A YOUNG Perth Catholic will compete in the International Blind Sailing Championships in Japan later this month.
Claremont parishioner Kylie Forth will skipper the four-person team in a fleet racing competition that will include 19 teams from six different countries.
Ms Forth said she had high hopes for the event after a strong performance in the match racing format last year in Italy.
“In 2007 we came last but every year since then we’ve climbed a bit further up the ladder, and last year we came second in the blind match racing,” she said.
Ms Forth said although sight is regarded as the easiest way of determining the course of a boat, being vision impaired did not make it impossible.
“You can basically feel through the boat, you can hear the sails; if the sails aren’t set properly they flap around and make a racket, and the boat will slow down,” she explained.
“Usually, when you’re sailing along nicely, the boat is keeled over a little bit, and it’s going nice and fast and you can feel the power in the boat.”
Ms Forth said the best way to direct the boat was to use one’s senses.
“You’re listening to the water, you’re listening to the sails, and you’re feeling how the angle of the boat is,” she said.
“We have to actually feel where the wind is coming from ourselves, so you feel on the back of your neck or your ears, or whatever it is that you’re using to know where the wind’s coming from, and that gives us the direction.”
Ms Forth said she began sailing about nine years ago, and since then her passion for the sport has continued to grow.
“I’m from the country so I didn’t actually know that sailing was a sport you could do. I thought it was for the rich people who float around on the river all day,” she said.
After joining her local sailing club, Ms Forth was soon invited to represent Australia by Victorian sailor, Paul Borg.
When Mr Borg left the team in 2007, Ms Forth took over as skipper and has since helped to build a successful national team.
The 26-year-old said sailing was an important part of her life.
“The beautiful thing about it is that you can hop on a boat and you can sail against other people … on an equal playing field,” she said.
“As well as being extremely exciting and exhilarating, it’s a good stress relief.”
In order to travel to Japan for the Championships, the Australian team is raising funds to defray the costs.
“We don’t receive any funding from the Australian Sports Commission or any of those official sources of funding,” Ms Forth said.
“We basically sell lots of chocolates and do fundraisers like quiz nights.”
One such quiz night will be held on May 10 at Ms Forth’s parish of St Thomas the Apostle in Claremont.
It is hoped that Blind Sailing is included as an event at the 2016 Paralympics.