Blind man sails 260-seater catamaran

A blind man who has previously piloted a small aircraft and a passenger hovercraft took controls of a 260-seater catamaran yesterday for the launch of a campaign to raise funds for research.

Colin McArthur, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa (RP), controlled the new £3 million Wightlink catamaran as it travelled from Ryde on the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth and back again.

He steered it across the Solent which is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world with regular traffic including leisure craft, ferries, cargo vessels and navy ships.

The event was aimed at raising money for a research project looking at whether stem-cells from the iris and cornea could be re-grown in the retina to restore sight.

Andrew Lotery, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Southampton, who is heading the project, said: “We are now able to take tissue from the front of the eye and isolate stem cells, which ultimately we believe can be turned into the cells needed to restore sight.

“This research should lead to new treatments for retinitis pigmentosa and so is worth supporting.”

Mr McArthur, 58, who is raising funds for the RP Fighting Blindness charity, said: “I am delighted and grateful that Wightlink have agreed to stage this event to highlight such an important milestone in the race to restore sight.”

David Head, the charity’s chief executive officer, said: “RP Fighting Blindness has been working for many years towards a cure for inherited blindness, and this project is a really important stage.

“Our trustees are proud to support Professor Lotery’s work in Southampton and we know our members will be excited by the potential of the science he is taking forward.

“We want to invest further in this particular laboratory and the launch of this fund-raising campaign will help us do this.”

Mr McArthur, a father of five from Sandown, Isle of Wight, has previously piloted a Britten-Norman Islander plane and a 130-seat hovercraft.

For donations visit www.justgiving.com/catseyes.