Cruising Along : Members of 2 Sailing Groups Treat 80 Legally Blind People to Day at Sea

Melinda Johnson deftly steered the Baccarat, a 57-foot powerboat, through the crowded Newport Beach Harbor, maneuvering past hundreds of other boats.

“Two points starboard,” said Johnson, 33, in reply to a verbal direction by skipper Art Parent. “One point port,” she echoed the skipper’s command once again. “It’s in neutral now.”

Cheers erupted as the young pilot slowly settled the boat against the dock.

“Not bad for a blind person,” said Johnson, who had just piloted a boat for the first time. “I certainly had the time of my life.”

Johnson was one of 80 legally blind members of the New Vision club in Orange County who spent a day at sea Saturday with members of the Women’s Ocean Racing Sailing Assn. and the American Legion Yacht Club.

More than 23 boats, filled with volunteer teachers, lined up to pick up passengers at the American Legion Post 291. The passengers were handed lunch and life preservers during Saturday’s outing, the second annual event.

“Last year we only had five boats to take the passengers,” said J.T. Tarwater, commodore of the American Legion Yacht Club. “But the call went out and more than 20 arrived in a half-hour to take them sailing.”

On Saturday, a fleet of powerboats and sailboats scooted out of the jetty and into the open water where New Vision members talked, rested and steered boats of all sizes under blue skies.

Passengers on the Baccarat took turns learning how to pilot the boat and decipher its direction using the wind and waves as a guide.

“I know that I’m going north because there is no wind resistance,” Johnson of Buena Park said as she maneuvered the boat. “I also know that the rocking of the boat tells me I’m going parallel to the shore because of the tide.”

After the three-hour trip, the fleet returned safely to the harbor and the passengers were unanimous in their praise.

“I love being on the sea,” said Cindy Hackworth, 24, of Downey. “It is so relaxing to go sailing.”

Joe Paholski, 27, a former construction worker who is legally blind, said cruising on a ship was refreshing and a “wonderful way to spend an afternoon.”

After the sailors returned for food and entertainment at the American Legion headquarters, Johnson announced: “Next year I’m requesting the Baccarat again. . . . They need someone to steer the boat, you know.”