The Dash to Chula Vista 2013

Posted on March 14, 2013 by challengedamerica

Planning is underway for the 2nd DASH to Chula Vista – a 2 day regatta hosted by Chula Visa Yacht Club. On Saturday, April 13, our Martin 16s will race 8 miles from Harbor Island to Chula Vista Marina. Then we’ll race back on Sunday.

More details to come, but if you’d like to participate as a sailor, companion or volunteer, please send an email to Doug. We need volunteers to prepare for the event, solicit raffle items, assist at the docks and on chase boats, and be Martin 16 companion sailors.

Sailing is free, donations are welcome and help us keep the program free. To make a secure, tax deductible donation, click here

Click here to view photo galleries from the 2012 Dash to Chula Vista

New donation, a beautifully restored Erickson 35

Posted on February 20, 2012 by challengedamerica

She has been at the Challenged America docks for a little over a week. This 1971 Erickson 35 has been beautifully restored by her previous owner. The woods are beautifully varnished, engine rebuilt all new deck hardware, including new Anderson winches.

Erickson 35 drawings

“Dash To Chula Vista Race” – April 21-22, 2012

Posted on February 14, 2012 by challengedamerica

Prepared for a Different Type of Martin 16 Race? Get ready Martin 16 sailors, novice and experienced alike, April 21 & 22 will be the first “Dash To Chula Vista” Race, hosted by Chula Vista Yacht Club.

Starting from our new location on Harbor Island, and (Leg One) finish at the Chula Vista Yacht Club, on Saturday April 21 – where a Welcoming Party will be waiting for you, complete with food, beverage and fun. Then, leave your Martin 16s behind and motor back to the Challenged America dock on Harbor Island…rest at home…and then return, the next day (April 22) to Challenged America and we’ll take you to Chula Vista YC (or you can drive), for the start of Leg Two, from the Chula Vista YC to the finish line at Challenged America on Harbor Island.

A great opportunity to experience a distance race from the North Bay to the South Bay, and learn so much more about sailing and your Martin 16. This will be a fun event for everyone, sailors, family members and friends. Sponsors are welcome and needed.

Notice will be sent to all on the Challenged America Newsletter list, once arrangements have been made…but mark your calendars today for the “Dash To Chula Vista” Race.

Meet Challenged America at the San Diego Sunroad Boat Show

Posted on January 27, 2012 by challengedamerica

Stop in and meet Challenged America volunteers and participants at the San Diego Sunroad Boat Show this weekend

A blast from the past, Transpac 2003 photos

Posted on January 18, 2012 by challengedamerica

Photos Greg Scott

The 2012 Sailing Calendar

Posted on December 19, 2011 by challengedamerica

As always, planning a sailing calendar at Challenged America tends to be dependent upon funding and other resources, to include what boats we have, and the volunteers available. Under consideration for the 2012 calendar are:

San Diego to Puerto Vallarta or Cabo San Lucas ocean race (March, 2012).
Martin 16 (Two-Day) Race to Chula Vista Yacht Club/Marina (April 21/22, 2012).
Monthly or bi-Monthly Martin 16 Race Training and Races.
Local Big Bay Races in “Casual” – the Santana 25.
Newport-Ensenada, Border Run, and other offshore/coastal races.
Multi-day cruise to Catalina.
Class for sailing instructors: “Martin 16 Certification.”
Captain (Basics 101) Training on Grand Banks 42 and Donzi, by The Maritime Institute.
Power Squadron, Offshore Sailing Safety and First Aid Educational Programs.
Sailing Camps for those with disabilities and/or having: Diabetes; Spinal Cord Injury/Disease, Epilepsy, mobility and communications challenges, Learning Disabilities, Developmental Disabilities, and youth with disabilities.
Day-On-The-Big-Bay cruises, whale watching and other educational excursions aboard the motor yacht “Challenged America”- a Grand Banks 42.

Is there another special program you’d like to see and can participate in and help? Let us know.

Challenged America Sailor Chairs National Disabled Sailors Council

Posted on December 8, 2011 by challengedamerica

Photo: Kevin Wixom trimming the genoa aboard B'Quest I, a Tripp 40 (2005).

Kevin Wixom, Team Challenged America 2005 Transpac crew member and volunteer, has accepted the chair position of the Council for Sailors with Disabilities, US SAILING. Great going Kevin.

The Challenged Galley Chef

Posted on December 1, 2011 by challengedamerica

Okay, sailors all know that cooking in a kitchen shoreside is a snap. But take a bucking sailboat in a wind-swept sea, and even boiling water and pouring it is a challenge. So you galley-salts, “how” and “what” do you cook when at sea?

For example: I can remember sailing on the east coast years ago in my youth, and one crusty sailing veteran used only coffee (percolator) pots to cook with, on a two-burner stove. He claimed it was the easiest and safest way to cook as, with his half-dozen coffee pots (one reserved exclusively for brewing coffee, and the other for hot water only), he would strum up the greatest soups and stews, pasta dishes and hearty and warm breakfast one could ever imagine. And there was always a hot pot of water on the stove for instant coffee, tea, hot chocolate or bullion.

Do you have any innovative or galley secrets you could share? Let us know. We’re looking for those unique recipes, cooking utensils, and methods of cooking that can be included in the Challenged America newsletter, and later be put into a book, giving you and your boat’s name credit.

Challenged America Sailing Questions and Answers

Posted on November 4, 2011 by challengedamerica

Q. How do I schedule sailing?
A. Just call or email the Challenged America office – at least 4 days prior to your day of request to sail, along with information on your type of disability, so we can meet any special needs/accommodations and schedule a volunteer companion sailor.

Q. How much does sailing cost?
A. It’s free, but we do accept and welcome donations.

Q. What is Open Sailing?
A. Open Sailing days are our primary days for small boat sailing, and adaptive sail training for potential and existing sailing companions and instructors.

Q. Can I only sail on Open Sailing Days?
A. No, you can sail on ANY day you request, provided a qualified companion sailor is available, and the sailing office is open.

Q. Can I learn to sail at Challenged America if I don’t have a disability?
A. Yes, but there is a cost . . . You must be willing to volunteer.

Why we sail

Posted on November 2, 2011 by challengedamerica

“In this picture, Doug just finished rigging the sail boat with a joystick system so that I could steer the boat and trim the sails independently. What a sense of freedom and independence! We are a great team. He calmly gives me instruction and I execute. It’s a great sport for me, since I cannot speak (and it’s not necessary)! The only time I was slightly nervous was when we returned, under full sail, within feet of the famous race boat Stars & Stripes and pulled up to the pier with a perfect “hockey stop!” Good times.”
- Ellen

“It is always a humbling, inspirational and tremendously fun experience to sail with Ellen. Using the Power Assist system that we set up on the Martin 16, she has total control, steering the boat and trimming the sails.”
- Doug

Editor’s Note: Ellen is a veteran who served as a nurse while on active duty, and now has ALS — aka Lou Gehrig’s disease. This was Ellen’s second time at the VA National Summer Sports Clinic for recently injured veterans, and sailing with Challenged America.

Challenged America.org

Adaptive And Therapeutic Sailing Program Since 1978

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