‘I can’t use my arms or legs but sailed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic using a straw’

With a simple sip and puff, Natasha Lambert sailed her 46 foot long catamaran 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. Aged just nine when the aspiring mariner said she wanted to sail, after a family activity holiday, her dad Gary was determined to make her dream come true. But it was no mean feat. Born with cerebral palsy, Natasha, now 29, from the Isle of Wight, can’t use her arms or legs and struggles to speak. Her breath control, however, is top notch - giving her dad a cunning plan. Her younger sister, Rachel, 19, explains: “Growing up, it was never a ‘no’ for Tash, but an ‘ok, how can we make this happen’. Our parents encouraged her to have a go at all sorts - like abseiling. When she expressed an interest in sailing, Tash wanted to not just be a passenger. She wanted to be in control of the boat. But when we did some research near our home in Cowes, the technology just wasn’t there. “Dad is an electrician by day, but a mad inventor by night. Off he went into his shed and he created a custom ‘sip-and-puff’ breath-control system for Tash, so that she could independently skipper and steer sailing boats.” The sip-and-puff proved life-changing for Natasha, giving her a level of independence and control normally made impossible by her condition. A small tube shaped like a straw is held securely in her mouth via a modified helmet. Sipping (inhaling) on the tube turns the boat right, while puffing (blowing) turns it left. A tongue-operated LED light beam switch inside the straw lets her move between different modes using a toggle, in order to control the sails. Rachel says: “Tash can easily drink from a straw, so that was the basis of it. They started with a model boat that she could control on a pond, then upgraded and upgraded until it became a full size boat. Then Tash got on board.” Gary’s ingenious invention was a game-changer. Natasha says: “I loved it.” Rachel continues: “Even when people are pushing Tash's wheelchair, they'll just push her out across the road without saying, ‘we're turning now.’ On the boat, it's all Tash. She decides where we're going and when we're going.” The family started by getting Tash to sail on rivers. Aged 11, it was time to tackle the Solent, the strait of water separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland. Rachel says: “She sailed across, no fear, all by herself. We were sailing besi de her on another boat. She was supposed to stop and let the instructor on, but instead she turned around and kept sailing straight back across. “There’s a stigma around disabilities and, because Sasha is in a wheelchair, people assume there's a mental disability as well. But in Tash's case, that's not at all true - there's an awful lot going on up here. She has the same hopes, dreams and wants as anyone else. And she’s as determined as hell. For her first charity challenge, in September 2012, Natasha sailed her boat, MissIsle Too, around the Isle of Wight, raising more than £17,000, which was shared between the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, RNLI and Scope. The following year, she completed a solo cross-Channel voyage from Boulogne in France, to Dover. And in 2014, she navigated in stages along the south coast of Britain up to Wales. She was then named Young Sailor of the Year. In 2015, Natasha and her family set up the Miss Isle School of Sip and Puff Sailing, based in Cowes, and registered as a charity. It utilises the ‘sip-and-puff’ breath-control technology developed by Gary, to teach other young people with severe physical disabilities how to independently sail and skipper boats. Later that year, Natasha was awarded a British Empire Medal for her charity work - but she is always seeking greater challenges. So, when Dame Ellen MacArthur, who broke the world record for the fastest solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in 2005 and lives on the Isle of Wight, gave Tash a pilot guide to the Atlantic - it was her green light to sail across the ocean. Rachel says: “She signed it, ‘Here’s to the next one, Tash’.” Two years of research followed before the family opted for a 46 foot catamaran called Blown Away. Rachel says: “A catamaran is a much more stable platform for Tash's wheelchair and for moving around the boat. There's a little bit more room. “Then we started adapting it, which was another two years. Dad tore bits apart, took things out. We made doorways bigger, added track, so that Tash could be in a sling in rough weather to go up and down stairs.” Of course, Tash’s sip-and-puff was added, too. Mum Mandy was the brains of the operation. Natasha says: “She was the backbone.” Rachel continues: “Mum pushed it all forwards. Then it was about training, getting used to the boat, getting used to living on it, how that all worked for us.” The family of four set sail on 22 November 2020. Natasha was the skipper, supported by a five-person team including Rachel, Gary and Mandy. Midway, they encountered a ferocious storm, but Natasha was fearless. Rachel says: “One of the most amazing things about sailing, about being on boats, being on the water, is that the weather, the ocean, doesn't care if you're in a wheelchair or not. It's going to be the same for everybody. It’s about skill - and Tash has that in spades.” Sailing from Gran Canaria, Natasha and family travelled 3,000 miles to Saint Lucia in 18 days, 21 hours, 39 minutes and eight seconds. Part of the ARC event, more than 50 boats and 300 sailors took part. Natasha finished 28th and, aged just 23, became the first person to sail across the Atlantic using the sip-and-puff system. Rachel laughs: “Tash wanted to carry on when we got there. One of the first things she said was, ‘now let’s do the Pacific’. But, tragically, this year Mandy died from cancer, after being diagnosed last September. So, while they wait for the right moment to tackle the Pacific, in November, the sisters and their dad will cross the Atlantic again in her memory. Rachel says: “We miss her every day. It’s been really hard. We were such a team. Most families can’t say they’ve crossed an ocean together. But Mum is still with us and she’ll be with us on the boat. One of the last things she said to us was, ‘keep having adventures. Keep seeing the world’. So we will - we’re doing it for her.” They are hoping to raise £30,000 for 3 charities - the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, RNLI (where Rachel volunteers) and the Calvert Lakes (where Natasha first tried sailing). Sailing together has forged an incredibly close bond between the sisters, too. Rachel, who is currently on her gap year after finishing sixth form, says: “We squabble like siblings, but when it matters we’re a pretty formidable team. I’m incredibly proud of Natasha. We both have our roles. Tash has the determination, the tenacity. This is her dream, and her dream is the catalyst to everything we do. We support, facilitate, and make it happen.” For Natasha, sailing means liberty. She says: “I don’t have a disability on the water. I feel free.” *For further information see www.missile.com