SAN DIEGO — It's early morning in Mission Bay, and Andrew Skvarla is getting ready to hit the water.
"What I love about canoeing, when you're on the water it's very smooth. You don't have an engine moving you forward."
On Saturday morning, Andrew and hundreds of other racers riding stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes, line up on the beach. But, unlike the other racers, Andrew is paddling the 4.5 miles without the gift of sight.
Blind since birth, he dove headfirst into the canoeing community. He joined the Makapo Project https://www.makapo.org/ , an organization that gives those with disabilities a chance to get on the water and paddle.
"He's been with us ever since he was a teenager," says RJ De Rama, the Executive Director of the Makapo Project. "He's a phenomenal athlete and wants to just try. It's one of those things where we don't get in his way."
After losing his eyesight to cancer, De Rama started the organization to give challenged athletes and opportunity to succeed and be with those who are in the same boat.
"For Andrew, like a lot of other people that are disabled," he says "We're all just looking for community."
Andrew can't do this race alone. While his coaches and teammates give him advice, Rob Octavio, the Steerman watches closely from a pontoon boat. With a remote control and a receiver on the backside of Andrew's canoe, Octavio can move the rudder, making it possible to piolet the canoe from afar.
After rounding the last jetty, with support from his friends and teammates, Andrew finished the race in good time.
Next September, Andrew and the Makapo Project will compete in the Catalina Crossing, a thirty-mile boat race from Catalina Island to Newport Beach.