What's Happening in Rosedale, MD…

The Impossible Dream, a 60-foot catamaran that is wheelchair accessible, visited Baltimore Harbor recently.

Not only can the vessel accommodate disabled visitors, but it can be crewed by them as well. Mike Browne, a British entrepreneur who sustained a disabling injury when he was skiing, commissioned the Dream because he wanted to continue sailing, even though he was confined to a wheelchair. After 10 years, he sold the vessel to paraplegic Miami businesswoman Deborah Mellen. The tour—the catamaran will visit New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts after it leaves Baltimore—was organized by Mellen.

Will Rey is the captain of the Impossible Dream, and welcomed visitors aboard. The vessel cost millions of dollars, and is built to be crewed by people in wheelchairs. There is a hydraulic lift in the stern, and a flat racecourse on deck. The cabin beneath the deck can be reached by elevator.

According to the Downtown Sailing Center's executive director, Lynn Handy, it is possible to get onto the vessel in a wheelchair. She added that it is one thing to take a ride, but quite another to be a member of the crew. That feeling of being able to work as part of a ship's crew brought a sense of freedom and pride to those who visited the Impossible Dream.

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