Jamie Dunross is a gifted sailor who wants to show the world and himself that truly anything is possible.
Jamie became a C5 quadriplegic in a gold pouring accident at Meekatharra in 1988 and wants to become the first quadriplegic yachtsman to sail around the world single-handed and unassisted.
He docked at the CYCA on Friday 30 April marking the completion of the third leg of his epic Australian circumnavigation. The main reason he has undertaken this challenge is to demonstrate to people that regardless of ability or disability, with the right support and attitude anyone can get on and do amazing things, and to hopefully inspire people to chase their dreams and goals and live life to the full.
Jamie has been successful in setting a new long distance record for a solo sailor with quadriplegia – the distance he sailed from Albany in WA to Hobart being over 1400 nautical miles. The previous record (also set by Jamie in 2009) was 420 nautical miles. After fifteen days sailing from Albany to Hobart, Jamie has successfully crossed the Great Australian Bight through the Southern Ocean to Hobart, in some of the most challenging ocean sailing conditions anywhere in the world.
Log on to www.solo1.com.au to read his blogs and to catch up on the journey thus far.
Some highlights have been:
• Being caught on the edge of the storm that lashed Perth in March, resulting in areas of that city being declared a natural disaster zone. The force of the boat hitting the water in the massive swells he encountered going around Cape Leeuwin at that time actually smashed his toilet. Other leaks in the deck became apparent in those conditions, forcing Jamie to stop in Albany for repairs.
• Despite not having the use of his legs and only having limited use of his arms and hands, Jamie has had to deal with boat repairs, Southern Ocean storms, and freezing temperatures all hundreds of nautical miles from assistance. His description in his blog of being thrown across the boat, breaking his microwave oven, during a storm in the middle of the crossing and the resulting clean-up describes well the challenges he faced on a daily basis and how he overcame them.
