American Blind Circumnavigation Sailors soon to reach Sydney Harbor after crossing the Tasman Sea
Thursday, 24 May 2007



With thousands of well-wishers worldwide cheering them on and following their course, blind couple Scott Duncan and Pamela Habek will be reaching Sydney Harbour, Australia, around May 25, 2007 as part of their incredible and daring bid to become the first legally blind couple to sail around the world. The determined San Francisco Bay Area couple put the Golden Gate astern in Oct. 11, 2004.

Their current passage takes them across the Tasman Sea, the most gale-swept body of water in recorded history. Duncan and Habek made maritime history by becoming the first legally blind sailors to independently cross the Pacific Ocean on Nov.

10, 2005. "One of our primary goals is to spread a message of independence to disabled children and adults, as well as to the greater non-disabled population," says Duncan.

To date the sailor's voyage has taken them down the coast of North America to Mexico, on passage 2,800 miles across the Equator to Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia. While in the South Pacific the visually impaired duo visited the Marquesas Islands, sailed through the treacherous reef-strewn Tuamotus, visited the Society Islands, Cook Islands, Niue Island, the Kingdom of Tonga and most recently New Zealand where they became the first blind people to cross the Pacific Ocean. On May 10, the couple departed Opua, New Zealand on a 1,150 mile passage to Sydney, Australia. "Crossing the Tasman Sea and reaching Australia safely is a very big milestone in our bid to circumnavigate the globe," Duncan says. "It represents a major achievement reached for all disabled people, and provides blind children in Australia and throughout the world with a positive example." At the dock to greet Duncan and Habek will be Vision Australia, Australia's premier service provider for people with vision loss (www.visionaustralia.org), Sailability supporting disabled sailors throughout Australia and sponsor of the Australian paralympic racing team (www.sailability.org/au/australia/).

The Blind Circumnavigation
Fact Sheet
Who:

Scott Duncan

Age - 40

Position prior to the voyage - Associate Executive Director of the Rose Resnick Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired Email - sduncan@blindsailing.com Education - BA Sociology, BA Human Development, MA Special Education

Pamela Habek

Age - 45

Position prior to the voyage - Associate Executive Director of the Rose Resnick Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired Email - phabek@blindsailing.com Education - BS Elementary Education

What:

Scott Duncan and Pamela Habek are on a voyage to become the first legally blind people ever to circumnavigate the globe in a sailboat. Throughout their bid, Scott and Pamela will visit many ports where they will visit schools and agencies for the blind to exchange information and learn about other rehabilitation methods.

When:

The circumnavigation voyage started Oct. 11, 2004 from San Francisco.

Where:

As they circumnavigate, Duncan and Habek will be taking a westerly course.

To date, they have sailed south to Mexico, across the Pacific to French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Niue Island, Tonga and New Zealand.During this cruising season the couple plans to visit Australia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Papau New Guinea, Indonesia, Singapor and Thailand. The remainder of the voyage will take them to Madagascar, South Africa, South/Central America, transit the Panama Canal, and finally travel back north to San Francisco via Hawaii.

How:

Duncan and Habek sail aboard Starship, a 1972 Pearson cutter-rigged sailboat. Adaptations they use include: Computer GPS and plotting accessed with large print and speech output software, handheld GPS accessed with speech, specialized video magnifiers for reading traditional charts, and specially color-coded running rigging. The only sighted assistance they will accept is a guide boat to lead them into dangerous foreign ports.

Why:

In Duncan's words: First and foremost, I would probably have undertaken this goal if I were fully sighted. I grew up near the beach in Santa Monica and I have always loved the water. I was a swimmer in school, and I later became a certified diver. I have always dreamed about sailing around the world, and I am a person who deeply believes that we should all pursue our dreams. I would also like my challenge to encourage anyone living with vision loss. The world has a way of placing limitations on anyone who does not fit the "normal" mold. Unfortunately, this has been a constant theme throughout my life. From birth doctors told my parents that I would never be "normal".

"Don't expect much from him and you may consider sending him to a residential school or institution". To sail around the world will be one

more accomplishment in a long line of accomplishments made by visually impaired people that sends a signal to everyone, the capabilities bar has been raised one more notch for people who are blind. For a number of years I was a staff member at Camp Bloomfield (www.fjb.org) and later I became the Camp Director at Enchanted Hills Camp (www.lighthouse-sf.org), both summer camps for blind children and teenagers.

We would sit at campfire and discuss our equality in the world and the philosophy that if we tried hard enough then we could accomplish just about anything. In some way this effort is a way for me to put my money where my mouth was and do something truly challenging. If I succeed I will be pleased. If I fail, I will be pleased for trying. If I don't do this, I will always wonder why I never tried.

In Habek's Words

Sailing has always been in my blood. I grew up in Maine on Mount Desert Island and my father worked as a sailboat rigger for Hinckley Yachts.

Growing up in rural New England I never had the chance to interact with other blind children, and sighted people always told me what I could andcould not accomplish. It took me until the age of twenty-three, when I moved to San Francisco, to challenge my family's perceptions of my capabilities. I met many blind people who served as role models and I pushed my own boundaries to achieve independence. I am participating in this voyage to reach out to blind children everywhere that feel all alone.

How Much:

Boat and equipment $200,000

Circumnavigation Expenses $175,000

Although the couple owns the circumnavigation boat already, they are currently seeking sponsorship from corporate and private sources.

The Blind Circumnavigation is proudly sponsored by Humanware, a New Zealand based global provider of assistive technology products for people with vision loss. Humanware has offices in Australia. A key discussion point is how Duncan and Habek use a number of Humanware products aboard Starship. For more information about Humanware products visit www.humanware.com.

Other sponsors include: Ai Squared, American Foundation for the Blind, Atomic Concept Group, ATN, Inc., Club Nautique, IceBreaker, Icom, KVH, Living Skills Center, Mariner's Hardware, Maritime Trading Group, Monitor Windvane, Mustang Survival, Navionics, Pro Selections Inc., Raymarine, Sal's Inflatables, Santa Clara Valley Blind Center, Sendero Group, Soroptimists International, Untouched World, Viking Liferaft, and Zone Perfect.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 24 May 2007 )