Jamie Dunross, First Quadriplegic Sailor to Circumnavigate Australia

First there was quadriplegic Geoff  Holt who sailed solo across the Atlantic not too long ago, next Hillary Lister came along to become the first quadriplegic woman to circumnavigate Britain solo using a sip and puff equipped sailboat, and now we have Australian Jamie Dunross who is currently braving the seas in his effort to become the first quad to sail solo around Australia. Jamie anticipates the voyage, with stops, will take around five months, and encompass around 9000 nautical miles of sailing.

Quadriplegic Sailor Jamie Dunross

Jamie became a C5 quadriplegic in a gold pouring accident in the Australian outback in 1988 and was very depressed at first. However, sailing turned his life into a journey of amazing accomplishments, including a gold medal at the 2000 Paralympic Games.

Jamie considers his sailing trip around Australia to be a warm-up for his big dream of circumnavigating the entire globe solo. However, I don’t just want to applaud Jamie for his physical achievements.  When Jamie returns to his hometown of Rockingham, just South of Perth, he plans to get involved in a sailing program designed for people with disabilities. He also wants to demonstrate to the public that a disability doesn’t need to be a roadblock against achieving your dreams when you are determined to reach your goal.

You can follow Jamie’s journey at his website where he blogs regularly about his progress and his experiences.