Today was mast climbing day. I needed to go up the mast to figure out what was happening at the top of the mast that was causing the spinnaker halyard to get caught and prevent the jib furling. It turned out to be annoying simple. Where the jib halyard is tied onto the jib track, the bowline has a tail sticking out which turned out to be enough to catch the spinnaker halyard causing all the drama. A quick bit of electrical tape applied to the tail and problem solved.
It was a strange feeling being up the mast, looking down on my wheelchair. The thing I have always loved about sailing is freedom. When you’re on the water you are in charge and it doesn’t matter about age, gender or anything else. On the water we are simply all sailors, all equal. As my disability has progressed, I’ve become increasingly trapped on land, reliant on smooth surfaces, ramps and accessible terrain. My time on the water, sailing, has become even more important to me. When I sail, I get to leave my wheelchair behind, and you can’t tell I have a disability. The best bit is with the right adaptations and the right kit I’m equally as capable as anyone else. Most of the time I’m even better!
My condition means I live on a shorter timeline than most and over the past couple of years the decline in my health has been rapid and frightening. The whole reason I decided to finally take the jump and buy myself a boat was I didn’t want to waste any more time. I know that as my condition progresses, I will loose my independence on land but hopefully Fear will allow me to keep my independence on the water.
