From: 34AEJ7D@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu (Bill Gorman)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: sailing for the disabled - LONG
Date: 12 Dec 92 12:32:37 GMT
Reply-To: 34AEJ7D@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu (Bill Gorman)
Originator: wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com

Index Number: 26718

The following articles may be of interest to the disabled sailors
among us (myself included).  :-)

W. K. (Bill) Gorman  <34aej7d@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu>

------------------------------------

|From: bart@ahwau.ahold.nl (Bart Loeff)
|Subject: Trimaran for disabled sailors.
|Keywords: disabled trimaran
|Date: 11 Nov 92 12:41:58 GMT
|
|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 ?
|
|-------------------
-
|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
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|From: ber@otter.hpl.hp.com (Brenda Romans)
|Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 08:38:35 GMT
|Subject: Re: Trimaran for disabled sailors.
|
|The National sailing centre for Wales - Plas Menai has a trimaran rigged for
|disabled people.  They also have other facilities to help disabled people get
|to sea.  I don't know anything about this but I'm sure they'd be happy to talk
|to you.
|
|Their address is:
|
|Plas Menai
|The National Watersports Centre
|Llanfairisgaer
|Caenarfon
|Gwynedd
|LL55 1UE
|
|Phone: 0248 670964
|
|Cheers
|
|Brenda
|
|------------
|Brenda Romans @ HP Labs         |  Phone: (0272) 228705
|Information Systems Centre      |  ber@hpl.hp.co.uk
|Bristol                         |  ber%hplb.uucp@ukc.ac.uk
|U.K.                            |  ber@hplb.hpl.hp.com
|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
|From: eraffini@lab3.smcm.edu (Eric Raffini)
|Subject: Freedom yachts for the physically handicapped
|Date: 16 Nov 92 23:29:37 GMT
|Reply-To: eraffini@oyster.smcm.edu
|
|This past summer I began teaching a 14 year old boy who was paralyzed from
|the waist down how to sail aboard a Freedom 21? I believe it was either a
|21 or a 22. Anyhow, the boat was specially modified to accomodate people
|who face this challenge. I am very interested in talking to anyone who has
|ever sailed these as I am looking for new idea for next summer. I believe
|that there is a fleet in Rhode Island. If you know of anything about this
|boat, please respond to eraffini@oyster.smcm.edu
|Thanks alot
|Eric