Geoff Holt - Disabled Yachtsman Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean
Posted by:
Ironside
on Sep 17, 2009
I thought it would be nice to mention a very courageous chap called Geoff Holt. Although we've never met personally, I have corresponded with him by e-mail.
Geoff broke his neck in a very similar way to me 25 years ago. He was a very keen sailor before his accident and has continued to participate in this hobby even though he has a spinal cord injury and is confined to a wheelchair on a permanent basis. Geoff has achieved so much and was the first tetraplegic to sail single-handed around Britain. I for one don't know how he does it, I think he's absolutely fantastic and is such an inspiration to anyone who suffers from a disability. People often say I'm courageous, what I have achieved in my disabled life pales in comparison to what Geoff has managed to do.
His next venture is quite unbelievable, he is going to attempt to be the first tetraplegic sailor to sail single-handed across the Atlantic. I believe he is taking a crew but I believe that he will be personally in charge of controlling his vessel. Anyway, enough of my waffle, please visit his website and give him the your support. This guy is an inspiration to both me and probably many other tetraplegics out there. I can guarantee you that you wouldn't find me out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, I'll stick to my little fishing ponds thank you.
Good luck Geoff, I know you can do it
Also, I found the story about her care quite disturbing - when at home in between sails, she is left alone for hours each day, unable to do anything she can't do with her computer or Possum. She was in that condition for four years in between becoming a quad and starting sailing, and was contemplating suicide by the end of that time. What a distressing condition to be in! It's also dangerous to leave a totally paralysed woman home alone for the same hours every day. I read a blog entry by a vent-dependent quad in Minneapolis who said she sometimes thought it was a good thing she had the ventilator, because without it, she would probably get less care. Because they are always there, her nurses can do non-nursing work like helping her paint. Her blog is here: http://thesitethatbreathes.blogspot.com/
I know of another quadriplegic, a Canadian woman called Kimberley Robbins, who is blind and has a C6 injury and has been dreaming about wheelchair racing since she was in hospital after her injury. She has had a lot of frustration, because people thought she couldn't do it as she was blind, and told her to "try sailing" instead! She recently announced that she was just about to get her racing chair, which is obviously happy news for her. I wrote this - http://www.blogistan.co.uk/blo...ome_hilary - about the two women, just after Hilary finished her trip.