Record-breaking quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister passes away

Disabled sailor Hilary Lister who used the sip-and-puff technique to steer and control her boat, has passed away at the age of 46

British record-breaking quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister has passed away at the age of 46.

Lister, who suffered from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) was the first quadriplegic to sail solo across the English Channel, which she did in 6 hours and 13 minutes in 20015.
In 2007 she became the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around the Isle of Wight (in 11 hours and 4 minutes) and two years later she became the first disabled woman to sail around Britain.

The Oxford graduate, who was able-bodied until the age of 15, controlled her boat via a straw, using the sip-and-puff techology, also adopted by Natasha Lambert, the record breaking sailor who has artheroid cerebral palsy.

Hilary Lister was introduced to sailing when a friend took her to a lake. She later said that sailing gave “new meaning and purpose” to her life.

Ms Lister passed away at the age of 46.