A FAMILY AFFAIR

Quadriplegic cerebral palsy has never held Natasha Lambert back and with the help of her family, she has now conquered the Atlantic

- Elaine Bunting

Salt Whistle Bay lies behind a narrow white sand isthmus on the island of Mayreau in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Warm, briny tradewinds pipe constantly through a line of palm trees. Sheltered behind in flat water, Natasha Lambert’s 46ft catamaran Blown Away sits in the lee of the whole Atlantic Ocean.

Amanda, Natasha’s mum, sends me two photos; one of the bay at Mayreau where their boat is lying, and another of Natasha grinning and holding a rum punch to celebrate sailing across the Atlantic in December. These moments are triumphs for this remarkable 23-year-old and her family.

The Lamberts are from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, but they weren’t sailors. Natasha first tried sailing during an activity holiday in the Lake District, aged nine. She has had quadriplegic cerebral palsy since birth and she immediately thrilled to the sense of freedom and scope that sailing offered.

Back home, the Lamberts felt sure there would be a boat adapted for wheelchair users that Natasha could sail. There were, but none that could be controlled by someone suffering from involuntary limb movements. So Natasha’s dad Gary decided to buy a small boat and modify it. He came up with the idea of using a single plastic straw mounted on a helmet, so that Natasha could control the helm and sails by sipping or puffing on the straw.