Blind Sailor Battles High Waves From Storm, Reaches Bermuda

Blind sailor Jim Dickson maneuvered his sloop Eye Opener through stormy seas and safely into a Bermuda harbor Friday for repairs needed before he resumes his attempt to cross the Atlantic alone.

“I’m very glad to be here,” Dickson said from the deck of the 36-foot sloop after tying up at a pier in St. George’s. “There were a few moments when I didn’t think I was going to make it.”

Dickson, wearing a golf shirt and shorts, steered the sloop to Bermuda through eight-foot offshore waves stirred by a tropical storm. He docked to the cheers of his family, local residents and members of his support crew.

“I want to get a hot shower and some rest,” Dickson said.

Navigator Boards Sloop

Voyage navigator Paul Petronello boarded the sloop Friday about 28 miles northeast of Bermuda to help guide Dickson through shoals to St. George’s.

Powered by 20-m.p.h. winds, Dickson steered to the harbor under sail but switched to his engine for docking.

Dickson, 41, of Washington, was described by support crew member Don McGrath as being in good spirits and eager to continue his attempt to become the first blind person to sail across the Atlantic alone.

He embarked on his planned 2,800-mile voyage to Plymouth, England, on Aug. 4 from Portsmouth, R.I., but was forced to set a course for Bermuda when his voice-activated navigational system failed three days later about 350 miles into the Atlantic.

McGrath said it might take two or three days to repair the navigation equipment, including possible replacement of the compass and automatic pilot.