Seth IFDS Multihull World Championship

Seth IFDS Multihull World Championship
Seth Cascais Worlds 2008 - World Championship IFDS Challenger Class, which takes place between Wednesday and Saturday, started Tuesday with the Practice Race . The strong wind was the dominant factor, and Bento Amaral, the first Portuguese Sailor to qualify for the Paralympics Games Sailing event, classified in 9th position.

It was a special day for the 28th sailors from 12 countries who are in Cascais. The first day was difficult due to strong winds, but all the sailors were happy with the event.

Bento Amaral, who with Antonio Santos and Bruno Pereira, defends the Portuguese colours, was happy with the Challenger Trimaran: the boat is spectacular and is very demanding for of the sailors physically. There are several controls which I can’t manage correctly, but we are working on some modifications.”

Diana Campbell is the person behind the Challeger trimaran. This Englishwoman, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and was confined to a wheelchair from the age of seven, loved sailing. In the sixties, Diana purchased a catamaran and from that concept, asked Rod Macalpine Downey to design a boat specifically for handicapped sailors that would be fast fun and safe to sail. The first Challenger was built in 1980 by Cheesman Rollo & Co and sponsored by the RYA Seamanship Foundation.

The Seth Cascais Worlds 2008 is a continuation of the successful programme for disabled sailing called Vela Sem Limites which started in 2005 and is a joint programme between the Clube Naval de Cascais, the Camara Municipal de Cascais and Cercica. It provides continuous sailing throughout the year for the disabled of Cascais council, providing an open air activity with therapeutic benefits for all.

www.sethcascaisworlds.com