Bert Foster - "Sailor of the Week"

September 4, 2007

Bert FosterAlbert "Bert" Foster, 70, is the oldest member of the US Disabled Sailing Team. Last month, he became the oldest sailor to have won the U.S. Independence Cup/North American Challenge Cup aboard his Sonar "Captain Hook" at Chicago Yacht Club. Bert is a sweet-water sailor from Wayzata, MN who lost the use of one arm in 1967. For 48 years, Bert helmed a Sonar called "Sesame Street" with his good friend Ernie Brody. While Bert and Ernie were a competitive combination on Lake Minnetonka and beyond, Bert has more recently become a true force in disabled sailing competitions. "I fell in love with Paralympics sailing and all the people involved." And he's now taking it quite seriously: he's shooting for a spot on the U.S. Paralympics Team.

This week Bert will be competing in the IFDS World Championship in Rochester, NY, with support from his shore team Ernie and fiancée Camilla. After that, it's on to Newport , RI for the Paralympics Trials in early October. But for Bert and his team, it's not just all about the Paralympics competition. "We also want to focus on bringing adaptive sailing to our local communities and clubs when we get back home. We will spend a lot of our efforts in getting adaptive sailors out racing on Lake Minnetonka ."

 

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