O&P IN THE COMMUNITY
CARRYING THE FAMILY LEGACY:
San Diego sailor overcomes paralysis to compete among the best
​For Peter Phillips, sailing is a family tradition. His grandfather was posthumously awarded the inaugural trophy for long-distance sailing at the San Diego Yacht Club; he had carried the club flag further and to more “out of the way” locations in the world than any other member. Peter’s father and uncle grew up on his grandfather’s boat, traveling around the South Pacific and Central America during their youth. Similarly, Peter began sailing and competing at a very young age.
But in 1976, when Peter was 17, he was hospitalized with Guillain–Barré syndrome – a condition where the body’s immune system attacks its own nervous system, causing weakness and paralysis.
“Within four days, I went from being very strong and active to being completely paralyzed,” Peter said.
Almost nine months later, he was discharged from rehab and with the help of custom ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs), he was able to walk again.
Peter never stopped sailing and, in 2018, he joined Challenged Sailors San Diego (CSSD). The San Diego-based organization started in 2014 and provides people with disabilities the opportunity to sail and enjoy the freedom of being on the water at no cost. Challenged Sailors is supported entirely by grants, donations, and volunteers. In addition to weekly sails in San Diego Bay, they participate in five to eight races per year. Racers can apply for scholarships to cover entry fees and travel to races.
Peter became president of Challenged Sailors in 2022.
“You’re leaving your adaptive equipment on the dock and you don’t experience your disability when you’re sailing,” he said. “There’s a feeling of freedom that you don’t get on dry land.”
From two to five times a year Peter will compete if there’s a spot open in a race.
“I have a policy of wanting to get the most boats out into any given race,” he said. “If there’s an opportunity for someone else to race, I don’t apply for the regatta. But if there’s an empty boat, I’m going to be filling it.”
THE EVOLUTION OF BRACING
EARNING TOP HONORS
Peter’s dedication to the sport has earned him a top ranking among local adaptive sailors.
Over the past 2.5 years, Peter has won enough races to earn one of nine invitation spots for the U.S. Para Sailing Championship race at the end of September. He’ll also compete Aug 25-29 in the Mobility Cup in Quebec, out of Lieu-Limoilou. In the lead-up to the events, he’s been sailing at least once a week and working with a personal trainer twice a week. In his training sessions he’s focusing a lot on core, shoulder, and arm strength. At the gym on his own he’s using the treadmill, leg press, arm press, and other general strength exercises.
“I’m noticing a lot more difference for the ADLs (activities of daily living), more so than out on the water. A lot of sailing is experience and expertise and more finesse than muscle,” Peter said. “But I’ve been noticing that I’ve been able to be more focused on the details because I’m not focused on those things that do require strength.”
Peter and the crew at Challenged Sailors look forward to getting more people who are interested in sailing into a boat and out onto the water. San Diego’s climate allows for sailing year-round, and the organization fills its boats almost every weekend.
With all the places to sail in the world, Peter says the San Diego area remains one of his favorites.
“Glorietta Bay in Coronado is very nice. Comparted to San Diego Bay, there’s a lot less chop, a lot fewer boats. That makes it a very nice place to sail. That said, I’ve been sailing on SD bay all my life. It’s home to me.”
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To learn more about Challenged Sailors, visit challengedsailors.org
For more on the Mobility Cup in Quebec, visit mobilitycup.com
For more on the U.S. Para Sailing Championship, visit ussailing.org
Since his first set of AFOs after leaving rehab in 1976, Peter’s use of adaptive devices has changed. In 2005 he started using a cane. About ten years ago he started using a walker for travel support. In 2023 he started using knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs) as the effects of Guillain–Barré started to have a painful effect on his knees. These braces go from under the foot all the way up to the top of the thigh, and the joints protect the knees from extending backwards. Peter got two sets of KAFOs from Bionics Orthotics & Prosthetics in San Diego – one with microprocessor knee joints, and the other with a lightweight carbon design.
Peter said the computerized microprocessor KAFOs are “definitely better for endurance, speed, no hyperextension at the knee. The distance I can walk and time spent walking is greater.”
After an extensive fitting and programming process at Bionics, Peter began working with a physical therapist to learn how to walk with the new KAFOs. The electronic knee joints include hydraulic mechanisms that adjust resistance in the knee joint. The computer takes one hundred readings per second and adjusts resistance based on the angle, speed, and direction of movement of the joint. That changing resistance decreases fall risks and reduces the amount of energy needed to walk, but it takes some training to fully adjust to.
The braces also are heavier and bulkier than traditional KAFOs. Each one weighs about five pounds, and the motor and computer unit can’t fit beneath most pants. So, Peter also has a set of lightweight carbon KAFOs with free motion, hinged joints. They’re more streamlined and Peter said they’re the ones he uses to sail with. They can get wet, and they’re more comfortable to use when sitting on the boat.
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