International Disabled World Championships

On Wednesday 10/24/01 down in St Pete, Fl. the Disabled Worlds hosted by St.Petersburg YC will start. So who cares you ask? Well, here at SA we often report stories that may only get a paragraph in the glossy print world and sometimes none at all. Besides that, I (Pararacer) do the web work here and want to cover this. We hope to be bringing updates and pictures from an event that is about as fringe as it gets.

You know how hard it is to get 'normal' crew to go racing, imagine...now you have to find someone with a disability. Not only a disability, but also they have to have the right one, that's right...everyone is rated on their functionality on board the boat. The total for a three-man team on the Sonar can add up to 14. Quads start at one point; I am a Para and got rated at 3 points. They are trying to make it so the more disabled can compete with the not so disabled. An international panel of doctors does a test in a room (no poking and prodding) and then they go to the boat and see what you can do. These doctors have been around; they all sail and know when someone is sandbagging.

Ok, so you got a rating, now go race... well not so quick - the entry fee into this event is $600. Don't have a boat, go to www.shumwaymarine.com and buy a new one for $30k or get a used one (if you can) or charter one $1700 for the regatta. Anyway you look at it if you don't have lots of dough, advertising sponsors, or got a big settlement out of your accident, count yourself out. I know, I'm still paying off the debts from last year and will not compete until some sponsorship is found. The Sonar class just recently was awarded international status, most likely due to the fact that the Paralympic committee chose this as the crewed boat for the Games. I would not doubt though that this class would have fallen into obscurity had it not been for a bunch of gimps wanting to race (I can say that cause I'm a gimp). Prior to the Paralympics, the Sonar class was mostly an East Coast boat, but has now grown to the European venues. It still has yet to come to the West Coast and probably won't, the Sonar just has no appeal to the sailors out there, unless you're disabled.

I have mentioned the Sonar as the crewed boat. There is another boat, the 2.4 meter , which is used for the singlehanded event. It costs a lot less (www.gaviayachts.com) and you don't need a crew. You just need to show enough of a disability to get in the event. It is a much wetter boat that looks more like a submarine with sails when it gets choppy. I personally have not tried the 2.4, (I'm 43 years old and don't like being cold and wet, so I'll need a dry suit). Betsy Alison and Roger Cleworth have been trying to get me in the little thing.

So let me tell you about my last big event and the experiences with an International cast of (Handicap, Handicapable, Disabled or whatever is politically correct now) sailors. Prior to the 2000 US Paralympic Trials the International Midwinter were held in ST. Pete, FL. The event was high in attendance because it was the year of the Sydney games. There were teams from Australia, Canada, UK, Ireland, Spain, Denmark, Armenia and Israel. What was incredible was the diversity of disabilities and how everyone coped with them. The adaptations that were made to the boats were so different. The one thing in common was the adaptations fit each crew like a glove and probably would not work for anyone else. People's disabilities ranged from brain disorders (that fits a lot of you sailors), leg and arm amputees, genetic abnormalities and blindness.

One of the most memorable to me was a guy on the Armenian crew. He had no arms. That's right... how in the hell did he do anything. This guy could sheet sails with his toes…did everything with his feet…awesome. And I thought I had problems. Then there is Kerry Gruson from Miami, FL. She suffered oxygen depravation and her body and brain don't communicate to well. She is smart and loves to sail but like the rest of us…trapped in a body that won't work. They lift her in the boat, strap her down and away she goes. And you thought you had problems. Then this guy, Jim Leatherman if you can imagine a guy in a wheel chair swing dancing, WOW you should have seen it.

Now don't get me wrong, we are not just a bunch of disabled people out to have a good time, although we seem to do that to. Competition is ferocious. Mark roundings and starts are tight. The rules are used to their fullest. Most teams have coaches and shore support. Like any fleet you have the top dogs, middle of the fleet and tail end Charlie. Most of the top teams were in ST. Pete a couple of weeks ago.

Hopefully, soon we'll have a list of competitors along with country of origin, updates and pictures. Below is a press release and some links to check out.

ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. (11 October 2001)- Masts and mainsails are beginning to dot the horizon as sailors from around the globe started trickling into this city along the shore of Tampa Bay in preparation for the 2001 World Disabled Sailing Championships that kick-off on Oct.24.

As a result of the recent terrorist attacks and the heightened national security, some teams, such as those from India and Nigeria, are experiencing difficulty obtaining the necessary entrance visas into the United States or the disruption of their flights. Nevertheless, the 2001 World Disabled Sailing Championships-hosted by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club and Sailing Alternatives-is still expected to be the largest gathering of elite disabled sailors since the Paralympic regatta at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.

The Paralympic regatta on Sydney Harbor featured some of the closest racing in recent memory and many of the medal winning teams such as Germany, Canada, Denmark and the United States will be present to defend their previous glory and hopefully, win some more.

"The sailing was very close at the Paralympics and I know that many of the teams, especially the ones that missed winning a medal by just one race, have been training hard this past year," said Serge Jorgensen, president of Sailing Alternatives-the renowned disabled sailing program-and chairman of the race committee. "The competition will be extremely fierce this year considering that Rolex will provide watches to the winning sailors."

Two classes of boats will be sailed at the 2001 Worlds, the 23-foot Sonar with a crew of three and the smaller, single-handed 2.4mR boat. Sailing for people with disabilities has made tremendous strides in the past ten years in terms of both access to programs and technology. It is common to see crews with mixed disabilities, such as those with spinal cord injuries, amputees, cerebral palsy and vision impairments work together to sail a 23-foot Sonar efficiently. Advances in adaptive equipment and instruction make it possible for even a high-level quadriplegic to sail a 2.4mR boat solo and competitively. Also, sailors with disabilities in both the Sonar and 2.4mR classes are not limited to disabled regattas but compete regularly in open-class races against able-bodied sailors and do on occasion win.

For several years the St.Petersburg Yacht Club and the City of St. Petersburg have hosted disabled sailing regattas. On Oct. 24, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, and Committee to Advocate People with Impairments Chairman Wally Ducher, will cut the ribbon opening the new 2500 square foot-specially designed-accessible dock that will be used by the sailors during the regatta.

An exciting addition to the 2001 Worlds will be an accessible sailing demonstration showcasing some of the diverse adaptive equipment used by the sailors. Arrangements with area rehab centers have also been made for children going through their programs to watch the races.

Since 1994, Sailing Alternatives, Inc. has quickly built a solid reputation for not only top-flight sailing instruction for people with disabilities but also for it's efforts to develop and raise the caliber of racing on the international level. With learn-to-sail programs in both St. Petersburg and Sarasota, Sailing Alternatives, Inc. has enabled over 3, 000 people with disabilities to incorporate the empowering aspects of sailing into their lives.

The final tally at the first start today was 16 Sonars and 14 2.4 mRs in the 2001 Worlds, representing some of the best athletes in the world. Competitors include 2.4 mR Gold Medallist Heiko Kroeger (GER) and Bronze Medallist Tom Brown (USA), Sonar Silver Medallist Jens Kroker (GER). Sailing on separate course in Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Florida the 2.4 mRs and Sonars had some challenging conditions this morning.

With the first start scheduled for 10:00, sailors left the docks with the wind hitting 18 to 20 knots and the seas building quickly. Expecting the breeze to freshen throughout the day, the Race Committee decided to start racing in the conditions though some of the sailors were struggling with the current and wind-induced 3 and 4 foot waves.

The first race, a four-leg windward / leeward course took just over 40 minutes on each course, with Canadian skipper Mackie taking Sonar line honors. After destroying their main in a wild puff in the first race, Israel skipper Cohen raced back to the dock for a replacement, while some of the boats remaining on the water were taking knockdowns hard enough to rip the Windex from USA skipper Callahan's mast. On the 2.4 mR course, German favorite Kroeger took first place after a challenging couple of legs.

Shortly after the finish of the first race, the wind unexpectedly dropped about 2 knots. Combined with an ebbing tide, the water smoothed out enough that racing became, comparatively, easy. With winds still hitting 15 knots, downwind conditions where especially challenging, as one good surf on the remaining waves could move a boat two or three places up in the fleet. Kroeger finished aginst in first, with a close challenge from Dutch van Holsteyn on the 2.4 mR course. With a replaced main, Israeli Cohen sailed a brilliant race to an easy first place finish, leaving Canadian Mackie with a distant second.

Sailors were surprised to be back at the dock by 1:30 in the afternoon, but gratefully took the time to repair themselves and their boats from the battering of the morning.

Racing continued today with winds starting from the northeast at 15 - 18 knots. Blowing against an incoming tide, the waves in Tampa Bay were almost square and very difficult to drive around. After some careful consideration, racing was postponed for two hours, and the first start was at 12:05 Eastern Daylight Time. Sailors were grateful for the opportunity to wait until the sun broke through the cloud cover before heading onto the water.

On the 2.4 mR course, Kroeger again dominated the course, with firsts in both races. Coming on strong, and rediscovering all of the 2.4 mR tricks after almost a year-off from sailing since the 2000 Paralympics, USA skipper Tom Brown finished with a 3 and a 4, enough to move him into second place overall. Shifting winds and great downwind surfing conditions made for some great racing, and a challenging day on the water. 2.4 mR hulls, with only 8" of freeboard, were often disappearing entirely between the waves, and then emerging from a shower of spray with the helmsman pumping furiously.

Sonar skipper Mackie was also performing well in the consistently heavy winds. After two bullets in this afternoons races, Mackie sits 7 points from his nearest competition. Half the regatta still remains, but Canada is showing their heavy-air speed and steering smarts in maintaining great separation between the rest of the fleet. Chasing hard, and catching up slowly, are Callahan (USA) and the British (Robertson and Cassell) and German (Kroker) entries. The German team, in fact, demonstrated some remarkable agility and raised fresh doubts about their classification scores when the main-trimmer went over backwards, caught the stern of the boat, hoisted himself back on board, and resumed sailing -- all in the course of 30 seconds.

One thing each of these competitors is looking forward to is completing a fifth race. Now that there is officially a regatta (after four races), the next benchmark will be that 5th race and the ability to discard a team's worst score. For sailors on both courses, this discard will put them back into the running for trophies, and certainly shake up the top five places.

Exhausted after two 60-minute races, competitors are beginning to look forward to their reserve day on Monday, and hoping that it will become, in fact, a time to rest, recover and repair their boats and muscles.

Racing was delayed by two hours on Sunday, to allow for slightly warmer temperatures. Committee members were also hoping that the wind would abate slightly, but forecasts called for increasing winds throughout the day. Sailors left the dock by 11:00 EST, and were again challenged by a combination of 15 knot winds and 2 to 4 foot waves.

Following two days of this combination of wind and waves, the sailors were beginning to feel that these were the normal conditions in St. Petersburg. 2.4 mR sailors made sure that their electric bilge pumps were fully charged prior to leaving the dock each morning, and Sonar crews checked all of their lines and fittings carefully for any wear to prevent breakage on the water.

Racing was significantly closer for the two races sailed. Skippers and crews that did not normally sail in these conditions were learning fast and beginning to close on the leaders. Brown (USA) challenged current leader Kroeger (GER) in both of the races, but ended the day with two seconds. Downwind conditions were perfect for surfing, Brown's strength, but the upwind conditions catered to Kroeger's long training in high wind and heavy seas.

The 16 Sonars sailed slightly further into Tampa Bay for their race area, and had waves that were steeper and more violent than the 2.4 mRs. The sailors were always relieved to round the upwind marks and enjoy fantastic surfing conditions for a few minutes. Sonars planing downwind under main and jib were a frequent site, with only a few exciting broaches and roll-outs. The upwind legs brought long periods of slogging through waves that crashed over the decks and rolled through cockpits. Though no crews sustained injuries, there were a few exciting moments when windex's were ripped from mast-tips and sailors slipped overboard and clambered back onboard over the stern.

Moving into a reserve day with six races and a throw-out under their belts, sailors were happy to relax for a day. Tuesday promises more wind, with waves shifting to a longer fetch across Tampa Bay. Skippers and crews will head back into the bay for the last three races in their series - two on Tuesday and one Wednesday, if everything goes according to plan.

PHOTOS

Final Wrap-Up - IFDS World

Reported by Serge Jorgensen
Photo credit to Regatta Photo

After five days of challenging sailing, sailors are packing up and heading for home. Many thanks to all of the sponsors - Rolex for great first place trophies, the Hilton hotels for housing athletes and officials, All-Star limo for arranging all of the airport pickup, the City of St. Petersburg with 2500 square feet of new accessible docks, and many more. Sailors and volunteers had a great event, and an exciting awards ceremony.

Throughout the week, winds stayed at a constant 15 knots, dropping only on the last day to a beautiful 8-10. Heavier teams that could transfer from side to side while tacking were at a great advantage over the teams that were more limited in mobility. This was shown with a position shake-up on the last couple of days with Rick Doerr (USA) finishing 2nd and 3rd on Tuesday and Gustaf Fresk (SWE) winning the last race on the Sonar course.

The 2.4 mR fleet was dominated by Heiko Kroeger, who added a second Rolex to his collection and ended the event by saying that the winds were great, and his ideal conditions. Third place finisher Erikstad from Norway received a standing ovation from competitors and officials alike after a challenging week. Sailing a 2.4 mR with hands that spring directly from his shoulders, Erikstad normally prefers lighter air, but was uncertain exactly what to wish for after a series of strong finishes in the heavier air. Brown (USA) lamented the fact that he had not been on the water for more than three days since the Paralympics, but has been enjoying teaching his 17 month old daughter Molly all sorts of new tricks. She hasn't been in a 2.4 mR quite yet, but plans are to introduce her soon.

Many of the sailors will leave their boats in St. Petersburg for the next two months, and then sail in the upcoming Miami Olympic Classes Regatta in January, the 2.4 mR World Championships and Sonar NOOD regatta in February, and the International Disabled Midwinters in April. For more information on upcoming events, please contact Serge Jorgensen at 941.809.1111 or sdj@sailingalternatives.org or check the US SAILING web site.

FINAL RESULTS

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