Crew of B’Quest Makes History

Urban Miyares couldn’t see the brilliant Waikiki coastline as B’Quest sailed across the finish line Monday afternoon at Diamond Head.

Nor was he witness to some of the stunning portraits painted by the sun as it dipped into the Pacific each night.

But blindness -- and various other serious ailments -- did not keep him from enjoying any of the wonderful sights that passed those aboard the Tripp 40 as they savored the great adventure that is the Transpacific Yacht Race.

On the contrary, Miyares said Tuesday: “My crew mates described everything to me. I had sight once so the picture I was painting in my mind was probably better than what they were describing. I definitely have a lifelong impression of this sail in my mind.”

B’Quest, with able-bodied skipper Joshua Ross and a five-man crew that includes a quadriplegic, a paraplegic, a man with one arm, and one with rheumatoid arthritis, made history by becoming the only boat with a disabled crew to sail in a Transpac.

They finished last in four-boat Division 5, but in a way their triumph was far greater than that of any of the entries, including Pegasus 77, winner of the Barn Door trophy for fastest elapsed time, or Alta Vista, overall winner based on corrected handicap time.

“Basically, the message is that if you do have a disability and a passion for the sea and love sailing, you can still participate and be an active member of the crew,” said Miyares, 55, president of Challenged America, a therapeutic and rehabilitation sailing program in San Diego. “Hopefully we were able to show the other Transpac crews that we’re pretty good sailors.”

B’Quest, which is fitted with a motorized helmsman’s chair, customized trimmers’ seats and a companionway elevator, was competitive through much of a 2,225-mile race that began July 1 off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. But like many of the 54 overall entries, it fell victim to light winds along much of its route and finished behind its nearest division rival by eight hours.

Still, the completion was the realization of a dream born 12 years ago.

Said Bob Hettiger, the paraplegic who, with Miyares, co-founded Challenged America: “We were 100 yards from the finish line and Urban said, ‘Twelve years.’ How short that distance was from the dream we had 12 years ago.”