Dunross Circumnavigates Australia

Paralympic sailor Jamie Dunross has recently completed what many thought was impossible – a solo and unassisted circumnavigation of Australia.

Related topics: achievement,disabled,yachting

It is a task that is daunting for even the most experienced of sailors, let alone someone who became a quadriplegic as a result of a gold pouring accident 22 years ago. Although for Jamie, finding the motivation for the journey wasn’t difficult.

“I wanted to do something that people thought wasn’t possible. For me that’s like a red rag to a bull,” he said. “In my heart I knew it could be done and I was proved right.”

Jamie said he had spent almost a decade preparing for the journey.

“It took about eight years to build the boat and I spent another two years undertaking intensive training off the coast of Western Australia,” he said.

“My experience as a Paralympic athlete taught me that when it comes to big events, you can’t afford to go in underprepared, so I tried to put myself in conditions that would be tougher than the ones I would face, but you don’t know what you’re going to get until you’re out there.”

According to Jamie, the Southern Ocean maintained its reputation for being some of the roughest water on earth, but it was his journey around parts of northern Australia that proved the most difficult.

“I wasn’t prepared for what the Coral Sea would dish out, there were winds of up to 30-40 knots and it didn’t stop for seven straight days. It’s not something I’ve experienced before,” he said.

“When I hit the Kimberley there were temperatures of up to 42 degrees inside the boat. Given that my body temperature is dictated by the temperature outside, you can imagine that it was absolute hell.”

Amidst the difficulties, however, the journey had its fair share of highlights.

“There were times in the Kimberley when the water was dead quiet and the stars would make themselves known. It was quite spectacular, almost as if it was computer generated,” he said.

Jamie also got to meet the people of this great nation.

“It was great to meet all the different people of Australia. It re-affirmed my love for this country, even though we have some differences we all basically think the same way; we want to create a positive future for our children and our children’s children,” he said.

Due to extreme fatigue, Jamie said he was on auto-pilot when he finally arrived home but the feeling of embracing his family was unforgettable.

There won’t be any medals handed out for this epic performance, but to Jamie that doesn’t matter. The greatest reward has been inspiring others to become physically active.

“I’ve had a number of people contact me who are interested in doing sailing, who thought it might have been beyond them but they’ve seen me circumnavigate Australia and thought ‘if he can do it, why can’t I jump in a boat’,” he said.

The more people who become motivated by what I’ve done to get out of their comfort zones and do something, the greater the reward is for me.”

To read the blog of Jamie’s amazing journey visit http://www.solo1.com.au/

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