Cape Town Bids Farewell to the Lord Nelson, Now Headed for Durban

The Lord Nelson set sail from Cape Town (V&A Waterfront) at 11am yesterday (Sunday).   Lord Nelson’s destination is Durban, and she will then leave South Africa to sail up to India.

The South African voyage crew members joining include:

Tetraplegic Capetonian Russell Vollmer, 55, who was the first South African to take part in the sailing events at the Paralympic Games at Sydney 2000 and is a former commodore of the Royal Cape Yacht Club. Vollmer, who has lived as a quadriplegic since the age of 19, became disabled when he broke his neck in a diving accident in 1976 while serving with the South African Navy. Vollmer’s participation s sponsored by international legal practice, Norton Rose.

Versha Rowjee, 41, who has congenital spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. Originally from Mokopane in Limpopo, Rowjee now lives in Johannesburg where she works as an accountant. The experience will be the latest of Rowjee’s personal challenges, which to date have included quad biking and scuba diving.

David Kapelus, 49, director at Norton Rose South Africa, who is sailing on Lord Nelson on the seven-day voyage out of Cape Town. Kapelus has used a wheelchair since a diving accident when he was 18 years old in 1983. “I’m completely excited – it’s going to be a fantastic experience. These opportunities don’t come around often, if ever,” Kapelus said.

Capetonian Brandon Davids, 23, who is profoundly deaf and a student of the Whisper Boatbuilding Community Project, a fiberglass laminating skills development programme for the deaf. The charity, based in the Epping area, is one of the members of SASLA (South African Sail Training for Life Skills Association). Davids joined Whisper in 2011 as one of the charity’s first 15 students.

BACKGROUND:Lord Nelson was built in the UK and first set sail in 1986. The bespoke features on board, including hearing loops, wheelchair lifts, integrated Braille instructions and speaking compasses, allow a disabled sailor to contribute to the voyage just as much as an able-bodied crew member and their interdependence creates a community aboard the ship for the duration of the voyage – a bond which remains long after the crew is back on dry land.

Ends.