, on an equal footing, is usually something
the severely disabled can only dream about. I hope this event has shown
the world that there is a place in world competition for people like myself……
and to the doctor who told my parents to put me in an institution, forget
about me, and have more children - up yours doc."
For this extraordinary regatta to proceed, a multitude of extraordinary challenges needed to be identified and overcome.
The sailors themselves presented a major challenge. The varying physical capabilities presented a major test, as each sailor was secured into seats so that their bodies were stable when sailing at 45 degrees angle of heel. Many sailors in Fleet A had no upper body function, and as such would have been incapable of righting themselves if they fell sideways. Sailors in this fleet also had no arm strength and were unable of holding on with their hands.
The control boxes with electronic joystick and sheeting controls needed to be positioned individually within reach of each sailor's "moving part". For two preparation days prior to sailing, a group of energetic Sailability volunteers from Victoria and NSW, fitted thoracic supports, seat belts, foam, and positioned electronic joysticks for each sailor, ensuring competitors could maintain control of the boat, even in the wildest of conditions.
From
day one, it was apparent that the eventual Winner, Dan Fitzgibbon, a quadriplegic
from Queensland sailing in Fleet A and Zoltan Pegan, winner of Fleet B,
from NSW and a paraplegic, had superior sailing skills, as did Peter Thompson
from the ACT. Thompson will represent Australia later this year at the
Paralympics and regularly beats able-bodied sailors at other events. Although
Pegan won every race in Fleet B, the prize was awarded to Fitzgibbon,
as per the sailing instructions which said that should a tie occur after
a race drop then the Championship would go to the most disabled person.
Fitzgibbon also claimed an Access Liberty dinghy as the prize for the
best overall result in Fleet A.
Sailing, as many can now see, is more dependent on brains and technique rather than the physical aspect of most other sports, so that people with severe disabilities can sail.
After the resounding success of the 2004 IFDS Single Person Dinghy Championships, plans are already under way for the 2005 IFDS Single Person Dinghy Championships, to be sailed at Rutland Sailing Club in the UK. Then in 2006, as part of the Elite Athlete with a Disability programme being run in conjunction with the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the Commonwealth Liberty Championship will be held.
For more information contact Jackie
Competitor Profiles
Photo Gallery
Full
results
Information
on this website is issued by ADF; it is not issued by Race Organizers.
Plans herein may be changed; information herein may be inaccurate. Official
documents will be published by Sail Melbourne International Regatta in
due course.
This World Championship has been specifically organised for sailors with significant disabilities, with IFDS FCS of One or Two (subject to amendment). The IFDS World Single-Person Dinghy Championship will be part of the Sail Melbourne International Regatta, one of the premium events on the ISAF Calendar.
Prize
The winner of the full servo-assist division will take home a complete Liberty.
Access Liberty
Twenty, new, servo-assist, Access Liberty dinghies will be provided at A$1 charter fee to competitors, in addition to a A$250 refundable bond on fleet Liberty's. Places for an additional five, competitor-owned dinghies will also be provided.
The Liberty is an exciting, fast and high-pointing dinghy. With self-tacking rig and the option of Servo Assist controls, the Liberty is a totally-accessible high-performance craft that anyone can sail, regardless of ability - a fine example of Universal Design. The high coamings and wide side decks keep the boat dry even at extreme angles of heel. Two high aspect rudders ensure directional stability.
Liberty Availability
There are over 900 Access 2.3 and 303 Dinghies in 14 countries. National championships are held annually in seven countries. International regattas are held on four continents. If the Liberty follows the success of its predecessors, we expect some thousands will be sailed on all continents within a few years. The Liberty is the answer for elite sailors seeking competition at regional, national and international levels.
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