INTERNATIONAL ETCHELLS CLASS ASSOCIATION NEWS LIST NEWS ARTICLE May 04, 2006 - Paraplegic sailor having time of his life Paraplegic sailor having time of his life Watching from the shore as Danny McCoy expertly helms his J22 Etchell through punishing conditions in Hamilton harbour it's impossible to tell what distinguishes him from the rest of the fleet of top international sailors. You need to take a close look inside the cockpit to see that he is paralyzed from the chest down and is skippering the boat thanks to an ingenious piece of homemade technology. Crafted from recycled wheelchair wheels, plumbing pipe and a plastic garden chair as well as a few slightly more hi-tech extras, the modified design enables McCoy to steer the boat and marshal his crew. He's the first paraplegic ever to compete in this class at this level. McCoy, from Toronto, last visited Bermuda as a promising semi-pro sailor at International Race Week, 1994. Less than a year later he was involved in a car accident in Buffalo, New York, which put him in hospital for a year and left him unable to walk. At that stage he thought he'd never be back. “Sailing saved my life. I was so depressed. “Some very close friends brought me back to the sport and it gave me a new confidence to deal with life in general. It gave me a new sense of being part of the world again. “Today was probably the best day I've had. Tough wind, tough conditions, water coming over the side and I think all I was doing was smiling. “I wish everybody could have been out on the water to see my face close-up,” said McCoy on Monday after coming through a choppy day-two of the race series. The 54-year-old is thrilled to be able to compete against the likes of Bermuda's Pete Bromby and other top international sailors. He's raced before in the Paralympics in Sydney, but until now he's never been able to pit his wits against the best in the business. “I don't care if it rains, blows or whatever. Just to be here in Bermuda and sailing in the Sound with the wind on my face is amazing. “To be able to leave my wheelchair on the dock and sail against so many top class people on a level playing field (is a thrill). “When I'm out there and in the boat, they don't know I'm disabled. I'm another international sailor. No handicaps.” It wasn't always smooth sailing for McCoy who went through a particularly dark period following his accident. “At that point you're learning to live as a paraplegic, learning to deal with your broken body, your bodily functions, working out how you're going to live, how you're going to cope with your financial situation - it's very expensive to be disabled. “Eventually you start to try and move on with your life. “Some people don't move on. They turn to drinking or drugs. A lot never come back to society. They just live in their apartments by themselves. “Sailing helped me move on.” McCoy got involved with the Canadian Paralympic team and has worked with various charities to help make life easier for other disabled people, whatever their passion. His mates, he says, have been an immeasurable source of help and inspiration in his journey back to the big time. It was long-time friend, John Muir, a crewmember on the current trip, who first approached Jorg Pawlik, who develops technology for disabled sailors, about working on the new Etchell design. Pawlik worked for about 200 hours before he came up with the seat. The seat slides from side to side and a canting system, operated by a crewmember using a rope, enables McCoy to tilt with the boat. A restructured steering system allows him to sail the boat using a modified 'joy-stick' in front of his seat, rather than the regular tiller. It's a design that he hopes to bring into the public domain through Shake-a-Leg Miami, a charity for the disabled. “I'm the first to benefit from this. This is the only reason I'm here - hopefully there will be many more.” It was important for McCoy to race in the Etchell class, which he believes is the most competitive in world sailing. And though he and his crew have had some difficulties, they're currently lying at the back of the pack, he's happy with the performance and happy to admit that any shortfall is down to his sailing rather than his disability. “We're still getting used to the dynamics of the boat but we are doing pretty well. It's always been close. “It's great to show these guys that you can go out there and race on an equal footing, even if it blows like hell.” It's not just competing that is the thrill for McCoy. Just to be able to go sailing with his friends as he did before his accident is one of the most pleasurable things in life. “When you're disabled people try to push you into things you don't want to do. “After the accident, people said you can play basketball. I hate basketball. All my friends were sailors. “Sailing is the most enjoyable sport in the world and that's all I wanted to do.” The Bermuda Sun - www.bermudasun.bm by James Whittaker - Senior Reporter Back To Top Of Page Site © Copyright 2002. International Etchells Class Association Inc. All Rights Reserved.