sailing after stroke

Carry on cruising

Sailing after a stroke

Carry on Cruising, 1962

“Now then. I am going to be very blunt and make some cutting remarks.”

“Now then. I am going to be very blunt and make some cutting remarks.”

• Our experience– Before Sam’s stroke– After Sam’s stroke– What we can do

• Keep on cruising– Do you need to give up?

• Stay healthy– Stroke is more likely than you think

OUR EXPERIENCE

Sailing as a family

• When Sam & I moved in together in 1986, the first thing we bought was a cafetiere…

• ...and the second thing we bought was a Miracle dinghy

• Several flotilla holidays & charters

• A Peanut• A Topper• A Winkle Brig• A Sadler 29, Magewind• And in 2005 our current

boat, a Westerly Storm – Kalessin of Orwell

Over the years we’ve added…

And we have sailed…

River Medway

The Broads

BelgiumNetherlands

France

Spain

PortugalBalearics

Baltic Germany

Denmark

Holidays in Greece & Turkey

French canals

East Coast

In May 2012…

• Kalessin was in a shed in Augustenborg, Denmark

• Camilla was working in London

• Sam was due to go out for the start of the season but was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation…

• ...and three days later he suffered a massive stroke

Here he is a few days after the stroke

When Sam came home

Getting back to sailing

• October 2012 – we managed one sail at the very end of the season, with thanks to the Nancy Oldfield trust

But what about Kalessin?

• Sell her and take up Broads boating

• Keep her but leave Sam at home

• Carry on cruising… even when it’s hard work– We decided to give it a

try

Looking for help

Thank you Rob

This is the method we evolved

• Sam wears a lifejacket and a climbing harness. The main halyard is attached to the harness

How we do it

• Step 1. Sam uses his wheelchair to get down the jetty (dependent on tides). The halyard is attached to the climbing harness and he walks down the finger pontoon

How we do it

• Step 2. We drop the guardrails and Sam sits on the side-deck. I swing his legs aft so that he is half-lying down and start winching

How we do it

• Step 3. Once he is lifted enough to clear the gunwale I swing him inboard. The cockpit tent was designed to zip back so we can do this

How we do it

• Step 4. I manoeuvre him over the cockpit seat, and lower him gently on to a cushion.

• Time for a G&T

Getting over the bow is trickier

• We use the main halyard to get Sam as far as the mast, then change to the spinnaker halyard

Getting over the bow is trickier

• There is a loop in the spinnaker halyard with a rope attached to it. We need at least one additional crew member to haul this rope which is attached either to a cleat…

• …or to a passer-by

What Sam can do on board

• Get around in the cockpit• Get around below (unless it’s very rough)• Get in and out of the heads• Wash up • Sleep in the forepeak – with a bit of help• Relax & enjoy sailing• Tell us when we’re doing

something wrong

What Sam can’t do on board

• Helm for extended periods• Navigation• Engine or other repairs• Foredeck work• Jump off to attach mooring lines• Get on or off a dinghy… as far as we know• Feel independent

And that means….

• Frustration• 44% of stroke

survivors break up with their partner or consider doing so

What this means for me• I’m ok with navigation, sailing,

helming, mooring & domestics• YM Offshore to boost confidence• I have learned more about the

engine and other systems (especially the loo) – RYA marine diesel, plumbing & electrics courses

• Frustrating lack of physical strength

• Making life easier & outsourcing work

Where can we get to?

Denmark & Germany, 2013

Up the Thames, 2014Belgium & Dutch

Delta, 2015

Southern Brittany, 2016

Also…

Canaries to Madeira, 2016

KEEP ON CRUISING

Keeping on cruising

• Any degree of disability may be enough for people to give up sailing – often with regret

• CA membership drops off sharply after the age of 75

• Sometimes one partner is ready to give up and the other one is not

• Many people sail into their 80s and beyond

Joan Heywood was 98 when this picture was taken

Keeping on cruising: some options

• Take on extra crew• Cruises in company• Adapt your boat & home berth• Moderate your sailing ambitions• Ask for help• Charter more accessible boats• Change to a boat that’s easier to manage• Sail with a charity

• Take on extra crew– Ask family and friends– Use the CA crewing

service– Use fitter friends or a

yacht delivery service to get the boat to a cruising ground

– Make sure you will get on, and agree the ground rules



• Cruises in company– Someone else

does a lot of the planning and booking

– There are always others around to help


• Moderate your sailing ambitions– Is now the right time to tackle the Northwest

Passage?• Stay closer to home

– Coastal rather than open sea– Inland rather than coastal

• Stay in Europe

• Ask for help– Phone ahead to book a berth

• Consider an area with modest tides, or none

• Plan ahead!

• Ask for help– Phone ahead to

book a berth


Keeping on cruising: a better boat?

• Charter before buying if you can• Act now, not when you can no longer

manage your existing boat• Sadly, almost no boats are designed to be

accessible • Motor may be better than sail

Keeping on cruising: a better boat?

STAY HEALTHY

Stroke: the facts• In the UK, on average, someone suffers a stroke every

three and a half minutes. Worldwide, it’s every two seconds

• There are 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK• Stroke is one of the largest causes of complex disability

in the world – half of all stroke survivors have a disability• More than a third of stroke survivors in the UK are

dependent on others• By the age of 75, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 6 men will have

had a stroke

• 80% of strokes are preventable

Risk Factors

Obesity

Family history orethnicity

Previous stroke & TIA

Age

Binge drinking & substance misuse

Inactivity Heart

disease & AF

High blood pressureHormonal contraception & HRT

Smoking

High cholesterol

Diabetes

Act FAST

Other symptoms include:•Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body•Sudden confusion•Sudden dizziness or unsteadiness •Sudden visual problem•Severe headache

sailing after stroke

Lifestyle