Author: Pam
While we were still in shock about the engine, previous commitments jolted us back to some sense of reality on Saturday morning. On Thursday we had met Andrew Powell, the host of “Sailors Radio”, a national syndicated radio show that airs on Saturday mornings from 0800 to 0930 (however the last half hour is local). We were invited to be guests on the show and though we were warned there isn’t much they take seriously and they like to tease (they actually have another term for it) we agreed to an interview. We were picked up at 0700 by Neville, a professional sailor and regular on the show and after stopping for coffee we arrived at the studio on the 26th floor of a building somewhere downtown. After some technical difficulties in the studio the show was off and running. The time flew by and it will probably be the only time in my life I will be referred to as the “blond blind barrel girl”, hey you have to have someone draw the on air contest winner to go to the rally in Indonesia. Besides rendering me speechless for a brief moment, the show was all in good fun and Andrew, Neville and John definitely have a good time every Saturday morning. You can listen to the broadcast at www.sailorsradio.com, Hear the Shows, June 2, 2007 (be patient, due to technical difficulties there is a few minutes of music at the beginning).
Next on the agenda, we had been contacted by Graeme Innis earlier in the week and had made arrangements to meet him for a tour of Starship and to learn more about his position with the Australian government as the Human Rights Commissioner for Disability. He arrived at noon and we spent an hour and a half showing him every inch of Starship. As a blind sailor who races on his J24, he was keen to know the finer details. We then had lunch at the CYCA and had an opportunity to learn about his position, the DDA and transportation accessibility issues in Australia. The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) is very similar to the ADA (American with Disabilities Act) and was passed in 1992. Australia has implemented a 20 year Transportation Standards plan to make public transportation accessible. December 31, 2007 will complete the five year mark and Graeme said there is concern the goal of reaching the 25% accessible mark is not looking good. One of the goals in the first stage is for the various transportation systems to call the stops. We think Sydney has a fabulous transportation system, however it is our observation and criticism that they do not call the stops on the buses and ferries and are very inconsistent on the trains. Buses and trains are free for people who are blind and visually impaired and taxis are half fare. The taxi voucher system was set up before the government implemented the free fares, therefore at some point the taxi vouchers may go away. Of course the visually impaired population is hoping they don’t get around to remembering anytime soon. We have also learned that people who are blind or visually impaired in Australia receive a pension and they are the only segment of the disabled population that are not subject to means testing and continue to receive their pension even if they are making the Prime Minister’s salary. They also receive a “Pension Card” that entitles them to discounts on movies, haircuts and a variety of public services. The refreshing intent behind providing blind people with a pension is not one based on a welfare system, but rather a mechanism to provide blind people with additional income for adaptive technologies, so they can more equally compete in the workforce.
On our way back to the boat we were introduced to Pat, a member of the Cruising Yacht Club’s Cruising Division. She was looking for us to ask if we would speak at their monthly meeting on Tuesday, of course we said yes. While we were chatting with her our Watson’s Bay Guardian Angel Jeffrey stopped by to give us the name of his mechanic and offered for Scott to call him on his cell phone to make arrangements to meet. Jeffrey has been by several times to check in on how we were doing and when he found out about the engine was more than eager to try and help. We continue to be in awe of the kindness of the Aussie’s, we have never felt more welcome.
Saturday wasn’t over yet. At 5:00 Tim and Georgia Connell came by for a visit on Starship. Tim is the President of Quantum Technology and a long time friend of Scott’s. He was also very instrumental in our decision to sail to Sydney. We had a very nice evening giving them the tour, it was even extra fun because Tim is one of very few people who has seen both of our boats. We ambled over to the CYCA for dinner, which turned out to be nostalgic for Georgia, she had waitressed there many years ago and reminisced about the craziness of throwing breakfast at participants of the Sydney Hobart Race on the morning of the start.
Phew, another jam packed day in kangaroo land, but there is no rest for the weary or the wicked. On Sunday morning we were up and preparing the boat for the “Open Day” that had been promoted by Vision Australia from 10:00 to 2:00. Six blind and visually impaired guys came by for a tour of Starship and chat about our trip. They had varying degrees of sailing experience and interest, but everyone had stories and adventures to share. Nick and Charlie have climbed Kilimanjaro and Ben is a world champion rower. There was definitely some testosterone aboard and I was feeling a little out numbered. Phil from Humanware also came by to be available to demonstrate the Humanware technology we use on board, but it turned out everyone was already familiar or already owned the technology. At 1:30 Scott and four of our visitors headed over to the CYC for lunch, I joined them a bit after 2:00. Everyone fell into a lazy relaxed Sunday afternoon mode, which led into getting caught up in the mayhem of the after Sunday race crowd, long story short we were there for quite a while. New friends were made and I am sure we have not seen the last of this crazy bunch.
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