What a thrill for travelers and residents this week in Punta Gorda, Florida. The world has come to this small hamlet on the Gulf of Mexico, in the form of the World competition for the International Federation of Disabled Sailors, the trials for the London2012 ParaOlympics.
It is thrilling to be on the dock for dock and watch the sailors and crews arrive, rig their boats, chat with some of the sailors who have come from 30 countries.
Each has an incredible story, but being here, being able to compete at this level, is inspirational for anyone fortunate enough to witness the event.
Three different categories of racing are held on the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor : the S2.4 which are one-person boats; Sonar, with 3 sailors; and SKUDs, which are two-person boats, 60 boats in all.
The boats are adapted to the sailor’s disability, for those who do not have the use of their legs, there are hand controls instead of foot pedals; some of the sailors have only one arm or no arms, and their boats are adapted to their physical abilities. But otherwise, the boats exactly conform to Olympic regulations.
The sailors themselves have points for the degree of their handicap, but not for age or gender.
Some have devoted their life to sailing competition, sailing some 200 days of the year. But not all.
Christiane Lavallee, from Ottawa, is a nurse clinician. She only started sailing seriously three yers ago, though she had sailed as a teenager. She lost the use of her legs in a skiing accident 14 years ago. She is 52 years old.
Thursday’s racing was incredible – with good wind, sunny skies, and anyone on the water would have seen exciting competition.
It is an extraordinary story for the city of Punta Gorda to even get the event here. A tiny place, north of Fort Myers and south of Sarasota, it was a remarkable feat to even get such a prestigious event here. Brian Gleason formed a nonprofit and rallied the residents, who raised money to build special docks and install ramps. About 1000 volunteers are on hand during the contest, which is taking place from through the championships on Sunday, January 15, 2012.
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