No limits to sailing with a disability!

On Sunday 15 March, we set off from Friesland in the North of The Netherlands with a healthy sense of curiosity. We – my partner Erik and I – were the fortunate ones who were given the opportunity by DutchSail that day to see whether it would be possible to sail an AC40 simulator with a disability.

I’ve been watching videos of The America’s Cup and SailGP for quite some time now, always dreaming about how amazing it would be to sail along on one of those boats at such incredible speeds. And yes, I say “sail along,” because I had absolutely no idea that, despite our physical disabilities, we might actually be able to operate such a boat ourselves.

So, when we were asked whether we would like to do a test “sail” in the DutchSail AC40 simulator, we obviously didn’t hesitate for a second.

We received a very warm welcome at the DutchSail location in The Hague from Hein Dijksterhuis and Peter Bruggraaff. Soon, three other sailors with disabilities joined us, along with a team of people who took wonderful care of us that day and guided us through sailing in the AC40 simulator.

In the morning, we followed an introductory programme featuring inspiring contributions from Maria del Mar de Ros Raventós, co-founder of the first Spanish team to compete in the Youth America’s Cup and CEO and founding member of the Spain SailGP Team; Paul Hameeteman, who sailed for JAJO Team DutchSail in the Youth America’s Cup in Barcelona in 2024; and Professor Claes Hultling, who opened the programme with his personal story about the spinal cord injury he sustained at the age of 31.

After that, it was our turn to enter the simulator. It was spectacular to experience firsthand how you can fully control an AC40 from your seat. Erik and I are both wheelchair users and have been competing for several years in the two-person Hansa 303 and the RS Venture Connect. But compared to those experiences, operating the AC40 is a completely different world.

The AC40 is a machine designed down to the finest detail. Of course, in the simulator you don’t yet feel the wind in your hair, the boat’s position, or the movement of the waves. And yet we truly felt as though we were slicing through the water at lightning speed. The coaching from Bart Beuk was indispensable in this regard – otherwise, we would have run aground, metaphorically, anyway, in no time.

After all five sailors with disabilities had completed several test runs, we competed in pairs. How do you cross the starting line at exactly the right second, execute a sharp tack or gybe, and keep the boat balanced on its foils to maintain optimal speed? Sailing the AC40 simulator with our disabilities is certainly possible, but of course we still have a great deal to learn and practice in actually sailing the AC40.

The day concluded with drinks and snacks, and of course by expressing our gratitude to all the wonderful people who supported us. We’ve gained another dream. After all, there are no barriers in life – if you focus on what is possible.

By Bernadette Linssen and Erik van Winkoop. Images from DutchSail.