Challenged Sailors San Diego Makes Sailing Accessible
Stepping up to the Safe Harbor Sunroad marina meeting spot for Challenged Sailors San Diego, I wasn’t sure what or whom to expect. I was there to sail as a participant the first time in 2023. In addition to more traditional forms of treatment, sailing has been an important part of my healing journey from PTSD.
When I found myself on land in Southern California last year, I decided to try sailing with Challenged Sailors. The people and organization I found on the dock delighted me and keep me coming back as a volunteer. If you have been sailing on San Diego Bay, or even looked out at the bay from a flight to or from the San Diego airport on a Friday or Saturday afternoon, you have probably seen the Challenged Sailors sailing. For the past 10 years, this small organization, with its fleet of little sailboats, has managed to remove all the barriers to sailing for people with disabilities. All of them.
Don’t know how to sail? No problem! Your volunteer companion sailor does know how to sail, and you can sail as much or as little as you like. Your legs or arms or eyes or ears or brain work differently? No worries. You can still go sailing. Challenged Sailors San Diego has boats with special assistive devices that almost anyone can sail. If you are medically stable and able to follow directions, you can sail. Only available on weekdays or weekends? We sail Fridays and Saturdays almost every week. Don’t have a disability? Come volunteer. Don’t have money to pay for sailing? No problem. It’s free.
Some groups reserve the entire fleet for the day, and others book an individual reservation. Some people come once. Some people come back many, many times as participants or volunteers. Some of our boats join the sailing races in San Diego. There are kids and adults of all ages.
The boats — a fleet of eight Martin 16s — offer a stable platform for two people to sail. Participants sit in the front seat, and a trained companion sailor sits in the back seat. Simple controls for the mainsail and self-tacking headsail all lead to the front seat. A few boats are rigged for spinnakers. Participants can control the boats using lines, the special steering stick, or assistive devices that allow the steering and lines to be controlled by a joystick or a sip-and-puff interface — common controls used on some electric wheelchairs and scooters.
The Martin 16s have no motors aside from the assistive devices, and are willing to move along in just a breath of wind. We generally sail for about two hours, but boats can come back to the dock any time their sailors are ready. We are never in a rush, and there is an appropriate focus on safety.
Each sail starts with a meeting to introduce everyone on the team supporting the eight boats, and review safety and the sail plan for the day based on wind and tides and any other factors. An outboard motor-powered chase boat supports the sailing fleet and sometimes offers a platform for photographs. Dock-support volunteers help rig and de-rig boats and safely get everyone into and out of boats. Lifts and volunteers assist participants who need help transferring from scooters, wheelchairs or walkers to the boats. Behind the scenes, many other volunteers make the weekly sailing possible.
The original fleet of Martin boats came from a now-defunct adaptive-sailing organization that Sylvia and Mike Swall took under their own boat insurance in 2014 and nurtured into the current nonprofit organization, Challenged Sailors San Diego. They have now passed leadership to the board, currently led by Peter Phillips, but Sylvia and Mike still greet sailors and volunteers most weekends.
What I found on my first day was a fun group of resilient people of all ages and backgrounds who are gifted at meeting everyone exactly where they are. Then we safely share a little sailing adventure together for the afternoon. I’ve now trained as a volunteer companion sailor and sit in the back seat to assist participants to have a fun day sailing on San Diego Bay.
Spending a couple of hours on the water together is a great chance to swap some sailing and life stories. The perfect weather in San Diego doesn’t hurt either. Light winds, clear skies and sailing-friendly temperatures are the norm year-round, making it possible for Challenged Sailors San Diego to sail nearly every weekend. The bliss for me, though, is watching a new sailor find the joy and freedom of sailing shine through their smiles and sparkling eyes.
You want to be a part of this? You can.
Join as a participant, volunteer, or contribute. Applications are available here: www.challengedsailors.org.
Celebrate 10 years of Challenged Sailors San Diego with a tax-deductible donation in any amount that can keep sailing available to everyone, every weekend for another 10 years and beyond.
Read more interesting sailing stories in the November issue of Latitude 38.
Good Jibes #164: Morgan Larson on Returning to the Glory Days of Racing
This week we chat with Morgan Larson about nostalgia and dreams in the world of racing. Morgan is a decorated racer who has competed in almost every racing class imaginable, including being a world champion in the TP52, 5O5, and Farr 40, and a North American champion in the 49er class.
Tune in as Morgan chats with Good Jibes host John Arndt about his biggest sailing inspirations growing up, how to make the jump to becoming a professional sailor, his favorite boat classes, the biggest ways racing has changed over the years, and what we can do to make racing more appealing for the next generation of sailors.
Here’s a sample of what you’ll hear in this episode:
- How a nap caused a lot of panic
- The younger generation of sailors
- Finding mentorship in Santa Cruz
- What it takes to be a professional sailor
- Why aren’t people shipping out boats to race anymore?
- Two sailing book recommendations
Learn more about Morgan on Instagram @MorganLarson8.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
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Efforts To Convert Cargo Ships to Wind Power Continue
In a recent post on the Grand Poobah’s Facebook page he mentioned a conversation with the crew of an 81-ft DeFever in the port captain’s office in Ensenada. They reported they were on their way south to Cabo at their cruising speed of 42 knots. They told the Poobah they burn about 240 gallons per hour at this speed. He estimated the cost of fuel for the run to Cabo at about $30,000.
Fortunately, sailors everywhere are doing what they can to mitigate climate damage from the burning of fossil fuels. A recent report in The Maritime Executive highlights North Sails Japan’s effort working with Sumitomo Heavy Industries to retrofit a large bulk carrier owned by ORIX Corporation of Japan with soft sails to provide wind-assisted propulsion. They’re developing roller-furling Dyneema sails to fit aboard a current vessel’s derrick posts with the goal of increasing fuel efficiency.
No one, including sailors, passes through life without having an impact on the planet. However, it’s the conservative nature of sailors to reduce their impact, seek efficiencies, and leave a sustainable planet behind for the next generation. Just as a concerned parent would advise a college-debt-burdened graduate to skip a latte and drive a car that gets 30 mpg instead of 15 (or ride a bike or drive an EV) to help pay off debt, or contribute to a retirement plan, reducing fossil fuel consumption will save billions in sea-level rise expenses, preserve more oil in the ground for use by future generations, and reduce the pace of climate change, allowing increased time to adapt. Sailors know how to set the right course and align with nature to sail as efficiently as possible while conserving resources.
For some odd reason climate change is often seen as a political conversation, but to look at the world of sailing and beyond, it’s seen as a known challenge to address and an opportunity to create the technology of the future. You can see it in the Port of Los Angeles Alta Sea blue tech incubator, which brings climate and marine scientists and entrepreneurs together to solve climate issues; the Oakland Alameda Estuary adaptation plan; and Bill and Melinda Erkelens’ work with 11th Hour Racing, SailGP, and the upcoming Vendée Globe (starts November 10). Large industrial enterprises and sailing are on the same course.
Everyone knows 10% better is 10% better, whether you’re going upwind 10% faster, the mileage on your vehicle is 10% better, your PG&E bill is 10% lower, or your investment return or paycheck is 10% higher. That 10% counts. No one knows how much fuel and money the North Sails wind assist will save, but if the lessons and technology learned from sailors can help make the planet 10% better, it is something generations present and future will appreciate.
Many sailors live on or next to the ocean, so they regularly see the impacts of climate change. It is no wonder they are thinking about how to sail more and motor less. Racers know to win the race you need to sail in clean air, and cruisers know conservative resource management allows them to cruise longer and reduce impact. If you are using wind power and sails to enjoy your weekends and make the world 10% better, you’re sailing in the right direction.
You can read the full story from The Maritime Executive here.
The Story of How a Crew of Sailors Were Tricked by a Fox
When Brazilian Daniel Guerra was hired to crew aboard the British yacht Rich Harvest and sail her from their home country to the UK, Guerra thought his dreams had come true. The 43-year-old sailor, who wanted to become a yacht captain and find work in Europe, replied to a job ad from an online sailing recruitment agency. Together with Rodrigo Dantas, 32, another Brazillian sailor, and a French captain, the crew were to sail the privately owned boat across the Atlantic, and cast off on August 4, 2017, almost two years after it had arrived in Brazil and begun receiving interior refurbishments.
Today, the yacht and her owner, George Saul, are the subject of a BBC podcast, Finding Mr. Fox.
Guerra told the BBC that his employer, Rich Harvest’s British owner, George Saul, was “a smiling, friendly figure, who did not insist on formalities,” and encouraged the crew to call him by his nickname, Fox.
“I used to work on some boats, and the owners were old, super-demanding, super-rude, and talked down to me,” Dantas said. “He was like, very cool, very friendly.” Even Dantas’s parents were impressed by Fox after meeting him to assure themselves of their son’s safety on such a long voyage.
But Dantas’s parents weren’t alone in wanting to check out the yacht and her owner. Before departing Brazil, the boat was searched for drugs by the Brazilian police and a sniffer dog. Nothing was found, and the Rich Harvest was free to cast off.
Guerra and Dantas assumed it was a routine check; “They had heard stories about cocaine being planted on boats,” and were happy to know they were in the clear.
Two weeks into the voyage, the boat developed engine trouble and the crew pulled into Cape Verde for repairs. The sailors were happy for the opportunity to explore the islands while the work was being completed.
During its stay in port, the boat again underwent a police search. Guerra told the BBC he didn’t think anything of it, as nothing had been found in Brazil. This time, however, the search was more thorough and revealed nearly “0.2 tonnes of cocaine — worth an estimated £100m ($134m) if sold on Europe’s streets.” The drugs had been hidden beneath false floors in the yacht’s interior.
The sailors were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking, while Fox himself was safely ensconced in the UK after having flown home earlier from Brazil. After a trial in March 2018, the crew were each sentenced to 10 years in jail, despite having argued that they’d known nothing about the boat, or its owner before replying to Fox’s job advertisement.
Brazilian police believe Fox was the mastermind of the operation; his yacht was “first drawn to their attention by a tip-off from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).” Fox was eventually arrested in Italy in August 2018, and was to be extradited to Brazil, but he remained free due to slow paperwork.
Meanwhile news of the crew’s troubles and appeals for their release had reached the ears of Robert Delbos, “a man who was alleged to be an accomplice of Fox.” Delbos, 71, is a convicted drug trafficker, who was jailed for 12 years in 1988 after attempting to smuggle 1.5 tons of cannabis into the UK. Delbos had been seen with Rich Harvest in Brazil, where the boat was undergoing her renovations.
Delbos was also arrested, though claimed he knew nothing about the drugs. However, after hearing of Guerra and Dantas’s situation, he believed Fox had violated the “drug traffickers’ code of ethics” by engaging innocent sailors as mules.
“This is completely beyond the pale. I mean, you don’t do this,” Delbos told the BBC in an interview. “He was a stupid man who was greedy. Instead of paying the crew properly and getting himself a professional, bloody smuggling crew — he hired four innocent guys.”
As doubts about the sailors’ guilt grew, their families began campaigning on their behalf. Their convictions were overturned in 2019 and they were allowed to return to Brazil. Fox, however, it appears, is currently living a “normal life in Norwich, running his own property business and contributing to the local community as a Round Table Club member. And while Guerra and Dantas want to see Fox hauled before the courts in Brazil, the NCA has said, “There is ‘currently no warrant in place to arrest the subject, and we are not aware of any offences he may have committed in the UK,” adding that Brazilian police would need to file a fresh extradition request if they wanted to pursue the case.
Read the full story here.
Join Us for Daily Live Streams for the 30th Baja Ha-Ha
