July 24, 2025
3 minutes reading time
Dani Anglada Pich sails into the record books as the first blind person to sail solo, unaided around the Isle of Wight
Dani Anglada Pich, a blind athlete from Catalonia, made history on Thursday 24 July when he became the first blind person to sail solo and unaided around the Isle of Wight.
He finished the course in 13 hours and 8 minutes on the rudder-less, boomless, centre-board-less catamaran ‘Patí a Vela – Patí Català’, skillfully steering solely with his body and sail trim despite varying winds and strong currents.
Dani began with a fast start at the Royal Yacht Squadron, signaled by Patricia Lewington firing the cannon. He reached Lymington at 12 knots in under an hour, picked up support from Simon Rogers, and continued to the Needles where winds calmed. Offshore, he sought stronger winds eight miles out, but faced challenging sea conditions.
“The leg to St Catherine’s was incredibly challenging,” reflected Dani, “On the offshore gybe it felt good with the sea state, but every time I tried to come back into the land, the waves would kick up the stern of the boat and make it uncontrollable.”
Dani continued past St Catherine’s lighthouse in the afternoon. The sea conditions were slight, and he proceeded toward Sandown Bay and Culver Down headland as wind from the north-west began to increase. The most challenging section of the route occurred near the southern side of Bembridge Ledge, where standing waves developed and stronger winds were encountered.
“It was a very stressful half an hour. I couldn’t understand the sea state and the boat was starting to stress. I could hear the plywood creaking and groaning like never before and genuinely I was worried about whether I could get through.”
After passing the headland, Dani sailed past the Bembridge Lifeboat station, navigated offshore to avoid boats at Seaview, and successfully crossed Ryde Sands towards Cowes. As sunset approached and winds dropped, his support team grew concerned, but a timely breeze and favourable tide helped him finish just as he reached his physical and mental limits. Cheered by supporters on the Parade, Dani arrived in Cowes and collapsed onto his boat in relief—mission accomplished.
The team returned to the East Cowes Sailing Club who have been magnificent hosts to Dani and the team, with Commodore Peter Ball saying: “It was one of the finest moments in the club’s history and all of us at ECSC are proud to have played our part in Dani’s challenge. We had a barbecue to celebrate, and the Mayor of East Cowes awarded Dani with honorary citizenship of the town in recognition of his incredible achievement. As a club, we presented Dani with a trophy to mark such an historic event, and he is welcome to come back anytime. It has been a privilege as a club to help him make history.”
Dani’s journey was undertaken with the primary goal of raising awareness for the reinstatement of sailing in the Paralympic Games in Brisbane 2032, while also demonstrating the boundless potential of blind sailors. With support from Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand, and backing from the YES WE SAIL Association, Dani has contributed significantly to advancing disability sailing and improving its global perception. Looking ahead, he is preparing to participate in the prestigious Bol D’Or Mirabaud race on Lake Leman in 2026.
“I have to thank so many people who supported my challenge around the Isle of Wight, and especially the East Cowes Sailing Club for treating me as a sailor and seeing beyond my disability. I have been met with nothing but positivity from the very first day that we arrived in East Cowes and I have made friends for life. Instead of saying “no” everyone said “yes” and made the challenge possible. I also give my thanks to all of my sponsors: Port Masnou, Club Nautic Masnou, Immunotec, Rooster, Top Sailing Charter, Kyndryl, Isidre Esteve Foundation, Abordo Sailing and Save Sight Now Europe. Thank you to everyone involved.”
Images courtesy of YES WE SAIL.