Mon 27 Nov Tall Ship sailing week.

Elise and I have just returned from 7 days of sailing on the Tenacious, a Barque, (three masted), tall ship.

Tenacious in the evening

We were part of the crew so pitched in with all the work. Hauling ropes, keeping logs of the weather and compass bearing, cleaning etc. Most of our time was spent on deck. It was a busy time.

Elise receiving instruction in steering at the helm

The weather was unseasonably warm with light wind, this made it a bit tricky as there was little wind to fill the sails some days. Added to that the generator registered a fault so the Captain decided not to exit the Bay for safety. Despite these little disappointments, the crew managed to have immense fun ... Elise won the murder game which lasted a couple of days. Being the youngest on the ship had it's advantages, she was often the centre of attention.

We sailed around Port Phillip Bay stopping on places like Portarlington and Portsea, visited smelly seals, explored the Quarantine station, observed two illegal fishing vessels, watched dolphins leap around the ship, watched the thundering skies, learnt how to steer the ship, spent hours on night watches chatting to new friends while recording weather details.

Having some assistance climbing the rigging

We both had a wonderful time with the permanent crew and the others, being so kind and helpful to Elise and the few other passengers with disabilities. Elise was quite overwhelmed with the kindness shown. Surprisingly, on this trip there were less disabled people than expected, although quite a few had hidden disabilities.

Those that were able climbed the mast and went out onto the Yards. Others were assisted by the permanent crew. We had safety lines on at all times when going aloft so felt very safe. The view was beautiful up the top and so worth the effort. It was certainly an experience that I will not forget in a hurry.

It would be quite interesting to do this trip again at a different place in completely different weather conditions - I imagine the experience would be dramatically different. One of the safety items was locking Elise's wheelchair down to the deck - necessary when the ship is on a steep angle when all sails are full. Our anti-nausea tablets were left untouched ... probably wouldn't have been the case if the wind was high. The sea was calm and beautiful.

Elise starting to be hauled up the mast

 

Touching down on the platform up very high.

Elise is just visible on the first platform

Starting my climb with the safety line at my side

Making my way out onto the Yard

I'm up on the second level of the mast

The sails are set

Getting ready to haul on rope to adjust the sails. Elise is behind a blind girl

Each rope has a strange name and a specific task. Confusing to newcomers

Chatting with fellow crew

Our captain explains setting sails on a small model ship

Thu 9 Nov. Beach and all terrain wheelchair test

The good folk from GMS Rehabilitation loaned us a Hippocampe wheelchair for a week.

First beach test ride.

The Hippocampe wheelchair is an "all terrain" chair that can enable Elise to get to places that her regular chair can't get to.
https://www.gmsrehab.com/product/hippocampe-beach-wheelchair/

We gave it a good go on sand, on rough National Park tracks and into the water. Driving right into the sea and floating out of the chair is a real advantage.

Soft sand is very difficult to move on with a regular chair. Note the wide tires.

Rough tracks can be accessed by one person pulling the rope and the other pushing.

Wheeling directly into water then floating away from the chair makes sea access easier.

Josh helped get the chair right up on the clifftop.

An emotional time for us all as we never thought Elise would see her beloved national park views again.

 

Their are a variety of "all terrain" chairs available so we have to do some testing to see what the "best fit" is for us.

Click on the link below to see video of the chair in action.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/EO70mYNDoBgjlfPJ2