Sailing Miami, paraplegic
My name is Daniel Evans, and I am in the beginning stages of becoming involved in sailboat racing. Recently I had the opportunity to visit Team Paradise in Miami Florida for a few days of training. Now I know traveling half the eastern seaboard from Maryland may seem like a stretch to learn sailing technique but once you understand how unique Team Paradise is, two and a half hours by plane is minuscule. Sailing Miami is it!
Becoming a T7 paraplegic while serving in the U.S. Marines had limited my sailing opportunities in a few ways, especially when trying to become involved in racing. Well that was before I talked to Magnus the founder and operator of Team Paradise. Magnus is a Gold Medal Olympian in the Star class and has devoted his life to sailing, on many levels; one of which is helping people with disabilities who wish to become involved in sailing Miami.
When I arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see 5 brand new Sonar boats all ready for launch. Each boat carries brand new sails by North Sails and can be quickly reconfigured to accommodate many different disabilities. Team Paradise also has five 2.4 Meter sailboats for the single handed class in disabled racing.
Magnus gave me an overview of the boats and how they have adapted each of the three stations to accommodate people like myself with disabilities. Padded benches are secured in the boats to facilitate easy transfers from side to side. My first sail on the Sonar I was at the helm with Mangus and his assistant Dave trimming the sails. The adaptive equipment allowed me to perform without any assistance. I was impressed with how much thought had already gone into adapting these boats.
The second day was the race! There was another group taking a Sonar out and the previous day we had arranged to race them. I had mentioned to Magnus that I would like to try running the jib the second day so he and Dave switched the adaptive equipment so I could do so. The weather was perfect with winds in the high teens. We ended up racing three races again the other Sonar and were neck and neck most of the time. I guess I made a good choice on which team to be on because we won two of the three races.
The third day Magnus, Dave and myself went sailing Miami with Magnus concentrating on instruction, mostly ways to make the boat faster. We practiced many tacks, and I also had time to practice using the whisker pole. I had a chance to ask a few questions that I couldn't ask during the race due to the fast pace. I also had a few suggestions about ways I would change the boat to make it more efficient for my condition. Magnus was open minded and listened to my suggestions, even thanking me for the advise!
I cannot wait for my next trip down to see my new friends at Team Paradise and enjoy some warm winter sailing in Miami!