Stay Active Sailing
Andrew Previté competed at the 2004 Open World Championships in Sweden in the 2.4mR Class
Andrew Previté describes how he was able to rediscover sailing:
“For me 35 odd years of sailing nearly drew to a close in 1994. I had sailed, instructed and raced an Optimist, Mirror, Wayfarer, 470, and latterly my father’s Contessa 26, when the need to have two sticks to walk meant yachting was going to be a risky business. I had been diagnosed as far back as 1982 with relapsing/remitting MS and fortunately had little to show for it thus far. Two sticks and then a wheelchair in 1996 was the end of me in boats, or so I thought. Quite by chance one afternoon during a family holiday in Aldeburgh I stumbled upon a keelboat of the 2.4 metre class. Just one 30 minute trial sail prompted me to utter the words “That was the best half hour I’ve had this year!” to my three shrieking boys then aged just 6,4 and 2.
As luck would have it, my nearest water was Queen Mary Sailing Club at Ashford where 750 acres of reservoir was home for a dozen 2.4mR sailors. These included Mike Browne who had represented Great Britain at the Sydney Games with a 7th in the 2.4mR Class. His encouragement and enthusiasm were infectious and at a ‘boat preparation’ talk he gave in January 2001 I decided to join five other disabled 2.4mR sailors in a four year campaign for the Athens Games.
I was careful to set some realistic expectations even at this stage and my mantra became “Do as much as you can, and see how far you get.”
Three months later I was sailing with the same five 2.4mR sailors in Palma, Majorca, at an RYA Spring training camp. The learning curve was very steep for me but it was huge fun. 2.4mRs were developed to the Metre Rule as in 12 metre yachts and are technically quite sophisticated. For example in my current boat, GBR 56, there are 14 different control lines to adjust sail and rig set. I’d never sailed a boat so beautifully balanced and sensitive to trim changes – the learning curve got steeper. Some UK events followed and then I was really gone – luckily a very supportive employer was to give me all the time I needed to train and race. Then came the first really big trip – two weeks in September 2002 at Medemblik, Holland, for the Dutch 2.4mR Open and the 2.4mR Disabled world Championships. Awesome – 42 boats from all over the globe (Australia and Singapore the furthest) and there I was competing with them. An inspiring and humbling moment was seeing the other disabilities; spinal injuries, amputated legs and arms, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, brain injuries – every kind of disablement from injury or disease. It left a very great impression on me, especially with such bonhomie onshore between all the sailors.
Another trip to Palma in April 2003 was followed by the Olympic Classes Regatta Week in Hyeres, France. If ever there was a dream place to sail, the western French Mediterranean coast at Hyeres is my choice. A second two week tour to France in April 2004 revived me from a long dull winter and was the first competitive event where I could race test an electric winch on the mainsheet. I had been losing function and strength in both hands and arms, so whilst trimming the jib was still OK, pulling in the mainsail round the leeward mark was slow and tiring and I was losing places, especially in heavy winds. 2.4mR rules permit adaptations inside the boat; whilst externally the hull, rig and sails are identical in every boat whether sailed by an able-bodied or disabled sailor.
Later, in July 2004 the winch was to get a hard workout at the Open Worlds at Gavle, Sweden. There was a fleet of 93 boats, 31 of which were disabled sailors. We had 25 knots one day; a dismasting and several swamped and retired but I stayed afloat and completed the first race in conditions that without the winch would have meant a day onshore.
2005 meant another trip to Hyeres and in August 2 weeks in Sonderborg, Denmark for the 32005 Disabled World Championship. My hands and arms had continued to deteriorate so I had added the jib to the eloectric winch. I was slowly becoming less competitive and after 2005 I made a further two trips to Hyeres in 2006 and 2007 but no more World championships. There comes a time when it is better to quit when yo are ahead rather than end with a trip that has gone badly wrong. 2008 brings new challenges and new sailing projects but not any more campaigning for a place in the British team.
I still sail competitively in other competitions happy in the knowledge I achieved my mantra - “... and see how far you get”. I did it for nearly 7 years and it was a fantastic experience and great fun. But one has to be realistic - you cannot deny the reality. Instead, I set myself new challenges and objectives with my sailing where the emphasis is slightly different. Fundraising and distance sailing are now more of a focus.”
Andrew Previté in Sweden
Heather from Cheshire describes her search for a real challenge:
“Staying active, how could I do that now that I have MS? I have difficulty walking and I am often overwhelmed with fatigue, not to mention the other delights of a malfunctioning bladder and bowel. I avidly read MS magazines for inspiration but nothing grabbed my attention until I spotted MS Challenge - sailing for people with MS. The programme had everything from coastal hops to really challenging waters and the beauty of it was that you did not need previous sailing experience - you could learn to sail on the trip of your choice.
My choice was to sail from Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland round Cape Wrath into the Pentland Firth to Orkney and ending in Lerwick in Shetland. When I boarded the beautiful yacht Tonic in June 2000, I had no idea what lay ahead of me. But I did know that whatever it was I was definitely ‘up for it’. I wanted and needed a real challenge on my own, without my caring family. It crossed my mind, as I gingerly crabbed my way down wet, slimy concrete steps from the harbour pier to be helped aboard Tonic by strong safe hands, that I must have presented quite a picture. I was an unfit, overweight, grey haired, 53 year old disabled woman (with her walking stick) and no way would any observer think there is another member of the crew going on board.
As we left Ullapool, I could not believe my ears when Dave Allen (owner, skipper and RYA instructor) asked me to take the helm. My brain registered that he is actually letting me drive the boat and I really will get to crew. WOW! I was learning the ropes day by day. Everything from flaking the mainsail, tacking, anchoring, to cleaning the heads (toilets).
All the confidence I had before MS but had lost since, came flooding back on day two. This was thanks to Philip Maclachlan, the first mate. He quietly told me how to correct my course and never took the helm from me. I also have to thank Dave Allen for giving me, and hundreds of others, the opportunity to have a real challenge. Believe me, going round Cape Wrath in big seas with the boat slamming down on the water was just fantastic and I was well and truly hooked. In fact that whole trip was wonderful and when I got off the boat in Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, I knew I had to find a way to sail like this again. For the first time in years I felt really great and no doctors prescription came anywhere close to making me feel this well.”
Heather enrolled at night school to study for her Day Skipper theory certificate and the following September did her practical Day Skipper on Tonic. She has continued to sail on Tonic and says:
“On every trip there is something wonderful or beautiful that is forever fixed in my mind. Instant pictures conjure up memories that never fail to make me smile. For me sailing is the best medicine of all. It makes me feel wonderful, even when I am seasick and I am usually seasick for at least a day or two until I get my sea legs. However, I know it will soon be over and then come the rewards.”
Picture courtesy of The Calvert Trust, Keswick.
Liz, formerly an occupational therapist from Teignmouth, also describes her experience on Tonic:
“In October 1998, I was visiting my local MS Therapy Centre for oxygen therapy, when I happened to mention to the operator that I grew up near Salcombe in South Devon where I learnt to sail. My family were boat crazy. After hearing this he suggested that I should sail on the MS Challenge boat.
By August 1999 I was travelling by car down to Penzance, excited about embarking on an adventure to explore the Scilly Isles. Tonic is a gleaming 47 foot luxury yacht which sleeps up to ten, with four double cabins and extra berths for racing. There are two heads, a well fitted galley and saloon. There were eight crew: a skipper, mate, five of us with MS and a physio who was a friend. It was fantastic, I was in seventh heaven participating in an activity I loved with a group of fun loving people.
Since then I have spent many a happy holiday on board (16 weeks in all) visiting such far away places as the Outer Skerries of Shetland, Fair Isle and the west coast of Ireland, as well as Brittany and the Channel Islands.
Sailing a large yacht is a challenge. I generally helm a bit and cook, my right arm is too weak now to wind the winches. It does not matter how much or little you do, you just need to enjoy the wind on your face and the feeling of freedom. Last year along the south west coast of Ireland, schools of dolphins were racing the boat for half an hour.
Going on a week’s adventure sailing strengthens my legs and arms. Even wrestling with your oilskins underway can be a major feat although there are always crew members available to help you. Now sailing is my main leisure pastime in the summer. My husband is happy for me to disappear for several weeks each year as he appreciates how important it is for me whilst giving him a valuable break. I would recommend this activity to anyone interested in sailing whatever your level of MS.”
Picture courtesy of The Jubilee Sailing Trust
The Jubilee Sailing Trust is a charity that aims to promote the integration of people of all physical abilities through the challenge and adventure of tall ship sailing. The JST own and operate two tall ships, Lord Nelson and Tenacious, which have been purpose built and designed to enable a crew of mixed physical abilities to sail side by side on equal terms. There are no passengers on board the ships and in addition to the permanent crew, the ships have 40 voyage crew, half of whom will be physically disabled. Up to eight people can be wheelchair users.
A variety of voyages are available throughout the year, including island hopping around the Canary Islands or Caribbean, shorter voyages around the UK or, for the more adventurous, there are opportunities to take part in a transatlantic crossing.
Some of you may have seen the BBC’s Holiday programme when Craig Doyle, the presenter, accompanied fellow crew member Jez, who has MS, on a cruise around the Canaries. Craig said he felt that the cruise was undoubtedly a working holiday and that no one who got involved could fail to make friends and be inspired.
Getting started
Picture courtesy of The Jubilee Sailing Trust
The Royal Yachting Association promotes boating in its many forms.
For more information about where to sail RYA Sailability have lists of sailing clubs in the UK, including those who provide suitable onshore facilities for disabled sailors.
Elite Sailing offers offshore sailing for people with MS with mobility problems, although their yachts are not suitable for people who need a wheelchair at all times.
The Calvert Trust specialises in outdoor activities for disabled people, including sailing.