Anthony Mangos 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!”