Sharp will turn 58 just a few days before the Paralympics begin on September 8 (NZ time), making him the oldest member of New Zealand's 29-strong contingent.
Now based in Auckland, Sharp's whole life is dedicated to his sport, and this year's 15th Summer Paralympics will be his first. They come six years after he was left paralysed from the waist down when he crashed his motorbike into a tree.
"I'm sitting in a wheelchair as a result of having a very strong passion for motorbikes," he said.
"The accident took me out of the frame for a couple of years and I've been recovering ever since. I'm still recovering now."
Sharp's involvement in sailing started when he was eight however he hadn't been in a boat since the accident.
That was until he met up with Dodson and the Kiwi Gold Sailing team.
Paralympics New Zealand were then very keen to get him back into competitive sailing.
"I've always been a sailor, but I got into this when I was minding my own business and they chased me down, he said."
"This seemed like it was too much for me a few years ago but I'm here. The sport now has become my whole life."
Sharp and his crew raced in last year's World Championships in Melbourne. They finished as New Zealand's best placed team.
Their eighth-placed finish among a fleet of 18 boats secured a berth in this year's Paralympics, where they'll compete in the three-person keelboat event (Sonar).
Dodson was part of New Zealand's successful America's Cup team in 1995 and 2000 and he's the former strategist for Team New Zealand.
New Zealand has never won a medal in para-sailing since the Paralympics began in 1968.
"Our jobs are all quite unique and separate from each other," said Sharp.
"We're an experienced team and we've got a fast boat. We're looking forward to the fact that people aren't going to pay a lot of attention to us.
"We can actually make an inroad into this competition before they realise what they're up against."
The first two Sonar races begin at 6am and 7:30am on Tuesday 13 September (NZ time).
