Closer to the water, Peter Thompson felt the spray in his beard

Peter Thompson is amongst the waves and spray as he competes in the 2.4mR class sailing at the Sydney summer Paralympics. Thompson, who was the reigning world champion, finished 4th in the event, missing a medal by the closest possible margin of one point. Thompson won Australian Sailing’s inaugural ‘Sailor with a Disability’ award in 1999/2000. The 2.4mR class was raced in a scaled down version of the America’s Cup 12m yachts. The single sailor sat low in the boat, which had a deep keel for stability. The class was replaced after the 2004 Athens Games by the two person SKUD18 class.