Matthew Chao works the tiller of his sailboat. Photo credit David L. Ryan/Boston Globe

An excerpt from the The Boston Globe’s article entitled Blind sailors take last run before world championship has been posted below:

Matthew Chao could not see the sunlight dancing on Boston Harbor today as he worked the tiller on his sailboat, steering the sloop through a gentle but cold breeze.
“You learn how to feel the wind,” said Chao, a decorated helmsman and racing champion.

His 28 years on the water have helped him fine tune that feel for the wind, a skill that he has developed more acutely than other sailors. Chao is completely blind.

The four-member team on the sloop today was from the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton. After three years of practice, they set out today from the behind Boston Harbor Hotel for their last sail before heading to New Zealand for the Blind Sailing World Championship Regatta next week.