Liz and Pete Fordred are a couple from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) who, despite both being paraplegics, built an ocean-going sailboat and sailed her from South Africa to Florida.
Biography
At the age of 18, Liz Fordred, a passionate horseback rider, was thrown from her horse, striking her head. She suffered injuries which left her with only the use of her arms, shoulders, and upper torso. While recovering from the accident, she met, and later married, Pete Fordred, another paraplegic.
In 1980, in their second year of marriage, the Fordreds decided to build an ocean-capable sailboat, and sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Construction of the boat, which was specially tailored to their needs, took four years;[1] they were hampered by lack of funds, bureaucratic red tape, the economic embargo of Rhodesia, and — most of all — criticism from the public.[2] The boat, Usikusiku, was made of ferroconcrete (a fairly common technique in home boat building).[3]
Having built her, the couple then had to transport Usikusiku from land-locked Rhodesia to the sea. They chose to take her by truck the 1,200 miles to Durban. This was in itself a difficult journey.[4]
Once in Durban, they set sail for their Atlantic crossing, stopping in several ports along the way. The voyage was arduous; they encountered a major storm off the Bahamas, and had to contend with persistent seasickness. On some occasions, the sea was so rough that they were unable to make the trip below to cook or eat. However, sixteen months after their departure, they arrived safely in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where they settled down; shortly afterwords, they had a daughter.[5]
In Florida, the boat was not maintained and by 2000 was no longer seaworthy, but remained a source of stories and memories.[6]