Members of Cowes RNLI lifeboat welcomed quadriplegic cerebral palsy sufferer Natasha Lambert to the station’s boathouse, to thank her for her extraordinary fundraising crossing of the Atlantic.
The 3,000-mile crossing from Gran Canaria to St Lucia on the specially adapted catamaran, Blown Away, has led to 3 charities – the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, the Missisle School of Sip Puff Sailing and Cowes RNLI – each receiving £3,342.33.
Natasha was 23 when she embarked on the challenge in November last year, accompanied by her mother, father, sister and 4 others. When Natasha was on watch the boat’s controls were switched to an ingenious sip puff technology (designed by her father, Gary), allowing Natasha to both steer the boat and trim and sails.
The voyage took 18 days and 22 hours to complete, during which the crew encountered some really challenging seas. The Lambert family, whose home is in Northwood, stayed on in the Caribbean until June 2021.
Cowes station’s operations manager, Mark Southwell, said later:
“What Natasha achieved was well outside many people’s comfort zone. We are honoured to be the beneficiary for the third time of her wonderful maritime exploits – the previous ones having paid for the station’s kitchen and the extra-large TV screen for training purposes.”
