For 10 years, Duane Farrar’s only connection to Boston sailing was seeing boats on the Charles River while riding the Red Line. In 1996, after deciding diminished sight was no barrier, fate delivered a decade of experience in a matter of days.
The launch of Sail for Light (modeled on Ski for Light), by two local friends inspired Farrar to sign up, join Boston’s Community Boating, Inc., and explore other accessible programs, including SailBlind.
Just days after Sail for Light taught Farrar the basics, SailBlind founder Arthur O’Neill called to ask if he could fill in for a sick sailor in a regatta the following weekend.
Farrar agreed and soon found himself struggling with his sighted guide and crew to maneuver a one-ton sailboat through Boston Harbor. In this interview, conducted by phone on December 6, 2010, Farrar discusses the effects of that decision to race, which launched him among the ranks of the world’s top blind sailors.
Sailing is More About Feel than Sight
Q. What was your first regatta like?
D.F. It was pretty wild. I found myself in Boston Harbor, winds blowing 15-20 knots, at the helm of a 22-foot sailboat with barely a clue about what I was doing. I’d never raced and often misunderstood my guide’s commands. He’d yell, “Go up 10; hold that.” I’d hold, and then hear, “Center the tiller!” (I learned “hold!” meant bring the tiller back to center). We did a number of races that day, improving a little with each race.
Q. How did you manage the stress?
D.F. At home that first night, I threw myself down in a chair, my roommate poured me a couple fingers of bourbon, and I groused on why anyone would ever want to sail. I was beaten up — sailing in 20-knot winds beats you up. The next day, however, the winds were a lot lighter; we won two races; I took third overall in the regatta and have been racing ever since.
Blind Sailing Enhances Self-Confidence and Teamwork
Q. What makes sailing accessible to the blind?
D.F. Sailing is done more by feel than you’d think. Actually, sailing blindfolded is a great way to learn. If you’re not really on the breeze, if your sails aren’t trimmed right, you’ll feel it: the boat flattens out and slows down. You feel the drag created by too much rudder movement. Sailing is very seat-of-the-pants, but once in the groove, with water flowing over the keel, you can sail for long distances without help.
Q. What benefits does sailing offer?
D.F. Steering a 23-foot, one-ton sailboat through Boston Harbor, avoiding everything from Coast Guard speedboats mounted with automatic weapons, tanker tugs, ferries, and (up river), windsurfers and kayakers, is definitely a confidence builder. It’s like the Ski for Light motto: “If I can do this, I can do anything.” Sailing also teaches teamwork: you and your guide have to be on the same page.
Q. What advice do you have for aspiring sailors?
D.F. Pursue every opportunity you can and learn all aspects of sailing — not just steering, but all jobs on the boat — and be prepared to be your own advocate. As with any activity, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.
Farrar’s sail racing success (including a bronze medal at the 2002 IFDS World Blind Sailing Championships) following a baptism by wind and wave illustrates the life-changing power of action and the rewards risk-takers receive. Farrar managed his blindness and mastered that fear of the unknown that keeps most people, regardless of ability, from venturing out.
Andrew Leibs - Andrew Leibs is Suite101’s Feature Writer for Accessible Recreation. He is a longtime chronicler of the disability movement with ...
Join the Conversation