Wheelchair-Accessible Vessel 'Impossible Dream' Visits Greenport

GREENPORT, NY —For many who are disabled, the idea of getting out on the water for a day of breezes and sunshine on open seas is a faraway wish, difficult to imagine or navigate. This week, however, the "Impossible Dream," a wheelchair-accessible catamaran, is once again returning to Greenport Harbor to make those visions a reality for five disabled individuals who will set out to explore local waters.

The Impossible Dream, a 60-foot, wheelchair-accessible catamaran that sails the East Coast, will be docked at Mitchell Marina on Thursday. Greenport marks the fourth stop on the vessel's summer voyage, which will encompass 4,000 miles across 15 destinations.

On Thursday, the catamaran will be located adjacent to Mitchell Park at Mitchell Park Marina and also open for public access from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., for people to visit the vessel and meet the crew.

"We believe the water is healing, creates community, and improves life for everyone," Deborah Mellen, founder and CEO, has said in a YouTube video about the program. Mellen will also be aboard the catamaran when it stops in Greenport.

Rick Rempe serves as Greenport's local ambassador for the Impossible Dream, known as a "barrier-free" catamaran.

"The Impossible Dream is a wonderful mission. Just to think of the thousands of people from all different backgrounds and disabilities that have been able to sail on this beautiful boat where such possibilities would otherwise wise be unavailable," he said. "I fell in love with the boat, the crew, and their mission from the get-go. I am truly honored to be their ambassador to Greenport Village. I hope that the Impossible Dream Team will visit here for many years to come so we can expand this sailing opportunity to other disabled residents. “

The vessel was built from the ground up to help the handicapped experience the water, the video said.

"Traditionally, sailing has been an activity limited to able-bodied individuals. Impossible Dream, the world’s only universally accessible catamaran, exists to raise awareness of barrier-free design, improve the quality of life for those with disabilities and change the way people think about what is truly possible through sailing," a release said.

Since 2015, the Impossible Dream has sailed more tha 40,000 miles along the eastern seaboard, stopping at dozens of ports and creating access to the water for thousands of people with disabilities. Each journey spans the distance from Miami to Maine and back, with the crew stopping in local ports to collaborate with rehabilitation hospitals, advocacy organizations, and disability groups, the organization said.

The Impossible Dream offers the opportunity for patients, participants, and their families to sail the local waters at no cost; during the sails, guests are also welcomed by volunteer crew members to explore the boat’s universally accessible design features, a release said.

The Impossible Dream, a 501 (c)3 organization, also seeks to inspire disadvantaged youth and wounded soldiers, the release said.

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