Show Notes
Thousands of people with disabilities go sailing every year and it’s a side of our sport that is growing all the time as people experience a level of freedom and control that can be hard for them to find elsewhere in life. Tim Dempsey and Brendan Tourelle both play major roles in Sailability, the name given to sailing for people with disabilities, and talk in this podcast about who can participate, the technology used, where the sport can take them and what it is even like to get out on the water.
Both Tim and Brendan bring plenty of their own experiences, given both are confined to wheelchairs, and tell their vastly different but powerful stories. They also delve into some of their experiences on the international circuit, including Tim’s journey to the 2012 London Paralympics, what the racing scene is like in this country and the chances of sailing being included again on the programme for the Paralympics.
Tim and Brendan were open and honest in this podcast but mostly enthusiastic about the possibilities for people with disabilities to get involved in sailing. If you haven’t seen Sailability in action, it can be very inspiring and they’re always looking for more people to get involved.
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Karl Budge doesn’t purport to be much of a sailor, but he is one of this country’s leading event organisers having previously turned the ASB Classic into one of the world’s best tennis tournaments. He consistently attracted some of the world’s top tennis players to this country and now he’s looking to sprinkle his magic dust on the New Zealand leg of SailGP.
Karl Budge doesn’t purport to be much of a sailor, but he is one of this country’s leading event organisers having previously turned the ASB Classic into one of the world’s best tennis tournaments. He consistently attracted some of the world’s top tennis players to this country and now he’s looking to sprinkle his magic dust on the New Zealand leg of SailGP.
Mike Sanderson is one of the most successful sailors of his generation. He’s a former World Sailor of the Year, two-time winner of the round the world race including when he skippered ABN Amro to victory in the 2005/06 Volvo Ocean Race, been involved in multiple America’s Cup campaigns, a record breaker, a successful maxi yacht skipper and now co-owner and CEO of Doyle Sails.