San Diego, CA –

At the end of Shelter Island Drive is a large harbor in San Diego with an incredible view of the Gaslamp District skyline. Operating out of one of the offices right on the harbor’s edge is a non-profit company called Challenged America. This great organization offers adaptive sailing for adults and kids with disabilities. Anyone can sail through this program, paraplegics, quadriplegics, and the blind. Since it is entirely operated by volunteers an appointment is necessary. There is also no fee for this thrilling experience. One must also keep in mind that sailing depends on nature’s elements, and everyone’s safety is the most important.

I sailed with Challenged America on a beautiful day in April and considering I have never sailed before, I really did not know what to expect. When I arrived I was great by the friendly crew of Challenged America. All of them have a deep passion for sailing and were incredible people. The company has a number of boats that all have been donated over the years, some larger ones require a a full crew. There are all kinds of programs Challenged America is involved with, including a summer one-week clinic  for veterans.

To get down where the boats are are dock one must travel down a long walkway (shown above). About 85% of the ramp is at a decline of 65 degrees and the  remaining feet drops to about 30 degrees. Therefore, some may need assistance from one of volunteers, which they are happy to give. There were a couple of boats lined up and after a little maneuvering the crew got one positioned so I could be transferred into the boat. One volunteer assisted in slipping a hoist underneath me and then another pumped the crank the hoist was attached to that lifted me entirely out of my wheelchair. I was then lowered and guided to the seat of the boat with my cushion on it. Once I was seated I could see all the many ropes to sail the boat, again something I knew nothing about.

Although Captain Doug came along with me, I did a lot of the work and was involved with everything. Man, was it hard work! Right after I was put in the boat I was given a 2 minute lesson on what the names of the ropes, sails, and the rest of the parts were called. I had to be reminded a number of times what the correct terms were but it was fun. I had to use only sailing terms while operating it and Captain Doug was a good sport on teaching me. I would call out “Ready to Gybe?” then Captain Doug would answer “Ready!” and I followed with “Gybe Oh!” as one tack was switched to another. This had to be done when the boat was tacking or sailing directly into the wind. The photos below were taken as I left the harbor but went far out into the open bay with much larger boats. I sailed for about 2 hours but could have stayed out there longer if I wished. All and all in was an invigorating experience that I would recommend to any disabled person. For more information please visit Challenged America online.

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