Blind Sailor creates history in Tauranga

by Murray de Lues on 26 Oct 2009
Two times B2 Blind World Champion Paulien Eitjes, created history on the waters off Tauranga over Labour Weekend by competing in open competition with VHF radio assistance. The 35 year old has been honing her sailing skills in her Starling over the last couple of years.

The Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club hosted this year’s North Island Championships and she jumped at the opportunity to compete in open competition against 74 of the best youth sailors in her Starling. With the help of a sighted tactician who followed her around the course providing assistance on tides, wind shifts and other boats, she completed the 7 race series in 61st position.

Her worst score was 64th and the best 34th (23rd around the top mark the first time). All course sailed were W3 tracks in shifty 8-15 knt breezes with a healthy chop and a bit of the famous Tauranga tide added to the mix.

Paulien is classified B2 blind which means she can see about 10m albeit very blurry. In her short career in sailing she regularly competes in Wednesday night racing with Gary Smith on Sniper. Helms Peter Dallimore’s Farr38 General Jackson in the Women on Water series, sails her Starling 276 in club racing, won the National Blind Sailing Championship 4 times and won the Homerus Blind Matching title twice.

Understandably nervous on the first day, Paulien was apprehensive at the start and mark roundings with all the other boats around. However the only close calls she had was with other sailors forgetting port/starboard rules.

At one bottom mark rounding with another 20 boats, she heard lots of shouts for 'buoy room', her thoughts were 'Just wish I knew where the buoy was!'.

By the regatta finish, her confidence has risen dramatically and she would have been quite happy to have sailed a third day. For sighted sailors to try and understand what a feat this is. Try closing your eyes, concentrate on sailing your high performance single handed boat and only with a voice on a radio for assistance, sail in a fleet of 74 other boats.