Newport - The Norwegian Thomas Johannesen and his three person crew won their division in the 2006 International Foundation for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) Blind Sailing World Championship in Narragansett Bay.
Two of this race which was administered by IFDS consists of two legally blind and two sighted sailors. The blind crew was Jostein Stenevik while Jon Lystrup and Stiam Soltvedt comprised the sighted crew. Johannesen was the first skipper in B1 Division which attracted 19 teams from nine countries.
The helmsman and crew in B1 have a total absence of perception of light in both eyes while sighted crews can offer assistance for locating the correct line, tailing, or when additional strength is needed. The Norwegian posted a low-point score of 26 to 31 for runner up New Zealand.