'I look back on my life and thank my stars that I have had the ocean. When things got rough at school I would just come down to the boathouse and leave everything behind. Nothing mattered on the water. There, nothing could harm me. It only ever calmed me.'LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS is the story of David Pescud, a remarkable Australian. At age eight he was caned for refusing to read. At 13 David watched as his father drowned while trying to rescue him from a swollen river. At 16 he was suicidal. At 17 he was diagnosed with profound dyslexia, a condition that made reading impossible. When I walked out of that room, everything was different. I knew I wasnt stupid anymore. I was dyslexic. Big difference. What happened after that was extraordinary. He went from being an illiterate failure to managing several successful businesses. At 44 he had earned enough to retire and pursue his dream of sailing full-time. Then came another turning point. He heard about a paraplegic man who wanted to do the Sydney to Hobart ocean race but couldnt find anyone to take him. Sailors with Disabilities was born and David skippered the first disabled crew in the race.Today the organisation enables thousands of people with disabilities to experience as David did the beauty of the water, be it in calm harbours or on majestic oceans.
In the nightmare 1998 race, Davids team - which included an amputee, a blind man and a 12-year-old dyslexic boy - survived the horrific storm and won their category. What drives David Pescud is a passionate belief that disability is a state of mind. Most people cant sail, he says. Does that make them disabled?LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS is a testament to the value of that belief.