AUTISM SAILS! - A journey for awareness.

I am Johannes Li, I am 19 years old, I have Asperger’s syndrome and I love sailing.

I want your help to give me the opportunity to sail single-handed around the world.

My life has not been without its challenges, I grew up in an orphanage in Germany and was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome (ASD) when I was just 10 years old. But one thing that always stuck out to me from my time in the orphanage was our yearly holidays to the seaside. It was there that my love for sailing began and ever since then I have dreamed of sailing around the world one day - and now I am inches away from making that dream come true.

Sailing with autism comes with its own specific challenges as I struggle to navigate unexpected situations but I love to be on the water and have spent years developing my skills and I am now more than ready for this challenge.

Last year, to prepare for my big trip, I bought a boat – "PARVA NAVIS", my 32-foot Nantucket Clipper, which was first built in approximately 1965. And since then, thanks to lots of support from my local sailing community, I have been able to refit and equip her to prepare her for the voyage.

But their support can only carry me so far and I have used up all of my savings on the various costs of the refit. So this is where you come in. I now need funding for the round-the-world trip itself to keep me fed and watered, as well as allowing me to make the stops I am planning along the way.

Ultimately, my goal in taking on such a huge endeavour is to raise awareness about Asperger’s syndrome, the autistic spectrum and the day-to-day challenges those of us on the spectrum face. I want to inspire as many people as possible, giving parents and carers of autistic children insights into how to adapt to their autistic children’s needs in a way only a person who has experienced this kind of neurodivergence first-hand can. For this reason, it is absolutely crucial that I make lots of stops along my way.

I already live aboard my boat full-time so I am well used to life on the water, and I have previously sailed all the way from the North across the Bay of Biscay to Spain, making the journey back to France, where I am now.

Come and be a part of my next big adventure and let’s see if we can shine a light on what autistic people can do when they put their minds to it around the globe!

I am well aware that we are living in trying times and not everyone who would like to contribute will be able to. This is, of course, perfectly understandable and please only give what you can. However, I also know that some of you may well be able to contribute but are on the fence as to whether a project like mine is really worth your hard-earned cash. In times when some people are struggling to make their rent each month, it may feel a little indulgent to donate to a project like mine, but I hope that you will agree that contributing to something as enriching as this round-the-world sail really can make the world a better place. Whether you end up donating or not, I thank you for taking the time to read my Crowdfunder and I hope that you will appreciate that it does no harm for me to ask.