Sailing is in Alyson Gearing’s blood — she has fond childhood memories of going out on the water with her dad, and after she had her own children, her brother invited her to compete with him in his two-person skiff.
But one challenge the 63-year-old hasn’t faced until now is the world-famous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
Gearing, who has lived with hearing loss for 20 years, knows she’ll face several obstacles during the race, including difficulties communicating with her crewmates.
“You need to be always listening for calls. You need to be listening for what’s happening,” she said.
“There’s [also] a lot of time where people sit and chat and tell stories, tell jokes, talk about sailing, their adventures, and I can’t hear it.
“It puts you in a very, very dark place.”
Gearing will race with the Making Waves Foundation team, crewing the custom-built ocean racing boat Kayle, despite almost walking away from the challenge.
Alyson Gearing lives with hearing loss, and is taking on her first Sydney to Hobart this year. (ABC Sport: Bindi Bryce)
She found herself on the team through her volunteer work with the foundation, but earlier this year struggled when competing in another race.
It became obvious how different she was compared to other sailors and their ability to hear instructions.
“I pulled out of the crew list for the Sydney to Hobart. I just couldn’t deal with it,” she said.
Kayle’s skipper John Whitfeld talked her round, assuring her that the crew had her back, with half the sailors living with disability.
“I’m still here and getting to know the crew has just been such a pleasure,” Gearing said.
“They’re all beautiful people.”
Decades of accessible sailing
The Making Waves Foundation, then known as Sailors with Disabilities, broke ground in 1994, competing for the first time in the Sydney to Hobart, crewed by people with disabilities.
They have competed in the race every year since.
This year the crew will be racing on Kayle, a yacht built specifically for accessibility, including allowing easy wheelchair manoeuvrability across most sections of the boat.
The ropes are all contained on one side, leaving open access on the other and a ramp can be attached from the dock to allow wheelchair users to easily push on board.
Netting can also be attached to the sides to ensure people with disabilities feel safe being on board.
“It’s a super seaworthy boat,” Whitfield said.
“It’s a very forgiving design, and she’s very comfortable and very sturdy, so we put a lot of trust in her.”
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This will be Whitfeld’s 30th Sydney Hobart and his third with the Making Waves sailors.
He said the most difficult aspects of the race for the team would be potential breakages and bad weather.
“If we work together as a crew, then they’re easier to overcome,” he said.
Fellow crew member David Preston, who lives with cerebral palsy, has sailed since he was 14 years old.
He is used to facing challenges in the boat and will be a guiding force for newer sailors on the crew.
“Sailing is all about teamwork, and we’ve got a great team here on the boat,” he said.
“It’s just the excitement of being able to do something really unique and different and challenge yourself.”
David Preston (wearing a red cap) lives with cerebral palsy and has been sailing since he was a teenager. (ABC Sport)
Making a difference
Since that initial race in 1994, the foundation has grown to provide opportunities for young people with disabilities to try sailing.
They have several yachts, like Kayle, built with accessibility in mind.
Making Waves runs programs across Australia that have supported more than 4,000 participants.
Many of the team in this year’s race volunteer on the Making Waves programs, eager to give back to the sailing and disability communities.
Volunteering with the Newcastle program, Gearing said not many young people with disabilities lived near sailing clubs, so they would bring in children from several hours away to have a go.
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“To see the kids on the wheel, or we’ll teach them how to pull a sheet on and let it off and watch the sail as it comes across, and then they improve throughout the sail,” she said.
“They really want to nail it.”
Preston volunteers in the Brisbane program, which has been running for two years, and he said many of the children that participate have never been on a boat or the water before.
“It makes your heart flutter, knowing you’ve made a difference,” he said.
In this year’s Sydney to Hobart, the crew is also fundraising for the foundation.
Line honours
Last year the Making Waves yacht finished an impressive 29th in the race for line honours, out of 120 boats.
For Whitfeld, the main goal is always just to finish the race.
“Beyond that, the goal I’m hoping this year is that we will improve our skills from what we’ve learned from last year,” he said.
This will be Siang Beh’s first Sydney to Hobart. (ABC Sport: Bindi Bryce)
It is the love of sailing that keeps Gearing motivated.
“I love doing deliveries, which is overnight sailing, just watching the Moon come up, watching the Moon go down, looking at the stars,” she said.
And knowing that the team will support her no matter the result.
“They’re using a lot of hand signals, they will use my name and make sure I can hear,” Gearing said.
“I could never do a Sydney to Hobart on another boat.”
