#tallships – Lord Nelson, the British 55-metre tall ship, a regular visitor to Irish ports, arrived in Cape Town on Sunday morning on her inaugural visit to South Africa as part of the Norton Rose Sail the World Challenge. The voyage has been organised by UK-based charity, the Jubilee Sailing Trust, and is supported by international legal practice Norton Rose, which has five of its 42 offices in Africa.
The ship, which is designed to enable physically disabled and able-bodied crew to sail alongside each other, was escorted into the V&A Waterfront by a Cape Town pilot vessel in a brisk 25-30 knot south-easterly breeze at 0830 local time on Sunday 3 February.
Lord Nelson came alongside at Quay 6 in front of the Table Bay Hotel at 0900 after a 24-day transatlantic crossing, marking the first time the unique ship has visited Africa. The 35-strong crew was welcomed on the quayside by friends, family and supporters along with African drummers and face painters from the restaurant, Moyo.
Among the crew that sailed the on the 3,455-mile passage from Rio de Janeiro was 28-year-old Gareth Cooper from Essex in the UK, who has a congenital form of brittle bone disease and uses a wheelchair. Cooper is one of the voyage crew supported by Norton Rose.
"It has been an amazing experience and life changing for me. I've sailed with the Jubilee Sailing Trust before but only for a few days at a time, and certainly never across an ocean," Cooper said.
Having formerly represented Great Britain as a swimmer before developing a shoulder injury that ended his career in the pool, Gareth has also competed in semi-pro wheelchair basketball.
"We saw whales, dolphins and flying fish on the transatlantic crossing, and we even got to see Tristan da Cunha [an isolated group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic], and how many people can say that they've done that in their lifetime?" Cooper said.
"The best part was just the experience of being at sea, and I can't wait to do some more sailing. Life is going to feel a bit dull by comparison when I get home," Cooper added.
A number of Norton Rose employees were on the quayside to welcome the crew to South African shores including Charlene Snedden, a legal secretary at the international legal practice's Cape Town office.
Snedden, 48, who has no previous sailing experience, will embark on a week-long voyage on Lord Nelson from Cape Town on Wednesday 6 February.
"I only found out that I was going to be sailing on Friday so I'm shocked and excited. I'm looking forward to going beyond my limits, and getting to know the other people on board," Snedden said.
Another Capetonian taking part is Russell Vollmer, 55, former commodore of the Royal Cape Yacht Club, who is being sponsored by Norton Rose. He will also embark on Wednesday for the inter-country voyage.
Vollmer, who has lived as a quadriplegic since the age of 19, became disabled when he broke his neck in a diving accident in 1976 while serving with the South African Navy.
In addition to successfully competing at regattas on Chen, a 30-ft Miura keelboat and logging a Cape to Rio in 2000, Vollmer was the first South African sailing entry at the Paralympic Games at Sydney in 2000 competing in the single-person 2.4m class.
"To be able to participate in the Norton Rose Sail the World Challenge is the fulfillment of something that I've had on my bucket list since I first heard about the Lord Nelson," Vollmer said.
"I'm over the moon to be part of this exciting adventure, and it will take my sailing to the next level. I love teamwork in sailing and I'm looking forward to being a fully integrated crew member on a working ship, and having a break from being the skipper," Vollmer added.
Lord Nelson was built in the UK and first set sail in 1986. The bespoke features on board, including hearing loops, wheelchair lifts, integrated Braille instructions and speaking compasses, allow a disabled sailor to contribute to
the voyage just as much as an able-bodied crew member and their interdependence creates a community aboard the ship for the duration of the voyage – a bond which remains long after the crew is back on dry land.
During her inaugural 23-month circumnavigation, Lord Nelson, will log four Equator crossings and visit 30 countries on seven continents. More than 1,000 people will have the opportunity to participate during this 50,000-mile voyage.
The Norton Rose Sail the World Challenge started from Southampton in the UK on Sunday 21 October, buoyed by the resounding success of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and is due to return to the UK in September 2014.
