KAZ Rounds â??The Capeâ?? and Sails West into the Timor Sea

Sailors with disabilities passed their quarter way milestone in their circumnavigation of Australia last night, at 8:30pm Sydney time.

The group reached Cape York, the northern most point of Australia, 1645 nautical miles into their 6550 miles journey with an average boat speed of 7.3 knots over the last 225 hours – well inside the 6.2 knot average required to break the Magna Data record of just under 44 days 1999.

It is mostly a downhill trip now for crew of the 54′ Lyons designed KAZ, with the exception of the trip from Tasman Island.

Last evening, Harald MIRLIEB (deaf), Brett PEARCE (Spina Bifida), Phil ‘The Bear’ THOMPSON (arm amputee) and David PESCUD, the owner/skipper who suffers from dyslexia, were on deck and reported,

“it is a beautiful night and we are travelling seven knots southeast through the Prince of Wales passage. The boat is performing perfectly; we put up the masthead asymmetrical today and attained 8 knots of boat speed in 8 knots of breeze and the morning started with an interview on the Channel 9 Today Show. In three hours we will be in the Timor Sea with sunrise in the Gulf!! Fantastic…. Bear cannot stop grinning!!!”

With three quarters of their trek remaining, and KAZ still ahead on time to beat the record, weather reports today suggest that there is nothing stop Sailors with disabilities from achieving their dream of not only circumnavigating Australia, but of breaking a world record into the bargain, and to push their message that people with disabilities can achieve anything they put their minds to – disability is just a state of mind.