Hilary Lister, quad sailor, about to reach Wales, but short on cash.

by .. on 2 Jun 2009 Hilary Lister the inspirational quadriplegic sailor will arrive in Wales on Wednesday 3rd June. She will set off from Bude in Cornwall at 14:00 Tuesday afternoon for what is the longest sail of her solo round Britain sail.

Hilary is planned to arrive at Hobbs Point, Pembroke dock at some time between 03:00 and 06:00 3rd June depending on wind conditions.

However, Hilary has had to overcome the financial challenges of this year to be able to finance the Round Britain Dream and the project is still searching for a major sponsor, remembering that the aim of the Round Britain Dream is not only to inspire and raise awareness of disabled sailing but to raise funds for Hilary’s charity ‘Hilary’s Dream trust’ which exists to provide assistance to disabled and disadvantaged adults with sailing dreams.

Hilary’s dream of sailing around Britain began on 16 June 2008, when she set off from Dover, supported by her team of 4 support boat crew and 3 land crew.

The Lions clubs of The British Isles and Ireland also lent their considerable support. In a series of 'day sails', some in excess of 50 nautical miles, Hilary sailed the entire length of the South Coast.

In Newlyn, on 13 August, due to hold ups caused mainly by the worst weather on record, Hilary and the team reluctantly decided to postpone the rest of the journey. To date this is the furthest that any female disabled sailor has sailed and is an amazing achievement in itself.

This is the first time that the ‘Sip and puff’ system had been tested in such challenging conditions. Despite the setback of having to halt the attempt Hilary demonstrated her amazing strength of character by resolving to complete the sail starting in spring 2009, beginning at Newlyn.


But how does she do it?
Hilary’s Boat 'Me Too' is an Artemis 20; a 6m carbon fibre keelboat, designed by Rogers Yacht Design under commission by Chichester based VizualMarine. Hilary controls the boat using a ‘Sip and Puff’ system, developed by Steve Alvey of Calgary, Canada. The system uses three straws which are connected to sensitive pressure switches. The computer is mounted in front of Hilary. A gentle 'sip' on one straw will cause the boat to go to starboard, whilst a 'puff' will take the boat to port.

The second straw controls the winch motor for both sails in a similar fashion. The third straw allows Hilary to control her Raymarine autopilot, to trim one sail relative to the other and raise or lower the height of the boom.

For more information visit www.hilarylister.com

About Hilary’s Dream Trust:
The charity has been established (registered charity number 1124146) to facilitate the sailing dreams of those with disabilities or significant disadvantages. Hilary recognises that she has been incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to realise her sailing dreams; she wants to help as many others as possible to become aware of and have access to opportunities to realise their own dreams.

Hilary will be looking to raise money throughout the round Britain sail and all funds raised in excess of those required to cover the costs of the project will go to the charity.

For more information contact: Paul Taroni paul@hilarylister.com