2012 US Disabled Sailing Championships

October 25, 2012: It's Thursday morning and the dining room at Southwestern Yacht Club is packed. Betsy Alison, Coach for the US Paralympic Sailing Team, is putting on a racing clinic for the competitors in the Rolex National Championship Regatta. As Betsy's marker squeaks across the dry-erase board, I gaze around the room in admiration. Disabled sailors have gathered from across the country, and they have brought with them an impressive variety of adaptive technology. State-of-the-art prosthetic limbs and ultra-light sport wheelchairs fill the room. One sailor drives her power-chair (and her sailboat) with a joystick controlled by her chin. Amputation, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, ALS...whatever disability qualifies each of us for this regatta, we are all sailors, and we're here to race. Some competitors are old hands with years of experience. Other sailors, including myself, are relatively new to organized sailboats racing. Today is a practice day and we are sailing a few short races so competitors can get a feel for their boats, crews, and for the Racing Rules of Sailing. The Racing Rules the of Sailing is 172 pages of nautical legalese that dictates how sailors conduct a regatta. The RRS are quite comprehensive (right down to how much clothing you may wear (Rule 43.1(b): no more than 8 kilograms!) and they give sailors plenty to think about (because maneuvering a sailboat in close proximity to dozens of other moving boats isn't enough), especially when sailing back to the yacht club with a fresh hole in the side of the boat. At any time other than a race, the behavior of racing sailors would certainly be considered reckless. Anchor a committee boat in the middle of the fray, however, and all of a sudden, an inconsiderate, imprudent sailor becomes a bold tactician. Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining. Racing is fun and it's the only time you can sail this aggressively and not get cited by the Coast Guard.

October 26, 2012: The first day of actual racing and we arrive at the marina to find all the flags hanging straight down - not a breath of wind to fill our sails, thanks to the Santa Ana weather pattern that has developed. High pressure over the Southwestern US has pushed hot desert air into the area and my teammate Ryan is sweating as he paddles us out toward the race venue (Sorry bro, if I could hold a paddle I would). The race committee has postponed the noon start for lack of wind, but the breeze starts to fill in around 1pm. We manage to get in two races before the 4pm cut-off and Ryan and I notch a 4th and a 2nd in the heats, leaving us in a respectable 3rd place overall...we are cautiously optimistic.

October 27, 2012: Saturday, our second day of racing and we are excited to get out there and grab some bullets (1st place in a heat). The beautiful weather has inspired every possible boater in San Diego to get out on the water. San Diego Bay is churning with the boat wakes of excursion vessels,navy warships, and large power-yachts and the tiny Martin 16 is bobbing about like a rubber duck in a bathtub. To save time, the race organizers have towed most of the fleet out to the racecourse. The wind is more cooperative today, but our boat is not. I find the steering very stiff and I struggle to make the minute course corrections that can mean the difference between a fast close-hauled reach and luffing sails. After two good starts we are frustrated to see our competitors leaving us in their wake. We sail past a safety boat and ask them to inspect our underwater appendages... our suspicions are confirmed: somewhere along the way we have snagged some kelp with our bulb keel. We back the boat down, lose the cursed seaweed, and sail the third and final race of the day. Two 5ths and a 4th knock us down to fifth overall. Cursed Seaweed.

October 28, 2012: After a last-minute adjustment to the tension in the steering lines that connect my joystick helm to the boat's rudder, I was both elated and infuriated. The boat now steered the way it should and I was kicking myself for having not fixed it yesterday. The wind was very light today and, unlike the previous few days, was expected to stay light (10 knots or less). A handily sailed 2nd place in the first heat had our spirits up- I was thrilled to have good helm control and we were sailing well. And then the wind dropped. We drifted around the marks until the tide carried us sideways across the finish line into 4th place for the heat. We improved to 4th place overall for the regatta, finishing just shy of the podium. Nonetheless, I had fun, finished every race, avoided injury/drowning, met some inspiring people, and took home a cool hat. I look forward to applying all I learned (which was more than I expected on many levels) at the next race. I can't adequately express my gratitude and admiration to Southwestern Yacht Club, US Sailing, Challenged America, and the crew of volunteers that made this event happen. Without people and organizations like you, a lot of sailors like me would be stranded, watching regattas from the beach. Thank you!

It Begins With a Twitch

Slow progress is better than no progress. In the 19 months (time flies) since my injury, my left hand has shown no signs of motor control-until now! Confirmed by my PT, I'm getting minor flexion in my fingers when I attempt to form a fist. Recovery may not come in leaps and bounds, but I'm grateful for it however it comes. As long as I keep seeing improvement, I'm motivated to keep working at it...there's no knowing what else will come back!

STRAP IN!

I wanted to do something special for my brother Joe on his birthday. We had visited the Torrey Pines Gliderport for a scenic lunch a few days earlier and he had been pretty excited watching the gliders fly back and forth along the bluffs and out over the sea. I was determined to turn his "I want to do that!" into "I've done that!"  Having paraglided 14 years ago in Utah, I knew what an amazing experience Joe was in for. What I had not planned on was going up for a flight myself.

While I was waiting for Joe to complete his paperwork I was approached by the facility owner, Robin, who asked if I wanted to fly. Knowing next to nothing about what is involved in a tandem paraglider flight, I immediately convinced myself that sending a quadriplegic aloft had to be a royal pain in the ass.
"Don't worry- it's a piece of cake," Robin assured me, "we'll have you up before your brother finishes his paperwork- and your flight's on me." How could I refuse?






I drove my chair out on to the grassy slope that serves as the launch and landing pad for the gliderport, followed Robin to a lawn chair and parked beside it. A seat harness was spread out across the chair and Robin, along with a staff member, easily transferred me from one chair to the next. Four metallic carabiner-clicks, a couple of pulls on reinforced nylon straps and I was ready. Bob my instructor, who had already launched his wing and was "kiting" it over his head effortlessly, casually walked over and connected my harness to his riser assembly. Almost instantly, I felt myself being lifted from the chair as the wing took up the combined load of Bob and myself. We bobbed around a bit like bull-riders in the gate as Bob adjusted to the increased load. Then Robin and another staffer walk/jogged with us to help stabilize the load and 15 feet later we were airborne!

I had to remind myself to breathe as the bluffs dropped away beneath us and I found myself 500 feet above the Pacific surf rolling up onto Black's Beach. As the sea breeze comes off the ocean and hits the Torrey Pines bluffs, the airflow is channeled up.This vertical air movement is what enables gliders to remain aloft for extended periods of time, as long as the wind keeps blowing. We circled around for the photographer, who was standing at the edge of the cliff with his camera snapping these photos, and a few minutes later Joe was aloft and flying next to us with his instructor Ki.

Imagine my delight when Bob asked me if I wanted to drive! Despite my limited hand function, I was able to slip my fists through the straps of the brake lines and hook them with my wrists. Bob pointed out some landmarks to steer for to ensure that I kept us in the air flow as we traveled along the bluffs. Whenever we felt lift, Bob told me to circle back so that we could gain more altitude.  We flew back and forth along the bluffs, climbing with the up-drafts, descending occasionally in a spiraling turn before catching and riding another column of air back up to altitude. At one point I heard laughter above and looked up to see Joe reaching out and grabbing the tip of our wing. Icarus had nothing on us!

20 minutes later and entirely too soon, Bob informed me that it w as time to head back and land. We circled around behind the glider port so that we could make an up-wind approach into the landing zone.  Bob eased us back to Earth and we touched down with no more force than if he had stepped off an escalator. I found myself sitting in the grass, smiling ear to ear, knowing that I would come back and do this again!

Thanks to Robin and all the folks at Torrey Pines Gliderport!

June 11, 2012

Wow! I can't believe how quickly time has passed since my last post. It's been a busy seven weeks! My brother Joe has moved here from Michigan and we are now roommates sharing an apartment just a few blocks from where I had been staying with Molly and Charlie. We are all on the edge of our seats with anticipation as the Colvins' new tenant will be here any day!
 
Joe has started sailing with Challenged America and will soon be certified as a companion sailor- a key member of the team, as every disabled sailor in the program relies on an able-bodied crew to ensure safety. It doesn't take long to realize how small and slow a Martin 16 is when you've got Navy warships and large merchant vessels steaming past on the bay! We had a great sail last Saturday and Joe has already proven himself a capable crewman. We are looking forward to some great sailing this season...go Team Berkey!

April 25, 2012

I extend my heartfelt thanks to Challenged America and the Chula Vista Yacht Club for putting on the first annual "Dash to Chula Vista" this past weekend. The entire Challenged America fleet of eight Martin 16's competed in a two day race series from Harbor Island to Chula Vista and back again. I'm happy to say that my shipmate Dave Meyer and I took first place in the south-bound Race 1 on Saturday! Unfortunately, my performance was lackluster Sunday (7th place), but we were pleased to take home a trophy for third place overall.
     Much more important than trophies, however, is the experience of getting out of the water and sailing! In the fleet, we had paraplegic sailors, quadriplegic sailors, deaf sailors,and blind sailors- we ALL had a great time. It couldn't happen without a lot of hard work by a generous group of volunteers. For each sailor in the competition, there were three or four volunteers working to rig the boats, assist the sailors in and out of the cockpits, put on post-race parties, and clean up the entire mess when we finished.
    Special thanks go to my friend/tactician/bodyguard/chauffeur Dave Meyer. I can't thank him enough for not giving me more flak as I sit idly on the dock, watching him rig/de-rig our boat each time we go out sailing. Did I mention that he has not once dropped me in the water? Dave, you are the man!
    I hope to have some photos to post soon!

March 27, 2012

Last weekend, Challenged America kicked off the the 2012 racing season with the first of a series of monthly regattas. Although I was unable to sail in all four heats of the race,I was happy to get second and fourth in the first two races. I'm looking forward to racing again next month!

The all-volunteer crew at Challenged America does a great job of providing boating experiences to the disabled community. They understand how much our quality of life is enhanced by getting out on the water. Selflessly giving their time and energy, these people maintain, repair, and rig the boats for participants, help us get in and out of the boats safely, and act as crew to make sure everything goes okay out on the bay. And to top it off this whole production is put on free of charge to the participants. Thanks Challenged America!

February 26, 2012

If you have a few minutes to kill, the following link is worth watching. Josh Dueck is my new hero! It's important to dangle good motivational carrots from the end of the stick and this clip gets me fired up. Check this badass out at www.wimp.com/sitski/

It's been almost seven weeks since I received my stem cell treatment. While every spinal cord injury is unique, 3 to 6 months is the predicted window of peak benefit. I continue regular physical therapy and weight training as well as hand cycling several days each week. I am also attending the Neuromuscular Connection, a clinic in Orange County that's using laser therapy to stimulate regeneration of neural pathways.

I'm happy to report that I continue to enjoy modest improvements in muscle function and strength in areas that were already active. I'm also feeling slightly increased core muscle recruitment below the level of my injury both in my mid-back and my abs. While the feeling of "tightness" is still fairly weak, any change-any feeling at all-is welcome. I'm also experiencing new "sensations" in my legs that, despite a continued lack of motor control or sense of touch, are encouraging just for the fact that they're new.

Thanks again for your support and prayers! I look forward to reporting further progress over the coming weeks and months.

February 6, 2012

I'm all about the gadgets. I use splints formed of thermoplastic to help me type, a wrist-activated grabber to retrieve items from the ground, and tongs made from a potato chip bag-clip and two paint sticks help me extract surface wipes from their canister. Necessity is the mother of improvisation and as a result I frequently stumble upon new and clever ways to utilize everyday objects. A bungee cord enables me to open a drawer whose handles I cannot grasp. I insert silverware into flexible irrigation pipe because the larger diameter handle is easier for my hand to hold. As a matter of fact, I'm not even typing this blog entry. I'm speaking through Dragon voice-recognition software. Despite the time I spend making corrections, using this dictation program puts text on the screen much more quickly than my painfully slow typing(which wasn't any faster when I had the use of my hands). I'm one lucky primate to have such a vast array of technology and technique available. As I work toward recovery and independence I'm always on the lookout for tricks and trinkets to help me be more productive.

January 27, 2012

A year has passed since I fell and injured my spinal cord. It's a date I'll never forget, but not exactly one that inspires jubilation. What IS cause for celebration is the fact that I'm still here! It has been a challenging year, to say the very least, but with the help of my family and friends, I've made it through. Words can't express how grateful I am for the kindness and generosity of all of you who have rallied to my support. I look to the future with hope, bolstered by the knowledge that whatever challenges I face, I am not alone.

January 10, 2011

I'm sitting in my private suite at Hospital Angeles with my Brother Dan. It's actually the nicest hospital room I've ever seen. The staff is attentive, competent, and professional. I feel that I am in good hands here. Today's stem cell procedure went well and I'll be discharged tomorrow. The doctors harvested approximately 300ml of adipose fat (I have plenty to spare), isolated the stem cells, and injected them into my cerebrospinal fluid both above and below my injury site. Some stem cells were also transplanted via IV to provide systemic benefits. I'm excited to work hard, build strength, and continue my recovery (augmented by the stem cells). I'll be watching my progress and will keep you all updated. Thank you all so much for your love and support- without you we couldn't make this happen!

Love Berkey

January 9, 2012

Happy 2012! Beginning a new year brings to mind fresh starts, resolutions for self-improvement, and commitments to making things better than they were last year. Today I am filled with the excitement of possibility. In a few hours, my brother Dan and I will drive to Mexico and check in to the Angeles Hospital for a three-day visit.

Tomorrow, The Regenerative Medicine Institute will harvest stem cells from my adipose tissue and inject them intrathecally into my cerebrospinal fluid. After the procedure I'll continue to work hard at physical therapy and we'll see what happens. Science! I'm acutely aware of the uncertainty and skepticism regarding stem cell therapy. I also know the proliferation of research and clinical trials in the field tells me of the promising results and flat-out miracles happening every day. Roll the dice with me and hope for the best!