My name is Julian Megson, a man with a passion for sailing.

I have Spina-Bifida, a disability which affects the nervous system in the spine. It means that I have difficulty with my walking which is awkward and takes a lot of energy.  But I feel fortunate as I am still able to sail a boat without much difficulty.

I started sailing in my late 30’s and have always loved messing around on the water.  I am the proverbial ‘Ratty’. Up until my venturing into sailing my most favourite place on earth was fly fishing in the angling club boat on Loch Tay, Scotland. Although I liked the fly fishing, it served mainly as an excuse to get me out on the water. There is no finer place to be than on a boat on Loch Tay with a tot of whiskey, a picnic and heavy skies above to finish off the atmosphere nicely.

The Sea has always had a certain draw and fascination for me. On visits to the seaside I would stare out to sea at the boats sailing by and wish I was out there with them. I would imagine what it would be like to sail by the power of the wind only and go beyond the horizon, out of site of land and alone.  Just me and a boat.

Then a good friend bought me a book for my Birthday, it was Ellen MacArthur’s ‘Taking on the World’. A book she wrote after completing the ‘Vendee Globe’ around the world yacht race. In it she describes how she saved up her school dinner money until she had enough to buy a small sail boat. At this point I started to wonder if it was at all possible for me to buy my own boat. I was not a rich man, but there was at least a glimmer of hope. Sure enough I did find some small sail boats for sale and at prices which I thought were attainable. So I allowed the idea to mull over for a while.

Before I allowed myself to get carried away with the idea I thought it best to go on a Sailing course and for 2 reasons. The first to see if my disability was going to allow me to be able to handle a boat and be able to move freely around on deck. I had no desire to inadvertently volunteer myself for the man over board drill. The other important thing to check was that I didn’t become afraid of the sea when the going got tough. So with the latter in mind I booked an RYA ‘Competent Crew’ course in February, hoping we would get some bad weather with which to test my nerve. The weather unfortunately was calm for the first few days, but the good news was there was at least force 8 gale due for the coming Thursday. Well the storm delivered the goods. During a night sail on the Thursday I new there and then that sailing was for me.

From there I quickly acquired my first boat with a friend called Chris Kiaie, whom I met on a RYA ‘Day Skipper’ theory course. We bought a 21 foot ‘Gouteron Ghibli’ sail boat together and moored her at Whitby. Since then I have bought my own Hurley 24 and looking forward to many wonderful adventures in her.

I am now seeking partners to help me achieve my dream which is to sail the Atlantic Ocean single handed. I will be working hard to achieve this and any news of this project will be posted on this website. If you are a potential sponsor and you wish to invest in me or you want to discuss opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Julian

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