Paul Coward's Speech

Presented in New Jersey, May, 2006

Several years ago I began to produce a television series about all the different aspects of Sailing. It is called the Sailing Center and is currently on the Water Channel if you use the Dish network. The series focuses on the wide range of sialing possibilities. We covered everything from youth sailing to the St. Martin regatta to boat shows. Then we found Sailing for the Disabled.

I met Debby Frenkel, who is here tonigh tand now heads the Freedom Waters foundaiton. I talked to her in Clearwater at a Sailabiity regatta with the Access Dinghies. She helped me understand the importance of Sailing for the Disabled.

We went on to produce an hour long video that shows the many different types of sialing available for the disabled.

There is a boat called the 2.4 that is similar to a mini 12 meter. it is low to the water and has many strings to pull for go fasts. It is unusual because able bodied and disabled can compete against each other in the class.

We also feature the Sonar, which as many of you know is a multi handed boat. We show how people are classified to even out the teams that are formed to race these boats.

These and others are terrific anduseful boats that are adapted for special. needs. But most of these racing boats are focused on the person who is coming back to sailing. They are technical and somewhat complicated.

As we will see, the Access Dinghy can certainly be used for racing, but it is also ideally sutied for the person who has never sailed. Both disabled and able bodied.

This shortened video is the edited version of the longer show. It focuses on events in Clearwater and Australia. (Soon to be available on this website for your viewing.)

The uniqueness of the Access Dinghy is the ability to allow the sailors out on their own. The severely disabled are often confined to chairs and assistants. It is a revelation to be able to choose what direction to go and where to sail without having to ask for help. Over and over, when asked what they enjoyed most from sailing the answer is "freedom".

A year and a half ago I was asked to talk about hte Access Dinghy as a fill in for the original manufacturers from Australia, in Anapolis. The week before I took a fall off a ladder and fractured my hip. I had to go up on the podium on crutches. They felt I waws being a bit over dramatic. But it gave me a feeling of gratitude. I had come to know several who came out of a similiar situation paralyzed.

Herb Meyer, an avid sailor, was racing in San Francisco Bay and got caught up in a halyard and was thrown into the cockpit and has never walked again.

It reminds me that we are blessed to be healthy and that we are just a moment away from needing the programs that are beding discussed tonight.