Hilary Lister

Hilary Lister (born 1972) is a record-breaking quadriplegic sailor from Kent, England. She suffers from the progressive condition reflex sympathetic dystrophy and controls her ship by using sip-and-puff technology for steering and sails.

Lister was able-bodied until the age of 15. She studied biochemistry at Jesus College, Oxford between 1991 and 1995, having lost the use of her legs by then. She started a PhD at the University of Kent in 1996 but her condition deteriorated. She lost the use of her arms in 1999 and was unable to finish her doctorate (but has since been awarded an honorary doctorate by the university). She was introduced to sailing in 2003, which she says gave her life "new meaning and purpose".

On 23 August 2005, Lister was the first quadriplegic to sail solo across the English Channel (in 6 hours and 13 minutes). On 24 July 2007, she became the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around the Isle of Wight (in 11 hours 4 minutes). She won the Sunday Times Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration in 2005. She set off to sail solo around Britain on 16 June 2008. Bad weather and technical problems led to the attempt being suspended on 13 August 2008.

On 21 May 2009, Hilary Lister restarted her sail from Plymouth. By 14 August she had reached Bridlington on England’s east coast. She reached the end of her journey, Dover in Kent, on the evening of 31 August 2009, becoming the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain.

On 8 January 2010, at the Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show, Lister announced her intention to compete in the 2011 Fastnet Race in a Class 40 boat. In April 2010 Hilary will sail around the Kingdom of Bahrain in support of Bahrain Mobility International.

Awards

• Winner of the SJA Bill McGowan Award, 2009
• Winner of the Vitalise "Woman of Achievement" Award, 2009
• Winner of Breast cancer Breakthrough Aspirational non-celebrity, 2009
• Winner of the Cosmopolitan Superhero Award — Cosmopolitan Fun & Fearless Women
• Winner of the Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration — Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year 2007
• Winner of The Royal Cruising Club's Seamanship Award, 2005
• Winner of A Woman of the Year 2005–2006 — Women of the Year Charity
• Winner of Woman of the Year 2006 — New Woman Magazine

Other recognition

• Awarded an honorary PhD by the University of Kent at Canterbury 2007
• Made a UK Sailing Academy Ambassador 2006
• Hilary is patron of Mariners of Bewl and the Active Ashford Bursary.
• Kent County Council Invicta Award, April 2010

External links

• Hilary Lister website
• BBC news report of cross-channel sail
• The Guardian interview
• Article in Oxford Today
• (page 7) article by Lister in the Jesus College alumni newsletter
• CNN report
• Sunday Times award / profile
• University of Kent
• University of Kent
• International Association for Disabled Sailing's report on Lister's Isle of Wight sail