UK teenager sails to Appledore using boat controlled by her mouth !!

A TEENAGER with cerebral palsy who is sailing around the South West coast in a specially adapted boat she controls by her mouth has arrived in Appledore. Natasha Lambert, 17, arrived with an escort from the Appledore RNLI on Friday evening on part of her 430 mile journey. So far she has raised nearly £10,000 for three charities – the RNLI, The Ellen Macarthur Cancer Trust, and the RYA Foundation which helps disabled sailors. Natasha arrived from Padstow into the harbour and is looking to set sail on the final leg of her journey to Swansea this week. She first tried sailing ages nine at the Calvert Trust and loved being on the water. Since then Natasha sailed model boats using a sip and puff mechanism to control the vessel with her mouth. This sparked her interest and her father developed a system where she could control and sail a boat using a single straw. In 2010 Natasha sailed around the Isle of Wight in her boat Miss Isle, and last year she sailed from France to England across the channel. During this adventure after reaching Swansea, Natasha will then climb Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in South Wales, using a specialised walking frame. Follow Natasha’s Sea and Summit adventure and track her progress at www.missisle.com.