By Isle of Wight Observer
The Paralympic sailing gold medallist who founded the Andy Cassell Foundation (ACF), in Cowes, died this week after a short illness, aged 83.
An ACF email, sent to members on Tuesday, read: “It is with great sadness to inform you all this morning that Andy Cassell passed away after a brief illness. We will share more about Andy’s amazing legacy in days to come, but he has been the back stay of the foundation right to the end. Along with his amazing supportive family and friends around the world.”
Andy was born in Sussex, in 1942, deformed hips and without legs but this did not stop him becoming a top racing sailor with a career which spanned 50 years.
He moved, as a small child, to the Isle of Wight when his father became farm manager at Norris Castle, near Osborne House, and took up sailing when a family friend bought him a nine-foot dinghy for his 10th birthday. Andy later bought a 12-foot dinghy for £65 and started entering local races.
He spent all his time sailing and progress was rapid – 1st in the Solent Championships and then, in 1961, 1st overall in the Albacore Nationals, and at 18 the youngest person ever to win and certainly the only legless one.
Andy was then sponsored by Tiny Mitchell to run a campaign for selection for the 1964 Olympics but, unfortunately a year later, Tiny died suddenly and Andy’s Olympic dream ended.
He settled down to become a sail-maker, first in Sussex and then later in Cowes, when he became a director of Ratsey & Lapthorn.
Andy moved from sailing dinghies to keelboats, such as Darings and Dragons. He sailed all over the UK and Europe in a number of successful Dragon teams, and helped Robin Aisher to promote the Daring class in Cowes.
He also moved on to race 1⁄4-tonners, and then, with a syndicate, built a 3⁄4-tonner, which won the RORC Championship, and finally came 3rd in the World 3⁄4-ton Cup.
He was one of the survivors of the 1979 Fastnet race, managing to bring his boat and crew safely into harbour in Ireland.
Over the years Andy has also helmed a variety of other yachts, including taking Shadowfax, a Sigma 33, to victory in the European Championships.
In 2006 he came 1st in the Sonar National Championship and helmed Winsome to victory in Class 5 in Cowes Week.
For most of his sailing career, Andy never sailed as a disabled sailor but, as the tide turned towards making disability more acceptable, the Paralympic sailing movement grew and Andy was asked to compete in the 1994 Worlds and 1995 European Disabled Championships with the outcome that he was selected for the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta. He came home with the gold medal.
He then decided to set up the ACF to put something back into a sport he loved and to encourage other disabled yachtsmen and women to compete.