During last year’s race, Hunter was responsible for trimming the main sail, sensing the movements of the wind and boat, and tying lashings into the ropes to keep track of his work. At the end of the race, he was selected to helm Kayle up the Derwent River and across the finish line.
“It was without doubt one of the most emotional, proud [moments]. The highlight of my life.
“It’s not just sailing. It’s personal growth on the water, challenging and recalibrating the perceptions of those around. It’s about showing a broader society what’s possible in little ways. Out of these little ways, people begin to rethink what’s possible.”
But the Sydney to Hobart is a notoriously difficult undertaking, and disability can create its own challenges for racers. Alyson Gearing, 63, is a lifelong sailor and instructor who lost her hearing 15 years ago.
In normal circumstances, hearing aids support her day-to-day life; however, when sitting on the stern of a yacht going 25 knots in the middle of the night, diminished hearing can be a deeply isolating experience. Earlier this year, on an overnight qualifying race for the Sydney to Hobart, Gearing said she “suffered badly from depression”.
“There were a lot of things I would have liked to say or ask questions. Say something about the sail trim, but then I’d think, ‘Oh, maybe it’s already been discussed.’ Or I’d like to ask questions, but then I think, ‘I’m not going to be able to hear the answer.’ That gets pretty frustrating for people.”
“You sort of think back into your own mind and go into dark places. You think, ‘I hate this’. It’s so lonely out there. Then you arrive [at the finish line], and everybody gets out to celebrate and talk to other crews, and I sit there looking around thinking, ‘I have no idea what anyone’s saying.’
“I’m a social person. I really love being social, but I can’t be in a yachting environment because of my hearing.”
After that race, Gearing dropped out of the Hobart, but with repeated encouragement from her crew and offers for new ways of working around her hearing, she returned to training and will join the race next week.
Alyson Gearing during a training session a week before the Sydney to Hobart.Credit: Rhett Wyman
“I know there’s going to be some dark places, but I’m a lot more comfortable now with being in that environment with this crew because I look at Al, and I look at James, and I think, ‘God, how can they do it. They’re amazing’”.
Cheering on from home will be 62-year-old Paralympian Albert Lee, a double-leg amputee who sailed in the 1994 race and the 2003 circumnavigation.
“I’m proud of it; the opportunities that sailing gives to people with disabilities who think the world is a closed place. Being out there on the water is just the most amazing thing. Having the wind in your hair, racing along with other boats and participating with people who also may have some form of disability.
“It changes the way you look at yourself and your belief in what you can achieve.”