From
The Boston Herald. In the picture, Nancy Jodoin and her sight dog Giggs are seen with, from left, sighted helper Peter Harrington and blind sailor Ryck Lent.
Charting a course for the pageantry of the Tall Ships, three teams of courageous sailors raced through the rains of Boston Harbor July 7 facing down not only the challenges of the sea - but the impairment of their sight.
“I enjoy the excitement of racing and the satisfaction of a job well done,” said Matthew Chao, winning skipper of the first Carroll Cup Challenge. “The challenge is feeling the breeze and trying to keep as straight a course as possible.”
Sponsored by the Carroll Center for the Blind’s SailBlind program, the challenge, which kicks off Sail Boston 2009, teaches blind and visually impaired adults and children “the art and science of sailing”.
During the summer, the Carroll Center offers 30-40 blind and visually impaired persons the opportunity to sail, whether they are first-timers or seasoned pros who became blind later in life.
“Learning how to sail is a big achievement for a blind person if they’ve never done it before,” said Arthur O’Neill, director of SailBlind.
“You don’t need vision to sail. There are blind sailors that can trim sails and steer the boat through the harbor just by asking the right questions,” he said.
“Sailing is a sport that requires a lot of finesse,” said third season sailor Mark Bos, 44, who raced along with his guide dog, Dudley. “When you’re in a competition you gotta be right-on all the time.”
From The Boston Herald. In the picture, Nancy Jodoin and her sight dog Giggs are seen with, from left, sighted helper Peter Harrington and blind sailor Ryck Lent.
