Blind sailor James Hunter works with Making Waves Foundation to teach children with disabilities to sail

James Hunter could have curled up in a corner and withdrawn from a life he loved when he lost his vision. Instead, he’s gearing up for a second Sydney to Hobart yacht race and teaching children with disabilities to sail.

James Hunter, who is vision-impaired, at the helm during the 2023 Sydney to Hobart race. Picture: Supplied

With “a full stomach and a happy heart”, James Hunter went to bed with no idea of the stark choice he was about to face.

It was August 2015 and he’d just been out with some friends for post-work drinks during a business trip in Melbourne.

But when he woke up the next morning and was unable find his way around his hotel room, it was not a result of being hungover.

Instead, that morning marked the end of what the blind man described as his “sighted life”, and the beginning of his “no-sighted one”.

“I was facing the stark choice of either curling up in a corner and withdrawing from a life that I had known and loved, or finding a way to thrive with my new reality,” Mr Hunter said.

Nearly 10 years on, as the NSW Southern Highlands resident gears up for his second Sydney to Hobart yacht race, he knows the joy that comes with having the sea wind blowing through your hair, the salty smell hitting your nose as the boat rocks side to side while your hands are on the wheel, steering the vessel through the waves.

That’s why, as one of the Making Waves Foundation’s “favourite sailors”, he is determined to help children with disabilities on the east coast find their sea legs.

The Australian non-for-profit foundation helps to empower kids and adults who have physical or mental disabilities by teaching them to sail.

The program covers the eastern states of NSW, Queensland and Victoria. Picture: Supplied

Originally known as Sailors with Disability in 1994, the foundation has competed in 20 Sydney to Hobart races and takes hundreds of high school-aged kids and adults with disabilities into its program each year.

In NSW, Making Waves operates out of Darling Point, in Sydney, and the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club. It also has a presence in Queensland and Victoria.

Wendy Tuck, Making Waves’ on-water operations manager, told this masthead it was “quite extraordinary” to see the kids come out of their shells and dive right in.

“Some of our children are non-verbal, so you don’t get any feedback from them, and we get the feedback from the teachers a week later saying they’re (the kids) are still buzzing,” Ms Tuck said.

“When we were up in Queensland, I had a little girl who was down the back squealing and was quite scared. And myself and her teacher started talking and asking ‘What’s wrong? Why are you scared?’ and she said ‘I don’t know what’s going on’. I said ‘Well, that’s easy. Here comes a little wave and we’re going over the wave now.’

Students from the Glenella State School in Mackay, Queensland. Picture: Supplied

“Once she got a feel of the boat, we then got her on the helm and she just loved it. We couldn’t get her off the wheel. To see that change from someone being terrified to then say ‘Take photos of me. I’ll send them to my mum’. She just changed.”

The foundation is a free service, which Ms Tuck described as something it was “very proud of”.

“So get your school to have a look at our calendar and see if they can come out,” she said.

Ms Tuck also gave her thanks to the volunteers who go out on the boats with the kids, showing them their disabilities aren’t a hindrance.

“One of our favourite sailors on the boat, James Hunter is vision-impaired, so he can’t see,” she said.

“So for a man like him to be on the boat, actively working on the boat and not sitting there having a free ride, is inspirational.

“He trims the mainsail and he actually steered the boat across the finish line last year (Sydney to Hobart race). So we want children to see that even if you’re living with a disability, the world’s out there, you can do anything. You’re only limited by yourself.”

A student from Newcastle High School takes the wheel. Picture: Supplied

Mr Hunter shared these sentiments, saying the organisation helped him deal with the loss of his vision in 2015.

“The foundation has enabled me to progress through some difficult times and come out the other side with a sort of hope and enthusiasm,” he said.

“My life had changed forever. In August 2015, I was down in Melbourne on business and had invited some friends out for dinner and a few drinks. After work, I returned to my hotel with a full stomach and a happy heart, only to wake up the next day unable to find my way around the room.

James Hunter (right) has been volunteering with Making Waves for nearly a decade. Picture: Supplied

“I guess in that waking moment, my life goals and career aspirations and self-image were dealt a fairly significant blow.”

But rather than wallow in self-pity, Mr Hunter decided to do something positive.

“Looking back, it was a decision in 2016 to find ways to re-engage with my love of sailing that proves the most transformative in my journey,” he said.

Along with helping kids to feel confident with themselves through sailing, Mr Hunter also participated in the 2023 Sydney to Hobart race, and is set to do it again this year.

“The foundation, God bless them, offered me a place in their crew for last year’s race and this was a dream come true,” he said.

“As we got closer to the finish line, I was tapped on the shoulder and told that I was going to helm the boat for the final bends up the (River) Derwent and across the finish line,” he said.

“And for many people, they never have the honour of doing that and it was one of the most emotional and proudest moments in my blind life, let alone my sighted life.

“It just goes to show that even a blind fellow can dare to dream. I am absolutely fired up this year.”