Sailability ready for International Competition

The Australian team comprises Maria Dalmon, Wendy Evans, Lindsay Dalmon and Bill Bradley (NSW); Chris Riorden, Helene Messner and Justin Vandertouw (SA); Colin Johansson from Victoria; and Australian Zoltan Pegan who runs Sailability in Hungary.

Being sailed in the Australian-designed and built Access Liberty, this event will be the first to allow sailors with profound disabilities to sail solo, competing against each other in the World Championship, while at the same time sailing in the Sabaudia Cup against more able sailors. The winner of the Sabaudia Cup will win a Liberty dinghy.

Serge Jorgenson, President of the IFDS, said: "Showing no boundaries, our sport attracted the likes of Andrew Hartley (Aus) and Darren Tucker (Can), both sailors of the utmost integrity and quick witted humor who lived their daily lives with high-level quadriplegia and depended upon a mechanical ventilator for every breath. Sadly, both of these remarkable men left us this year but their inspiring stories have already encouraged others to follow their lead.

"During the inaugural 2004 IFDS Single-Person Dinghy Worlds in Victoria, Andrew Hartley took on the best of them, sailing solo in his accessible Access Liberty. The Liberty, an exercise in ingenuity and simplicity, accommodated Andrew's life-support systems while empowering his sailing skill and allowing his strategy to prevail."

The Australians will compete against Singapore, Malaysia, Italy, Portugal, Great Britain, Hungary, USA, France, Ireland and Greece.

Visit www.accessdinghy.org/2005sp_dinghyworlds for more information.