Fighting Blindness with the Jubilee Sailing Trust
20 May 2005 - 18:10
The European Tall Ships' Race visits Waterford in Ireland this year and The Jubilee Sailing Trust's (JST) tall ship TENACIOUS will be taking part in this illustrious set of races for the first time. During the Waterford to Cherbourg leg of the race the JST will be playing host to four members of the Irish Charity Fighting Blindness.
Fighting Blindness was established in 1983 by families and individuals in Ireland, affected by retinal degenerative conditions. It is the only Irish charity funding research to find treatments and cures for blinding conditions. Fighting Blindness members' Aedan O'Meara, Derry Walsh, Pat Walsh and Sean Kavanagh, all of whom suffer from degenerative eye disorders, have decided to take on the tall ship challenge with the Jubilee Sailing Trust.
Their limited vision will in no way impair them on board the charity's tall ship TENACIOUS, as the whole ethos of the JST is to promote integration between able bodied and physically disabled men and women through the adventure of tall ship sailing. Aedan O'Meana, a vet for the Irish Department of Agriculture, thought his fellow members of Fighting Blindness were a little crazy when they suggested joining one of the ships for the tall ships race. He said: "I used to be a very keen dingy sailor but was forced to give it up as my eyesight continued to fail. I thought I'd never sail again, until one of my Ham Radio friends, John O'Sullivan, told me that his daughter, Miriam McMahon, was an agent for the Jubilee Sailing Trust.
John wondered if I would be interested in sailing on the Waterford leg of this year's Tall Ships' Race. At first I thought the idea was crazy, but after putting it to my friends in Fighting Blindness they convinced me to go. "The Trust caters for all people with a physical disability. The ship has access throughout for disabled crew, including wheelchair users, with flat wide decks and powered lifts.
It also has an induction loop and vibrator alarms which have been installed for hard of hearing crew members. But for the four of us the most important equipment that the ship carries is the speaking compass and bright track radar, especially installed for blind and partially sighted crew members." Aedan's failing eyesight has affected many areas of his life, including his career. He is now totally desk tied and apart from writing special computer software for the Department of Agriculture, he advises farmers on a wide range of disease eradication programmes in Ireland.
All four members of the Fighting Blindness group have a keen interest in sailing. Sean Kavanagh spent most of his formative years' on-ship with the Irish Naval Service. His failing eyesight meant that Sean was, regrettably, unable to further his career in the Naval Service. He, like Aedan, had to accept a desk job, and he now operates the Naval Service switchboard at the Naval base in Cork. He is one of the founder members of the Naval Branch of the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen & Women (ONET) and is currently the Branch Chairman.
The aim and objective of this organisation is the welfare of Ex-Servicemen and Women from all of Ireland's defence forces. Derry Walsh, an accountant employed by a firm of consulting engineers in Cork, is a keen sailor who sails regularly as a visually impaired crew member of a yacht. Pat Walsh works as a telephonist with the Health Service Executive in Cork. He water-skis with Carrig Water-ski Club, which is the Irish national training centre for skiers with a disability.
The Tall Ships' Race leaves Waterford on the 9th July and, although the Jubilee Sailing Trust's ship TENACIOUS has not raced in Europe before, she is no stranger to competition. She spent the last year sailing in the Caribbean and America and returned to Britain with a trophy cabinet bursting with awards. The ship's year of victories began in April in Antigua, where TENACIOUS was crowned overall winner in The Tall Ships' World Peace Cup. Fresh from victory in Antigua she then sailed onto the United States to join the American Sail Training Association's (ASTA) Tall Ships' Race.
The mixed ability crew of TENACIOUS took on crews from the Polish, Brazilian and Mexican Navies as well as crews of Russian and American Cadets to win the first leg outright and take first place overall in the cruising division. The ship also scooped the ASTA Trophy, awarded to the vessel that did the most to promote youth sail training and international friendship and understanding.
Representatives from each vessel competing in the series of races voted for this award and TENACIOUS was the clear winner. TENACIOUS is the largest wooden tall ship to be built in the UK in the last 100 years. She was built in Southampton by a team of professional shipwrights from the local community, assisted by able-bodied and disabled volunteers from all around the country. The JST's Chief Executive Amanda Butcher said: "We are all absolutely delighted TENACIOUS will be competing in the European Tall Ships' Race in 2005, and everyone at the JST is hoping she can repeat last year's successes on this side of the Atlantic."
info@waterfordtallshipsrace.ie or Tel: + 353 51 309900 or Fax: + 353 51 879124
