From: bart@ahwau.ahold.nl (Bart Loeff)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Trimaran for disabled sailors.
Keywords: disabled trimaran
Date: 11 Nov 92 12:41:58 GMT


Hi there, rec.boats folks.

I have a question about a trimaran that is used by disabled people to sail in.

First let me give you some background info on this question.
In my country (the Netherlands) there is a foundation called Stichting
Watersport voor Gehandicapten (Sailing for Disabled) that organises sailing
holidays for handicapped people. There are three sites where we do these
vacations: a 34 meter klipper 'Lutgerdina' (traditional Dutch sailing vessel) 
that sails on the Ijsselmeer and Waddenzee, a 14 meter catamaran
'Zonnetij' that sails on the lakes in Friesland and an island in the
Loosdrecht lake area called 'Robinson Crusoe'. 
The activities of the foundation are run by a couple of professionals
and lots of volunteers. I myself am a volunteer on the 'Lutgerdina'
and a sailing instructor at 'Robinson Crusoe'. I do this in my own
holidays, like almost all volunteers.

At the island Robinson Crusoe, disabled people can do all sorts of wet
sports: sailing, windsurfing (yes, indeed: it's possible and great fun
to let a blind person or somebody with only one leg do surfing),
canoeing, rowing and water-skiing.

Sailing, my kind of sport, is done in 'normal' (not adapted)
6 meter boats, a specially designed boat for wheel-chairs (the 'Roller') and, 
that's what my question is about, the trimarans.

The trimarans are about 5 meters long, have one sail and in the main
hull there is a cockpit with room for one person. This person sits in
a kind of chair with his/her face towards the bow of the boat. The
helm is in front of this person. The size of the sail is about 4-5 sq. meters. 
Maybe my explanation is a bit complicated, but my English isn't that good 
and I'm not familiar with the English words for boats and their parts. 
The tri's are not specially designed for disabled, but we use them
very often. They are very easy to sail by people that can't stand up or
aren't very mobile. They are very safe too.
Usually an instructor sits on the (small) rear deck to help. It's not
very comfortable and the boat's trim isn't perfect, but it works.
Some disabled persons can sail a trimaran singlehanded.

The trimarans are used very often and they start to wear out.
We have three tri's, but mostly one or two can't be used, because
they're broken. As far as I know they were manufactured in the
Netherlands, but the company has stopped with it or doesn't exist
anymore.

Does anyone know these boats ? Are they still manufactured anywhere in
the world ? Do know of anything similar to our trimarans ?
We would like to buy new ones and maybe have a two-person version, so
that the instructor can sit inside the main hull instead of on the
read deck.

Is any of you involved in sailing with disabled people ?
Do you know someone who is ?
Do you know any other sailing boats that can be used by disabled ?

Please respond to me by mail or by posting a follow-up.


Thanks in advance.

Bart.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bart Loeff - Albert Heijn bv,            UUCP: ....!sun4nl!bart@ahwau.ahold.nl
Store Automation Department              Internet: bart@ahwau.ahold.nl
Ebbehout 31, 1507 EA                     Phone: +31 75 593938 
Zaandam, The Netherlands                 Fax:          351240
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Me ? I'm just a lawn-mower, mate. You can tell it by the way I walk !"
                                                             (Genesis)