Rising to challenge of life on the ocean waves

JULIAN Megson has big ambitions.

He is planning to sail single-handedly around Britain and Ireland later this year, followed by an epic trans-Atlantic crossingin 2013if all goes according to plan.

It is a tall order for anyone, but for a man who lives in land-lockedSkipton and took up serious sailing only in his late 30s,it is ambitious. What makes Julian's challenge even more impressive is the fact that he was born with spina bifida,which means hefinds walking a struggle and his balance isaffected.

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"I have spina bifida, a disability which affects the nervous system in the spine. It means that I have difficulty with my walking which is awkward and takes a lot of energy. But I feel fortunate as I am still able to sail a boat without much difficulty.

"In some ways, sailing puts me at the same level as other people, it really doesn't affect my ability to sail at all. Everyone struggles to balance on a boat so it is a great leveller.

"For onceit makes me the same as everyone else."

Julian says he has always had a fascination for boats ever since his parents used to take him on trips to the seaside as child growing up in Bradford.

"I started sailing in my late 30s and have always loved messing around on the water. The sea has always had a certain draw and fascination for me.

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On visits to the seaside, I would stare out to sea at the boats sailing by and wish I was out there with them. I would imagine what it would be like to sail by the power of the wind only and go beyond the horizon, out of sight of land and alone.Just me and a boat."

The turning point for Julian came when a friend bought him Ellen MacArthur's book Taking on the World. She wrote the bookafter completing the "Vende Globe" round the world yacht race.

"In it, she describes how she saved up her school dinner money until she had enough to buy a small sail boat. Surely, if she could do it that way, there was hope for me."

Sure enough,Julian did find some small sail boats for sale and at prices whichhe thought were attainable. Sohe allowed the idea to mull over for a while.

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Before heallowed himself to get carried away with the idea,he decided to go on asailing course.

"I had to find out whethermy disability was going to allow me to be able to handle a boat and be able to move freely around on deck. The other important thing to check was that I didn't become afraid of the sea when the going got tough."

So with the latter in mind he booked an RYA "Competent Crew" course in the Irish Sea in February, hoping for somebad weather to test both his nerve and his physical ability.

"The weather unfortunately was calm for the first few days, but the good news was there was at least a force eight gale due for the coming Thursday.

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"The storm delivered the goods. During a night sail on the Thursday, I knew there and then that sailing was for me."

Julian quickly acquired his first boat with a friend, Chris Kiaie, who he met on a RYA "Day Skipper" theory course.

They bought a 21ft sailing boat together and moored her at Whitby and he would take her out at weekends and whenever he got the chance.

But once he had mastered the boat and learned to love the open seas, he started to feel the need to challenge himself further.

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"I've always been the sort of person who wants to push himself. I have never let my disabilities hold me back and have always been a bit of a doer.

"If anything, it makes me more determined to succeed. People who know me don't think of me as being disabled. It is obvious when you see me walk there's no disguising it."

Julian was diagnosed with spina bifida at birth and had to have an operation on his spine when he was just a few days old.

Spina bifida is a birth defect that involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord or its coverings. It is usually is detected before a baby is born and treated right away. The causes are largely unknown.

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Julian attended a special school for children with disabilities in Bradford before attending a mainstream secondary school. And he never let the fact that he struggled to walk or play sport get in his way.

"I never came across any bullying or anything like that. I think possibly because I just got on with things. I mucked in with everyone else and never really had a problems."

He adopts the same determination when he is sailing and in three short years since taking up sailing he has achieved a lot.

Julian, 43, teamed up with top yachtsman Steve Wright and helped crew on his Open Race 60 yacht. He also crewed on a65ft yacht on a 1,200-mile journey from the Azores to Plymouth. All this has done little more than fuel his appetite for a bigger challenge and so he has decided to sail singled-handedly unassisted around Britain and Ireland.

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"It has been done before by people with disabilities but they have taken around three months to do it; I want to do it in three or four weeks."

But even this challenge is a warm up for Julian's real ambition: to compete against able-bodied sailors in the OSTAR – the original single-handed trans-Atlantic race.

"Crossing the Atlantic single-handedlyis my ultimate dream," explains the dad-of-one. "Once I realised that was my goal I thought; why not do it as part of a race and see how well I can do. It isn't just about competing against other people, it is about pushing myself to the limit.

"There is something so amazing about sailing single-handedly. You are responsible for everything. Putting it together is a massive team effort, but once you are out in the open sea it is all down to you."

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Before he can even start to plan the trans-Atlantic challenge, Julian still has a number of hurdles to cross before he can take on the Britain and Ireland 'warm-up'.

"I desperately need a sponsor; sailing is not a cheap sport."

He needs to raise at least 30,000 to ensure the trip can go ahead.

"I realise it is hard times, but I am absolutely positive it will happen."

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Julian's wife Fiona met him before he started his love affair with sailing and she jokingly refers to it as his mid-life crisis. But she is in full support of her husband and the challenges he has set himself.

"I really want to prove to people with disabilities that 'foolish dreams' can come true no matter what difficulties life has presented."

That is one of the reasons he has teamed up with the Association of Spina Bifida and Hyrdrocephalus, whose motto is "Ability beyond Disablity".

"That really sums up exactly what I am about," says Julian.

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"I knew that I wanted to work with them not only to raise money for the charity but to raise awareness of Spina bifida."

Julian does not think too far into the future. He knows his condition could deteriorate in later life, but this just makes him more determined to succeed today.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Julian should visit julianmegson.com

WHAT IS SPINA BIFIDA?

The term spina bifida comes from Latin and literally means "split" or "open" spine. Spina bifida occurs at the end of the first month of pregnancy when the two sides of the embryo's spine fail to join together, leaving an open area. In some cases, the spinal cord or other membranes may push through this opening in the back. The condition usually is detected before a baby is born and treated right away. The causes are largely unknown. Some evidence suggests that genes may play a role. A high fever during pregnancy may increase a woman's chances of having a baby with spina bifida.

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