Among forty-two sailboats participating in the 40th Annual Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race in January was the Impossible Dream, a sixty-foot sailing catamaran specifically built for wheelchair access. A four-man crew of disabled sailors operated the ship.
Daniel Evans, a U.S. Paralympic champion, captained the Impossible Dream. His crew consisted of two other Paralympians, Julia Dorsett and Bradley Johnson and lastly Deborah Mellen, founder of Impossible Dream Project.
The Impossible Dream makes disabled sailors’ dreams truly attainable. Boat designer Mike Brown, himself a paraplegic, set out to create a yacht that could sail the oceans, entirely operated by a person in a wheelchair. The new home of the Impossible Dream, Shake A Leg Miami, has helped continue Brown’s mission as one of the most accessible centers, using sailing to empower the lives of people with disabilities.
“I am proud and excited to be included with this distinguished crew,” Mellen said. “We’re breaking new ground on a truly unique vessel that gives us the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.”
Visit www.shakealegmiami.org
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