Vinny Lauwers

Vincent Marc Thierry Lauwers (born 12 September 1967) is an Australian round-the-world yachtsman. In 2000 he became the first paraplegic sailor to sail solo, non-stop around the world. In 2001, he won the Laureus Award for "Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability".

Early life Vinny Lauwers was born in Belgium on 12 September 1967 and emigrated to Australia at the age of four. Vinny Lauwers' early childhood was marked by psychological abuse. He first experienced ocean sailing aged 14, crewing on a yacht from Melbourne to Sydney. He became a paraplegic in 1990 when he was 22; Lauwers' back was broken in three places after he was hit by a car while riding a motorcycle. and also sailing in two Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races with the Sailors with Disability (SWD) crew, including SWD's first entry in 1994.

Circumnavigation Lauwers spent seven years planning his voyage and building his yacht, from Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne, Australia. During his voyage, he encountered many hardships. Equipment problems included autopilot malfunctions, failed radar, and a self-destructing wind generator. Vision Quest'''s World Sailing Speed Record Council's Performance Certificate lists its route time as 233 days 13 hours 43 minutes and 8 seconds and the distance covered as 21,760 nautical miles (41,300 km).

As of 2024, the yacht interior has been improved for comfort, replete with air conditioning and new equipment, and she has been listed for sale at A$175,000.

Honours On 15 August 2000, Lauwers and his feat were recognised in the Australian Parliament. He was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in July 2000 and in January 2001, the Australian Centenary Medal "for outstanding service as the first paraplegic sailor to sail around the world unassisted".

In 2000 Lauwers was nominated for the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Sailor of the Year Awards. Lauwers was Australian Sailing's Sailor of the Year with a Disability for 2000–01 and shared the Yachting Victoria's Sailor of the Year Trophy in 2001.

In 2001 Lauwers was awarded the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability. At the awards ceremony, where he was presented with his statuette by New Zealand sailor Sir Peter Blake and French footballer David Ginola, Lauwers joked that his wife allowed him a mistress "and she’s 48 foot long, 15 foot wide and has all the right curves."

In 2002, a DVD, The Spirit of Vision Quest: The Vinny Lauwers Story'', was released.

Speaking of his crew members such as Lauwers and Liesl Tesch, founder of Sailors with Disabilities, David Pescud, said: "People are people first and your disability is either part of your life; it owns you or you own it. The guys I sail with, they own their disability and I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve sailed with some of the most amazing people."