The first disabled crew to sail round the world - racing in the BT Global Challenge.
Many claim it is the toughest race in the world. Organised by master yachtsman Sir Chay Blyth, the 30,000-mile BT Global Challenge forces its competitors the wrong way round the world, against prevailing winds and currents. The ten-month race is not for the faint hearted, which is why the Time & Tide crew were so perfectly suited for the tough conditions. Each member had already fought far fiercer battles just to survive and lead normal lives following serious illness, disability or injury.
The skipper, James Hatfield, was born with a hole in the heart and underwent eight major operations before the age of twenty-one. But his passion for sailing was born during these difficult times and he went on to become one of Britain's best-known single-handed yachtsmen. His crew, which included four amputees, two members with cerebral palsy, two who were deaf and two partially sighted, were equally fearless. They seldom dwelt on their disabilities, sharing a mutual determination to compete on equal terms with the other boats and become the first disabled crew ever to race around the world.
'On Equal Terms' is the story of their achievements, frustrations, disasters and triumphs as they compete under intense pressure. It tells of the early struggles of Time & Tide to enrol in the race and be taken seriously, of raising sponsorship against all the odds, of the loss of several crew members as the race was in progress, some to illness, some with grievances, and of the calamities and dangers they endured to pass the finishing line. It also describes how they became the popular favourites in the race, impressing other crews as well as ordinary people around the world with their courage and determination.
Above all, 'On Equal Terms' is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit in conditions which can be lonely, frustrating and dangerous. It is the ultimate tale of overcoming enormous odds to conquer both the stormiest of oceans and the prejudices of the able-bodied.
Contains black and white and full-colour photographs.
