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Ophthalmic consulting firm offers sailing adventure to support patient care mission
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Ophthalmic consulting firm J. Pinto & Associates is supporting the Hawaiian Eye Foundation's patient care mission in the South Pacific by offering a fundraising sailing adventure from San Diego to Honolulu in July 2011.
Since 1984, the nonprofit Hawaiian Eye Foundation, developed by John Corboy, MD, has been dedicated to promoting the preservation, restoration and improvement of vision for people of the Pacific Basin through charitable service, education and research programs. Due to isolation and impoverishment, people of the Pacific Basin are often underserved by eye care practitioners despite an urgent need for the prevention and treatment of vision loss and blindness from cataracts, pterygium, diabetic retinopathy and corneal trauma.
"We have relationships stretching back more than 25 years with both Dr. John Corboy and John Pinto," Peter Slack, president of Slack Incorporated, publisher of Ocular Surgery News, said. "Here at Slack, and specifically OSN, we're thrilled that they are pursuing this worthy and adventurous project."
John Pinto, president of J. Pinto & Associates, said that though passage to Hawaii is fairly routine, crew members will face challenges due to the vessel's diminutive size.
"Our 2,500-mile California-to-Hawaii passage takes 25 days in good conditions and can take 35 days or longer if conditions erode. Aurelia is just 24 feet long, which puts a high premium on crew compatibility, teamwork, sailing efficiency and contingency planning," Mr. Pinto said.
Ophthalmic IT systems provider Compulink has signed on as technical sponsor for the voyage and will follow Aurelia's crew to post regular updates on the voyage.
Along with Mr. Pinto and Cathleen McCabe, MD, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, two more able-bodied members are needed in order for Aurelia to set sail. No prior sailing experience is required, but candidates must be in good general health and should have a connection to the eye care industry as a provider, support staff member of industry participant.
Interested participants and sponsors can contact Mr. Pinto via e-mail at pintoinc@aol.com.
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