disabled access sailing holidays / about us

Anthony Magou is actively involved in the world of leisure sailing charters. We asked him to say a few words about his novel idea.
“In September 2003 a ‘crazy’ idea was born...To offer our cruising sailboats to handicapped individuals!
Many people laughed at us, while others insisted it was impossible…
We sought advice and recommendations from a variety of individuals with special needs, who eagerly came to see what we were talking about, with the sincere hope that there was at least a slight possibility that our ‘crazy’ idea could become a reality…
Everybody had a different opinion. One said that even though access to boarding the boat was wide we should dismiss the idea of bringing aboard individuals in wheelchairs… Meanwhile, another said that we could accommodate even wheelchair-bound individuals if…Everybody had something to contribute that was instructive for us with regard to the requirements and desires of individuals who had special needs. Then, we also sought the “expert’s” opinions. But try and find real “experts”. Most of them didn’t take the time to even consider the idea we were proposing, let alone come to see us.
We wasted 4-5 months this way, and the idea increasingly seemed more and more impossible. Thankfully, there were individuals, who weren’t expecting anything in return, who supported us psychologically and gave us the courage to continue in our efforts…
We couldn’t disappoint them, especially when we could see how vividly they were imagining sailing in the Saronic. But it was difficult: it was February and the boats weren’t bobbing in their slip on a sunny summer day, they were sitting as if they were still in the factory…
Nevertheless, wedding our friends’ desires, the experts’ opinions, and our active imaginations, we believed that our idea, while difficult to realize, was definitely not impossible…
At that moment, what helped us tremendously was the following thought process: OK then, so maybe we can’t prepare all of the boats, but let’s fix one so that we can at least take our quadriplegic friend, and former sailor, Panagiotis Tsiganos out for a sail. After all, he loved sailing and was involved with the Greek branch of Sailability (a sailing club for those who have small dinghies). The commercial aspect lost its relevance. Now, it was a personal goal. We couldn’t, and wouldn’t, let anybody or anything stop our friend from sailing with us on our boat! Not even his quadriplegia…We also benefited from something that Nick Voulgaropoulos said, “If I want to go sailing, I am going to go, even if I have to be tied to the guardrails…When you go sailing you don’t expect to have all the comforts of home…”
And so, we embarked on “fixing” our boat, according to what we had decided had to be done. After working 12-16 hour days, 7 days a week, for 2 months we were ready to unveil the first handicapped-accessible sailboat in Greece, and the only one in the world that could accommodate individuals with special needs. Now, even those with special needs could cruise on a sailboat for vacation without limits or preconditions. The Solis Invictis was ready. (The sun is the only thing that can’t be conquered, everything else can be. How prophetic was the name we chose for our boat 2 years ago…).
Others were trying to do the same thing in different parts of the world and we were inspired by their attempts initially. But they were working within parameters that we overcame, such as special quays, mandatory docking lengthwise, and lake conditions to cite three examples.
By now, it’s a well-known fact that a handicapped individual or one with special needs can enjoy his vacation with his friends and/or family on one of our sailboats. Basically, we offer our sailboats to anybody who loves the ocean and wants to enjoy it in comfort and safety. Our sailboats are ideal for groups and families who may have any kind of special need. For example, families with young children, older adults, and pregnant women.
In addition to organizing vacations, in the near future we would like to compete in off-shore sailing races with crew comprised of individual with special needs, and to offer sailing courses for individuals with special needs. The Piraeus Sailing Club has shown its intent and interest in providing opportunities for anybody who wants to get involved with sailing to be able to do so, regardless of their physical condition, in many different ways. For example, it hosts the boats of Sailability Hellas and the athletes in the Para-Olympics. It also organized and hosted the World Sailing Championship for Individuals with Special Needs last September. It was the perfect venue for such an event. The Club was generous with its facilities and its support for all of us who are engaged in this endeavor.
From the beginning we had the unwavering support of the National Paraplegic Society in general, and two of its members in particular. When we were ready the whole board embrassed our effort and gave us much support, for which we are grateful. Those who acknowledge and accept what we are trying to do strengthen the moral justification of what we do, and strengthen us as well to continue in our efforts. One of our current aspirations is to collaborate with Athens 2004 by offering our services during the Olympics and ParaOlympics: whether this is by welcoming and entertaining visitors with special needs or providing our boats as escorts during the sailing competitions. We would like raise awareness all over the world that in Greece, every once in a while, we can achieve goals that other countries, that may be better organized or more advanced in some aspects, can not. A vacation spent sailing in Greece is indeed possible for individuals with special needs. While our sidewalks and roads may not be wheelchair-friendly yet, our seas most certainly are!”

A Second Chance
By: Thanos Andronikos and Panagiotis Skiathitis
Photographs: Nick Marcobotsaris

It isn’t our usual practice--to test a boat that is no longer being built--but we decided to make an exception in this case because of this particular Atoll 43. It is one of the few boats, or perhaps the only one, that has been modified to accommodate passengers with special needs.
We were eager to test the Atoll 43 Modified in order to objectively assess if this boat really does provide, first and foremost, a safe, and second, a comfortable sailing experience for individuals with special needs. Admittedly, our expertise lies in how a boat performs at sea, not in how, or whether, it meets specific needs of passengers. So, two individuals, both with special needs, came aboard this trip to help us determine how successfully the modifications safely and comfortably accommodate passengers with special needs.

The Atoll 43: its troubled past
The Atoll 43 was the inspiration of Olivier Poncin. He envisioned a line of three boats, of which the Atoll 43 was the first (the others were 37 feet and 50 feet), that would be used solely for charters. We saw the Atoll 43 at the 1998 Paris Boat Show; and soon thereafter we had the opportunity to test it in Greek waters. From the beginning, things did not bode well for this boat. The troubles began while it was still in the design stage: its sloping windshield around the coach roof was not approved. Then, while it was being exhibited at the Boat Show, a potential customer, who was a lawyer, complained and questioned the legality of marketing the boat exclusively to charter agencies. Duly, Dufour’s legal department recommended that the shipyard drop this project of building boats solely for charter companies, as it was not in accordance with French law. In addition, its peculiar (and arguably, not very attractive for most) appearance can be understood as a reflection of the thinking at that time. Before introducing the Atoll, Dufour had entered, and stimulated, the market for catamarans with the introduction of its line of Nautitech catamarans, which ranged from 38 to 82 feet. Ôo create demand for its catamarans, Dufour’s selling strategy claimed that the catamarans were a smart investment opportunity since supposedly the demand for chartering catamarans in the Mediterranean far exceeded the supply of catamarans in the region. Some people were persuaded by such assertions and bought the catamarans. Dufour was confident that people’s preferences would increasingly lean towards sailing with catamarans because they had qualities that people wanted, but couldn’t get, from monohulls. For instance, they provided large and roomy spaces, panoramic views, and high speeds. A little later, Dufour came up with the idea of designing a monohull boat that combined the best of both worlds. That is, they designed a monohull that could also provide roomy spaces, panoramic views, and high speeds. And, that is how the Atoll 43 was born. The company’s history does not justify either one of these moves. Similarly, it does not justify other choices that Dufour made, a shipyard that was constantly creating new lines (e.g., Atoll, Classic, Trophy, Gib’Sea, Central Cockpit, Duo, Nautitech, ACM Dufour, and White Shark) for which there was not a corresponding demand. Not surprisingly, a paper giant was created and by the middle of 2002 it weaknesses were exposed. Presently, after undertaking numerous major changes, the Dufour shipyard has finally found its way.

A unique boat
Philippe Briand was the man chosen to design the newly conceived “monomaran” or “monocat”, as the Atoll 43 was described by the people at Dufour, since it was neither a catamaran nor a monohull, but a combination of the two. To confuse matters, at the same time, Aquitaine Innovations, Yves Parlier’s first Open 60 design, was referred to as a “monomaran” as well by the trade publications because of its wing mast. Up until that point, the wing mast was found only on catamarans. According to the judgment of Dufour’s sales department, the strongest selling points of their catamarans were the panoramic views from the saloon, the large spaces, and a cockpit that was well-protected from the elements. Philippe Briand had to find a way to incorporate these elements into a monohull boat. He resolved this by significantly increasing the boat’s beam and creating one unified space by combining the areas of the deck saloon and the cockpit. This way, with the deck saloon raised to the same level as the cockpit, panoramic views are available from anywhere in the saloon. Concomitantly, the cockpit is protected from the sun and water by a plastic hard top with a sliding sun roof. Curiously, this design innovation has not been replicated since then. Also in the deck saloon area are the galley and some storage spaces. Importantly, for our purposes, what is particularly appealing about the Atoll 43 is that it provides not only an especially large area that is easily accessible from the stern, but also a well-protected space. Basically, the boat is divided into two separate levels. On the second, lower level are four double cabins and two heads.

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