Round Britain Dream
After successfully sailing solo across the English Channel from Dover to Calais in 2005, and circumnavigating the Isle of Wight in 2007, Hilary is now dreaming of sailing round the British Isles, solo. Hilary and her team set off in a westerly direction from Dover on Monday 16 June 2008.
How will Hilary do this?
Hilary plans to sail her Artemis 20 using a 'sip and puff' system around the coast in short day sails. Each day the team will record her finishing latitude and longitude from her GPS, so they can tow Hilary back to exactly the same point the next sailing day. Hilary is anticipating the sail will take 3-4 months. It will involve venturing both into the North Sea and the Irish Sea, as well as the English Channel. Hilary's route will take her through the Caledonian Canal.
Each night Hilary will be towed into a port where the team will stay. We’ll certainly be visiting a lot of towns round Britain! We'll be visiting ports in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Wales. At each port, the shore based team will be setting up camp and waiting for Hilary’s arrival which will give people around the country a chance to meet Hilary and the team.
Hilary's progress so far:
Day 31 - Wednesday 16 July: Hilary left Portland for Brixham at around 07.00 this morning. Journey is expected to take up to 18 hours.
Day 30 - Tuesday 15 July: The RIB needed some welding repairs which will hopefully be finished by lunchtime today. The plan would then be to leave Portland at around 19.30 this evening. Update: RIB repairs not complete in time so revised plan is now to set off at 07.00 tomorrow morning (Wednesday).
Day 29 - Monday 14 July: Hilary and the team will now, after all, stay a further night in Portland with a view to setting off again on Tuesday.
Day 28 - Sunday 13 July: Underway again at last! Hilary left Lymington at 06.15 this morning bound for Portland where she hopes to arrive in the late afternoon/early evening. Hilary arrived safely in Portland at around 19.20 this evening. The plan is now for a one night stay in Portland (instead of two) and to set sail again for Brixham/Dartmouth in the early evening tomorrow (Monday).
Day 26 - Friday 11 July: Fingers crossed, Hilary is hoping to sail again on Sunday (Lymington to Portland)
Day 22 - Monday 7 July: The poor weather conditions look likely to keep Hilary in Lymington for the foreseeable future, possibly until the end of the week. We really have had no luck with the weather so far!
Day 19 - Friday 4 July: Yet more frustration! Severe weather conditions are forecast and would be likely to affect Hilary during the planned sail to Portland. Given the anticipated duration of the journey, it is not considered safe for her to set sail today. Forecasts for the weekend remain poor so it is now likely that Hilary will be further delayed until the beginning of next week.
Day 18 - Thursday 3 July: Team remains in Lymington ahead of the planned sail to Portland tomorrow.
Day 17 - Wednesday 2 July: The issues with the boat's electronics now appear to have been resolved and Sean's back off to the hospital today to check his injury. Wind conditions tomorrow (Thursday) do not look favourable so Hilary now plans to leave Lymington for Portland on Friday morning at 10am.
Day 16 - Tuesday 1 July: Still awaiting rectification of electronics on Hilary's boat and for Sean's injury to heal. Possible that Hilary may not be able to sail again until later in the week.
Day 15 - Monday 30 June: Team remains in Lymington
Day 14 - Sunday 29 June: Hilary was today able to sail the section from Bramble Bank (near Cowes) back to Lymington although her onboard electronics have still not recovered from the drenching they received last Tuesday. Efforts are being made to restore the navigational systems so, whilst also waiting for Sean's injury to heal, the team's stay in Lymington is extended further.
Day 13 - Saturday 28 June: Martin Cox joins the team as a temporary RIB driver so that Hilary can sail the Cowes-Lymington stretch. Martin will undergo project-specific training today so that, weather permitting, Hilary can sail again tomorrow.
Day 12 - Friday 27 June: The bad luck continues - now Sean has cut his hand and will be out of action for a few days. Without him, the RIB crew is short-handed and, therefore, cannot sail. Hilary has arranged for temporary RIB back-up to join the crew for the weekend. He will need to undergo project-specific training tomorrow (Saturday) with a view to Hilary attempting the Cowes-Lymington sail on Sunday (weather permitting). Depending on the progress of Sean's wound, the Lymington-Portland sail will not be possible until Monday or Tuesday next week at the earliest.
Day 11 - Thursday 26 June: Another frustrating weather delay. The winds are too strong to complete the Cowes-Lymington sail today. Hilary will try again tomorrow.
Day 10 - Wednesday 25 June: The team remain in Lymington whilst the repairs to Hilary's boat are completed. They would like to take the opportunity to thank everybody at the Berthon Boat Company at Lymington Marina for their fantastic help and support; the Lions for their assistance and hospitality (and patience!) in spite of the last minute changes of plan; and Simon Rogers, of Rogers Yacht Design (designers of the Artemis 20), for his help in repairing Me Too. Weather update suggests that wind conditions may again prevent tomorrow's planned sail. The crew will re-assess tomorrow.
Day 9 - Tuesday 24 June: Bad news today - Hilary's boat sustained some damage on the leg between Hayling Island and Lymington and she arrived at 1am this morning. Having lifted Me Too from the water, it was fortunately discovered that the damage was not as serious as first thought and that repairs could be carried out within the day. As yesterday's journey involved Hilary being towed from Cowes to Lymington, due to tidal state and no wind, she had planned to set out tomorrow to be towed back to Cowes so she can complete the sail back to Lymington; however, the boat repairs have not been finished in time so the short sail from Cowes to Lymington is now planned for Thursday and the Lymington-Portland leg for Friday (weather permitting).
Day 8 - Monday 23 June: Weather is set fair today and Hilary set sail at 1pm and will be hoping to arrive in Lymington at around 10pm.
Day 7 - Sunday 22 June: An unexpected increase in wind strength has disrupted plans for a lunchtime sail today. Unfortunately, the winds have not abated sufficiently to allow Hilary to sail overnight so departure from Hayling Island has now been deferred to noon tomorrow (Monday).
Day 6 - Saturday 21 June: Away as planned from Brighton and arrived safely at Hayling Island at 7am this morning, ahead of schedule (the land vehicles having arrived at around 4am). 36 hour stopover planned, leaving for Lymington around lunchtime tomorrow.
Day 5 - Friday 20 June: With the weather outlook good, the team were confident of leaving on schedule today and making up time over the weekend to reach Portland by Monday as originally planned. All was set but, just as everything seemed back on track, as Hilary was being towed out of the harbour, the GNAV fixing to the main boom broke away. Upon investigation, the aluminium fixing was corroded so the crew had to return to berth and arrange remedial repairs. Current plan is to sail overnight (leaving Brighton at around 1am) with an ETA in Chichester (Hayling Island) of around 11am tomorrow (Saturday). The team still hope to arrive in Portland on Monday.
Day 4 - Thursday 19 June: The weather is against the team today so they have delayed their departure from Brighton for a further day. They now plan to leave for Chichester harbour at around midday tomorrow (Friday) where they should arrive at Sparkes Marina (Hayling Island) by around 10pm. We'll keep you posted.
Day 3 - Wednesday 18 June: Rest day in Brighton
Hilary would like to thank everybody for their messages of support and good luck. Whilst it is difficult for her to spend too much time checking this site, we are trying to pass on as many individual messages as possible. We would also like to thank everbody who has so far made a donation - this is greatly appreciated. Sorry we're not able to acknowledge each one individually.
Day 2 - Tuesday 17 June: Hilary left Eastbourne at around 12.30pm and set sail for Brighton - she arrived at Brighton Marina, a little later than planned (and wet and cold) at 7.10pm. Although Brighton was originally planned to be a one night stopover, they will now stay an extra day to give Hilary and the crew some well-earned rest. The local Lions Club arranged a small reception for Hilary and the team. Hilary's challenge has generated enormous press and media attention, so we hope this will result in a flood of donations to the charity.
Day 1 - Monday 16 June: Having set sail from Dover in bright sunshine at around 3pm, Hilary arrived safely in Eastbourne Marina at 11.55pm - tired but happy to have successfully completed the first leg of her journey. The team would like to pass on their thanks to all at Eastbourne Marina and the local Lions for their help and assistance.
About Hilary
Hilary was not born quadriplegic, in fact Hilary was quite the sporting child. However, Hilary was diagnosed with a degenerative disease, which would slowly limit the use of her body as she became older.
Hilary Lister had her life worked out from an early age. It was all planned, she was going to be a biochemist. She knew which exams she needed to pass, what grades she had to get, even where she wanted to work!
She enjoyed an active lifestyle and participated in a variety of sports. Particular favourites were hockey, swimming and netball (captaining her school team in each sport). Hilary also fenced and was placed 3rd in 1984 in the Kent Under 13 competition. Hilary also enjoyed rugby and canoeing.
When Hilary was 11, she began to experience discomfort in her knees whenever she played her beloved sport. It started with shooting pains in her legs, which she first dismissed as growing pains.
By the time Hilary turned 13, she was in pain everyday and by the age of 15, she could no longer walk. Not something a teenager needs at that stage in her life. Doctors put Hilary in plaster from ankle to thigh and she was given a wheelchair. This meant Hilary was unable to return to school, which was difficult as it was the beginning of her GCSE year.
Hilary has an amazing sense of not letting life pass her by, which became evident in her teenage years. Despite her body slowly giving up on her and becoming paraplegic, Hilary did not sit in her chair doing nothing. She started swimming and working out in the gym several times a week. Hilary’s commitment saw her swim fast enough to qualify for the Great Britain Paralympics squad
It was then discovered Hilary had a progressive neurological disorder, diagnosed as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), which meant that over the coming years, as Hilary grew into a young woman, she would gradually begin to lose the use of almost all of her body whilst still leaving her in incredible pain.
Just before she married Clifford, Hilary began to lose the use of her hands and arms. Hilary could no longer drive, continue her work as a biochemist, or play her clarinet. More than that, the most basic tasks, like eating and washing, suddenly had to be done for her.
With her condition worsening, Hilary was forced to give up her life bit by bit - her mobility, her career as a biochemist, a secondary career as a clarinet teacher and most importantly, her independence.
After losing everything she had always worked so hard to achieve, Hilary was housebound. After four years of complete inactivity and total dependence on others, she began to weigh up whether the quality of her life made it worthwhile continuing. During these darkest moments she was tempted to end it all but then there was a miracle.
A friend introduced her to sailing. It was the first time she had left the house in three months.
Hilary’s condition now is such that she is quadriplegic, only able to move her head, eyes and mouth.
When Hilary says "sailing saved my life", she means it ...
In 2005, Hilary Lister made history by becoming the first ever quadriplegic to sail solo across the English Channel. And in 2007 became the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around the Isle of Wight.
