Blind sailor and stroke survivor overcome the odds
BBCA blind sailor and a stroke survivor have qualified for a European championship – and they hope their success will inspire others to get involved in inclusive sailing.
Simon Mahoney will man the sail and Terry Shiels will steer the helm when they represent Great Britain at the Hansa Class European Championship in Barcelona.
The Derbyshire pair said they wanted their success in getting to the para and inclusive sailing regatta to encourage others to sign up to Sailability, which they have attended at Carsington Water.
Mahoney, 79, said: "When you're on the water, you forget the past, you forget the future, it's just now and it has an extraordinary beneficial effect on your mental health."
The former Royal Marines officer, from Ashbourne, said sailing had been a "very important" part of his life since the age of eight.
He started losing his sight in 2012, which he described as "very difficult", and became blind in 2020.
"I found being sight impaired a lot harder because my sight changed every few minutes, let alone days," he said.
"When you lose your sight, you go through a hell of an emotional firestorm and I knew that sailing would be ideal to get me back on an even keel," he added.
Mahoney joined a Sailability club, which use specialist equipment and modified Hansa boats, designed with a heavy ballasted centreboard.
This lowers the centre of gravity of the boat, acting as a counterweight to the wind in the sails, making the boats virtually impossible to capsize.
At Carsington in 2016, Mahoney teamed up with Shiels, from Belper, who said it was "life-changing" to be introduced to the sport.
Shiels suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2011, which caused a stroke and left him without the use of his left arm and limited use of his leg.
"At the time the statistics were 60% of people didn't survive, so I was one of the lucky 40%. Every day I remember that and tell myself I'm lucky," he said.
He added: "Once I'm in the boat and on the water, I can do anything that everybody else does. I'm on a level playing field and it's just amazing."
Shiels said he had been amazed by Mahoney's incredible hearing to identify approaching boats and race course buoys.
"One of the standing jokes is I have to be careful what I'm saying about him at the other side of the clubhouse, because he'll hear it," said Shiels.
The pair have been working "like an old married couple" to develop their sailing skills and teamwork to a competition level.
"If somebody had told me 10 years ago that we'd be going to Barcelona to compete in September, I'd say, 'Don't be crazy,'" said Shiels.
The championships are due to begin on 6 September.
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