Hi. I’m Lali and I have ataxia. In this blog I will tell you about my adventurous journey of the Atlantic crossing.
I flew out to the Canary Islands really not knowing what to expect. I remember seeing this enormous tall ship with huge, shining wooden masts and white, pristine sails. I was so excited; I thought that was the ship I was to sail across the Atlantic on.
I hadn’t met any of the crew before; everything was new and different to me. It was mid November and I was hot. There were people swimming in the sea and walking around in swimming costumes and it was great. I was away from the horrible, wet mud and icy frost in England for once, in winter.
It turned out, that the amazing boat was not the ship I was to go on and when I did see my tall ship that looked lopsided with much smaller, grey wooden masts and rusty, flaky painted sides. I’m sorry but I have to admit, I was a little disappointed.
The Jubilee Sailing trust is charity which allows disabled people on tall ship sailing adventures. There are different voyages; some daytrips, some one or two week trips and once a year, one of the ships sails’ across the Atlantic Ocean and that takes’ a month. There are two tall ships, built thirty years ago with stair lifts and other handicap gadgets like hand rails, disabled loos and shower so disabled people can go on the boats named, ‘Lord Nelson’ and ‘Tenacious’.
I sailed on ‘Lord Nelson’, stopping at the Verde islands, which are grey and barren volcanic islands with poor people who are very musical and rather attractive. They don’t have much but they are happy, smiling people. So far the vibe is great and I can’t wait to see what I will experience. Bring on the adventure…!
Follow Lali on social media, Instagram: @alalia.cardozo
