John Dennis Will Compete in Velux 5 Oceans

by Jan Harley on 13 Apr 2010 Having broken ground as the first skipper with diabetes to compete in a global solo sailing race – the 2002/2003 Around Alone – Canadian native John Dennis is set to take on the challenge again with his entry in the 2010 Velux 5 Oceans. Unfinished business remains for Dennis who was forced to retire from the Around Alone on the third leg of the race (from Cape Town to New Zealand) after 150 days at sea due to frustratingly insurmountable technical difficulties. In the seven years since pursuing his lifelong dream of racing around the world, Dennis, now 65 years-old, has gone from managing his diabetes through diet, exercise and oral medication, to being insulin dependent which necessitates four self-administered injections a day.

Dennis is keenly aware that circumnavigating the globe solo pushes the limits of a sailor’s mental and physical abilities – but he is determined to prove that you can take on adventure and control diabetes. He also hopes to reach those who become despondent after receiving the diagnosis – diabetes is, after all, incurable – and demonstrate that leading a normal life is possible. Dennis was intimately familiar with the illness when he received his diagnosis in 1994 at age 49 as his wife, Penny, had been diagnosed with diabetes six years earlier. Dennis has several goals in undertaking this campaign: to create awareness of the cost of diabetes on healthcare budgets, to motivate diabetics to better manage their condition and to fight the discrimination diabetics face.

“My campaign is based on my being a well-managed diabetic and being able to compete because I manage my diabetes,” said Dennis. “Diabetes does not manage or define me.”

Billed as “The Ultimate Solo Challenge,” the Velux 5 Oceans will start on October 17 in La Rochelle, France, with the first leg taking racers to Cape Town, South Africa. Leg two ends in Wellington, New Zealand, followed by stops in Salvador, Brazil, and Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A., before the competitors cross the Atlantic to return to La Rochelle in May 2011. This seven month sprint covers 30,000 miles which Dennis will sail in an Eco 60 – a class for any Open 60 launched before January 1, 2003. Creating a level playing field for these older boats reduces the budget for competitors, and re-cycling these tested and tried racing machines is a “green” option that is further advanced by limits on sails, support crew and the amount of refit work allowed, along with requirements to use sustainable methods of power generation while racing.

Among the numerous sailing races that circumnavigate the globe, in which the competitors race at their own peril, the Velux 5 Oceans is notable for allowing Dennis to compete. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Chairman of Clipper Ventures and the Velux 5 Oceans, has welcomed Dennis back as the only diabetic to compete in the race. The Velux 5 Oceans was formerly known as the BOC Challenge and Around Alone. In 28 years, 90 skippers have completed the challenge in the seven previous editions of the race.

The real challenge for Dennis will be raising the 1.2 million dollars needed to undertake the race – by the end of June.

“I have to be funded by June 30th or I can’t go,” said Dennis whose entry will also provide a vehicle for diabetes associations to raise funds directly for themselves as he races around the world. “Basically I need 4,000 donors to each contribute $300, or more donors to contribute lesser amounts. I have my eye on an Open 60 which is in good condition and if the yacht does not need many repairs or upgrades, I may be able to do the race on a lower budget.”

A PayPal account has been established so that contributions may be sent to Dennis at solosailor@hotmail.com after clicking the “Personal” tab.

Dennis is an accomplished seaman. He started competitive sailing at age 12 off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, influenced by his father who was a naval officer and he logged over 90,000 miles during his years as a professional sailor on the Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean and Great Lakes. While technically an “old age pensioner” who currently drives a school bus part-time, Dennis crews on a J/35 out of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. A senior citizen by age only, his physician has pronounced that he is “fit to go.” He and Penny moved back to Nova Scotia two years ago when he retired from a career in Toronto’s commercial real estate market. Their daughter, Stephanie, lives in Halifax; son Frank and daughter-in-law Sarah still reside in Toronto. In May the Dennis’ will become first-time grandparents, giving Penny a welcome distraction while John makes his way around the globe.

For more information on The Velux 5 Oceans, please visit: www.velux5oceans.com

About Diabetes: According to the American Diabetes Association, as of 2007, 23.6 million people in the U.S.A. – almost eight percent of the population – have diabetes, with 1.6 million new cases annually being diagnosed in people over the age of 20. In 2006, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.A. These alarming statistics also have a dire economic impact: one of every ten dollars spent on healthcare is attributed to diabetes costs. The Canadian Diabetes Association reports that more than 3 million Canadians are living with the disease, with one in four having diabetes or prediabetes, and more than 20 people are diagnosed with diabetes every hour of the day. In 2000, the economic burden of diabetes in Canada stood at 7 billion dollars. That amount is projected to more than double (to 17 billion) by 2020 if left unchecked. More information is available at www.diabetes.ca or www.diabetes.org