About Us
OUR MISSION
We are a community of blind and visually impaired sailors and sighted guides working together to sail at a highly competitive level by:
- Promoting autonomy in sailing through training and the use of other senses.
- Providing blind access and inclusion to sailing and the wider sailing community.
- Partnering with local, national, and international sailing organizations to expand the sport of blind sailing.
Open to sailors at all levels, BBS is dedicated to strengthening access and inclusion to sailing and providing opportunities to train and participate in highly competitive regattas. Beginning in 2016, BBS has hosted sailing opportunities for sailors and guides including twice weekly group practices for beginners and advanced sailors.
BBS achieved official nonprofit status in 2019 and has continued to grow
OUR TEAM
Duane Farrar
Duane Farrar is the current and three-time World Sailing B1 Blind Fleet Racing Champion. He was first introduced to sailing at a learn-to-sail program for blind and visually-impaired adults at Boston’s Community Boating (CBI) in 1996. Just ten days after, he was asked to fill in as helmsman in a blind sailing regatta in Boston. After winning two races and finishing third overall in the regatta, Duane was permanently hooked and has been racing ever since. Duane has also remained a CBI member, volunteer, and is a voting member of CBI’s governing body.
Duane has spent more than two decades as a Programmer/Analyst and Applications Developer and Software Consultant for a variety of corporations and government institutions. He lives outside Boston with his wife Elizabeth and twin teenage children.
Dave Vieira
Dave Vieira has been sailing for half a century.
Carolyn Petrie
Carolyn Petrie has been a sighted guide with BBS since 2017 and is a full-time Senior Media Planner at an advertising agency in Boston. Carolyn has been racing competitively since she was 8 years old in Mattapoisett and Marion, Massachusetts and has taught racing at both Tabor Academy Summer Program and Beverly Yacht Club. She resides in the South End neighborhood with easy access to Courageous and Community Boating. When she isn’t sailing, she follows in her mother’s footsteps needlepointing scenes and sayings, as well as knitting any clothing items that aren’t too complicated.