Michael Cogswell (See August 2005 Courier) is trying to secure the sponsorship he needs to complete this season after his backers pulled out due to economic problems. It leaves him at risk of missing out on subsidies worth £50,000 a year up to 2012, which will be handed out to top performers at the Disabled World Championships in October. The 44-year-old from Pluckley, Kent, took up disability sailing following a skiing accident in 1999 which left him paralyzed from the chest down. His injuries, which included a broken back and ripped heart, were originally diagnosed as non-survivable but after three weeks in intensive care and six months in rehab, he was able to leave hospital. After six years building up the experience needed to challenge for top honors, a change in the regulations helped his aim of qualifying for the Paralympics. The three-person class will demand someone of his type of disability to be in the boat and Cogswell is confident he has what it takes to be successful. The rule change makes his loss of sponsorship all the more frustrating. Without the ability to compete at the World Championships in Greece his hopes of qualifying for 2012 would reduce dramatically.
