A FATHER and son sailing team from Headley Down have crossed over 2,500 miles of ocean in aid of the Parkinson's Disease Society. Sailor James Walker (62) and his son Henry (30) sailed from Falmouth on Saturday, June 2 in order to take part in the once a lifetime experience, the Azores and Back (AZAB) boat race. James said: "My father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 66 and my wife was diagnosed with it just over three years ago, at the age of 50. "Drugs have improved immeasurably since the two diagnoses and Henry and I wanted to contribute to the research to ensure that as few people as possible have to suffer from this progressively crippling disease." In order to compete in the AZAB James and Henry had to complete a qualifying race, the Falmouth 500, in which they came first in their class and first overall. The race took place in July 2006. The duo went on to achieve an excellent result in their class and came sixth overall in the AZAB. Fifty-three yachts started the race from Falmouth, with just 40 completing it. The Walker team set sail in Araminta, in a Nicholson 32 mkx boat, which was built in 1972 – making her one of the older boats to take part in the race. James and Henry overcame a number of problems with their yacht in the run up to the race including leaks, emergency repairs on the main sail, and last minute modifications to satisfy race inspectors. James, who has been sailing for over 55 years, is delighted with the result and money raised: "We had some scary moments; one being as we headed over the crest of a wave to find a whale asleep in the trough about 20ft ahead of us! "Luckily it flipped its tail and moved out of the way just in time. It was small by whale standards but quite big enough at close quarters," said James. If you would like to make a donation to PDS please visit James and Henry's website at http://www.araminta.org.uk">www.araminta.org.uk where you can donate online and find out more about their amazing trip. So far the pair have raised £20,000.
