A ship crewed by differently abled : KOCHI

 The crew of Lord Nelson which docked in Kochi, on an outing on Monday

'All abilities, All aboard’ is what they believe in; and they practise the same. Lord Nelson, a unique tall ship which docked in Kochi on Saturday, has crew with disabilities sailing alongside others on a ground-breaking voyage across the globe.

“It’s a purpose-built vessel. We follow a buddy system where one disabled crew member is paired with an able-bodied crew member. Everyone joins in for tasks like navigation, setting sail and taking care of the watch system. Here, everyone is able to handle the steering. We have disabled-friendly equipment and systems,” pointed out Captain Barbara Campbell from Scotland, commanding officer of the vessel.

The ship, designed and built to let people with disabilities sail along with others, has special features like braille signs, hearing loops, talking compass, lifts and a bowsprit which is wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs. The crew comprises of 50 people including eight permanent crew members, volunteers and about 40 crew members sailing from various ports.

Once onboard, the crew members are given basic training in seamanship including navigation, said First Officer Jon West. “The vessel has a qualified nurse onboard as part of the medical team. Also we try to have a doctor during voyages,” said Captain Campbell. 

“The attempt is to enable everyone on board to tackle various jobs. It has wheelchair lifts between decks, vibrator pads fitted to the bunks to alert in the event of an emergency, power-assisted steering and adjustable tables. The crew members take part in every activity. We even hoist crew members in wheelchair aloft,” said Second Officer Lesley Asale. Earlier, Lord Nelson had arrived in Kochi on Saturday in a spectacular fashion, sailing in company with Indian Navy’s sail training ships INS Tarangini and INS Sudarshini.

The vessel, which is on a 23-month global voyage as part of Norton Rose Sail the World Challenge, offers the opportunity for disabled people to sail with others.

The ship embarked on its voyage from Southampton in UK on 21 October, 2012. In the last leg, the vessel departed from Durban in South Africa on March 3 on the 4,600-mile voyage across the Indian Ocean.

 In Kochi the vessel is scheduled to undertake charity initiatives. There’s also a coastal voyage from April 18 to 24. In the next leg of the voyage, the vessel will depart for Singapore from Kochi on May 1.


Source : The New Indian Express , kochi ( 16th April 2013 )