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Wheelchair Adventures
The Silver Fox is an ideal vessel for
anyone using a wheelchair who wants to communicate with nature out
on the ocean in protected waters or in a true wilderness
inlet area. Our 600 lb. davit (lift) and slings assist us in
bringing you on board and there is provision on the rear deck to
secure your chair while fishing. The davit (crane) can also lift
a chair and person in and out of a small landing craft, (Hunky
Dory) which can then take the person in the wheelchair
ashore on an island or up an inlet. This little skiff was
originally designed to take ATV's and
forestry workers ashore in
remote areas where you can still find old logging roads that come
down to the shore. We are presently looking at obtaining a track
driven all-terrain wheelchair to allow access onto remote
sandy beaches, and to travel along the thousands of miles of
abandoned logging roads scattered throughout the Great Bear
Rainforest Area to the east and north of Port Hardy.
A real
Pacific Northwest
Wilderness Adventure for the Physically
Challenged!
The main deck
is all on one level and with a little assistance over the door
jamb into the cabin, it is easy for those in a chair to travel in
our warm and cozy cabin and stay
on board for overnight trips. A real plus is having a fairly
large affordable vessel that will give you the privacy you
require. The skipper trades his bed with the disabled person as
this bunk is closest to the bathroom facilities and is located in
the widest part of the vessel. The bathroom is small but seems to
work for disabled persons provided that they can be transferred
from the chair to the toilet using a slide board. A grab bar,
ceiling pulley, and an understanding skipper all help in making
your trip into the true wilderness possible and a memory you will
always retain.
We have had several disabled persons of all
ages on board over the years . One of the first physically
challenged and perhaps the most famous person we have had on
board was Morris Goodman- "The Miracle Man" from
Fredericksborg, Virginia. He was on Northern Vancouver Island
looking for black bears and some salt water fishing. He was 34
at the time. A few years later another client of ours
("Mike") suffered a massive stroke, leaving him in a wheelchair
and completely paralyzed down one side. Mike was an avid
outdoors type and a good angler. We made him a bedside promise
in the hospital that if he would listen to his doctors, do his
rehab and learn how to assist us in "transferring" we would take
him fishing for a two or three day overnight excursion. He was 87
at the time and was rigged up with a special harness that allowed
him to reel in a 10 lb Coho of which he was very proud. Another
family seeing the pictures of Mike on board asked if they could
bring their son who was in a terrible car accident that had left
him in a wheelchair and we had a great time working with him. He
was 19 or 20 years old. The oldest physically challenged angler
we have had is Mr. Fox who was 97 years old when he caught his
last Chinook. (17 lbs) He did it all himself, sitting in his
chair by the rail . He received a round of applause from other
boats that were watching the drama!
If you know anyone who really wants to go
fishing or enjoy some other adventure involving our vessel and our
special "going ashore boat", please give us a call and we will
discuss the possibility of taking him or her out with us.
There is no charge for those who are physically challenged
and are confined to a wheelchair. Normal fare would apply for the
other three persons involved. for
additional info.
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