Disabled teenage sailor, Natasha Lambert, is en route to London for her latest daring charity challenge.

In her specially-adapted boat Miss Isle Too, Natasha is sailing 231 miles to the centre of London.

Natasha, aged 17 from the Isle of Wight, set sail on Saturday, 23 May, from her berth at Cowes Yacht Haven, heading east towards the mouth of the river Thames. After passing through Tower Bridge to St. Katherine’s Docks, Natasha will then swap her boat for her special walking aid and walk the square mile of the City of London. Her latest challenge aims to raise funds and awareness for the Miss Isle School of Sip-Puff Sailing charity, recently launched by Natasha. Ben Ferris, marina development manager of Cowes Yacht Haven, said: ‘It is our honour to support Natasha and her incredible journeys. We are very proud to help give Miss Isle Too a home here at Cowes Yacht Haven. ‘She is a true inspiration to us all here and to all the people who berth with us. We do all we can to help her and the very worthy charity she has founded.’ Natasha was born with athetoid cerebral palsy that affects her limbs and confines her to a wheelchair. She had always enjoyed sailing as a passenger but was desperate to helm a boat alone. In 2010, her father Gary built a system that would allow Natasha to control her Artemis 20, Miss Isle, and Mini Transat, Miss Isle Too, with a single straw. She now wants to allow other youngsters to take to the water using her “sip and puff” method through her charity, The Miss Isle School of Sip-Puff Sailing. Natasha has since carried out three extraordinary challenges, including last year’s Sea and Summit challenge, which saw her sail 500 miles to Wales to climb the highest peak in Southern Britain, Pen Y Fan. Natasha’s mother Amanda, said: ‘We have to give our tremendous thanks to Cowes Yacht Haven for the support they have shown Natasha over the years. This challenge would not be possible without everybody’s help, it takes a whole team of passionate people.’ Follow Miss Isle on Facebook, sponsor Natasha at www.gofundme.com/t2frf8/donate Read more at http://www.pbo.co.uk/news/miss-isle-too-on-courageous-charity-challenge-21482#iQ6ixflAi17tDdt7.99

Fools Gold – to the victor the spoils: Silvers Marine Scottish Series 2015

Congratulations all round to Robert McConnell and the crew of Fools Gold on winning the Series overall trophy for their performance in IRC Class 2 at the 2015 Silvers Marine Scottish Series regatta. After four days, 11 races and some of the best sailing in Scotland, the crew certainly had the luck of the Irish taking the overall title, along with winning IRC Class 2. Race organisers awarded the coveted trophy to Fools Gold based on the best performance in the tightest class. And that’s not all, the Waterford Harbour Sailing team received the Crawford McInnes Trophy sponsored by Hempel Paints for the best under 25 helm. They also take home the trophy for the best IRC class boat. Fools Gold presentation copy 2 While Silvers Marine Scottish Series’ main sponsor, Jamie McGarry, may be disappointed to see the trophy go over the water to Ireland, you can be sure both he and Colin Moore will be back to fight for it again next year. Jamie, who has just announced Silvers Marine will sponsor the regatta again next year, praised the race officers Stuart Childerley, John Readman and Alan Cassels for their smooth management of the regatta. The race teams on both courses were excellent and it is testament to them that all races were sailed and none cancelled. In IRC Class 1 it was Steven Cowie’s Zephyr who came out on top. This was a hotly contested class all weekend and Jamie McGarry and Colin Moore’s Eala of Rhu, lying in third place overnight, had an outstanding final day. However, it was Zephyr who claimed the victory and it was wonderful to see Scotland’s three Commodore’s Cup team boats ending the regatta in the top three places, with Rod Stuart and William Ram’s Aurora taking the final podium position. In IRC Class 2, and there was just one point in it as overall champions Fools Gold stayed ahead of Sloop John T and Storm who both finished on 28 points. In IRC Class 4, Craig Latimer who has battled all week, settled for a single point victory over Trastada with Irish hopefuls Landbay Rules coming in in third on 22 points. Craig won this class last year in his previous boat Wildebeest IV and will be delighted to have snatched victory again this year. CYCA 5 This class was dominated by Geoff and Norman Howison in their new boat Local Hero. Consistent sailing by Enigma saw them in second and a great regatta for Ian McNair in First By Farr saw the crew clinch third. CYCA 6 and the veteran Valhalla of Ashton, competing in every Scottish Series, topped the table again this year. She looked strong all weekend and was followed home by She of the North and Garth Wilson’s Zebedee who took a very credible third. CYCA 8 Restricted Sail saw all change in the top two, with Windhound pulling out an ace in the last day to beat Jochr and with Eureka IV taking third. CYCA 9 Restricted Sail – well done to Halcyon who had a comfortable win over Lyrebird with Poppy in third. Sigma 33 Series had tight racing across the regatta but on the final day Bradshaw and Gallagher did what was needed to stay ahead of Leaky Roof 2 and Donald McLaren’s Sigmatic which took the third spot. National Sonata One Design and Steve Goacher’s Eric the Boat dominated this class all weekend. However Old School had a great regatta to end up a credible second with White Magic in third. Sadly, this class saw last year’s winner Murray Caldwell in Red Hot Poker have to withdraw on day one of the event with a broken rig. VX One, this class had some tight racing but Ovington Boats held their nerve to finish ahead of Robbers Dog and Zhik. J70 Iain Aitken in boats.com dominated this class with straight firsts across the regatta. He was followed home by Jacuzzi and Django to win the Scottish Championship. Hunter 707 More T Vicar stayed one point clear of Rammie to take the class ahead of Black Sheep in third.

Crews race across Channel from Falmouth

YACHTS lined up at Royal Cornwall Yacht Club for a race 95 miles south to Roscoff in France. The opening Coastal and Offshore Yacht Racing Series meet of the year saw seven crews take part with all making it across the Channel to the Brittany town. In almost perfect weather conditions, the boats crossed the shipping lanes in westerly winds and a misty night. Along the way, many of the competitors reported seeing dolphins and short-finned pilot whales in the sea. The first yacht arrived after 13 hours on the water with Sarabande, skippered by Rob Mably, winning the IRC Class. Just In Time and her captain Mark Humphrey won the Handicap race and IRC Two Class went to Afrita, manned by Andrew Leming and crew.

Sevenoaks school pupil Cossie Lewis will represent Great Britain in sailing championships

A Sevenoaks school pupil will pit her wits against more than 250 of the continent's best young sailors after being selected to represent Great Britain. Cossie Lewis booked her place in the eight-strong British team for July's Magic Marine Optimist European Championships after impressing at the selection trails in 2012. The Optimist junior sailing class is widely regarded as the breeding ground for future international sailing success with four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie a former Optimist sailor. Cossie Lewis has been selected to represent Great Britain The championships get underway on Friday, July 17, with a total of five days of racing before the prizes are presented on Thursday, July 23. Some 255 sailors from 37 nations, including from outside Europe, will be racing on Cardigan Bay. Cossie, 13, who competes for both the Sevenoaks School Sailing Club and Bosham SC in West Sussex, admits she can’t wait to get to Pwllheli in North Wales, where the championships will be held. She said: “The Europeans is the biggest event I have been selected for to date. After last year's Nationals I sat down with my coach, Matt Rainback, and discussed my goal, which was to get to the European Championships. All my racing and training during the last few months was focussed towards this goal, so I was thrilled to achieve it! "I am really looking forward to the event, particularly sailing against such tough international competition. I’m still working out my goal, however ideally it would be to get into Gold fleet, which is the top third of all boats for the final series.” Cossie has previously been selected for British teams to compete in major Optimist regattas in Braassemermeer in The Netherlands (2014 and 2015), while she says her best recent achievement was coming 30th out of 538 competitors at the International Palamos Optimist Trophy regatta in Spain in February. This will be the first time in the Championship’s official 32-year history that the Optimist Europeans will be held in Great Britain, and only the second time the event has been hosted on UK waters since Belfast in 1993.

Push the Boat Out 2015 starts today!

This weekend marks the start of RYA Push the Boat 2015 with sailing clubs and training centres across the nation offering free and discounted taster opportunities for all to ‘have a go’. More than 340 venues will be taking part in the national event, providing everyone, regardless of age, background or experience, with the chance to get out on the water and discover the sport of sailing. The week-long Push the Boat Out 2015 will run from tomorrow, Saturday 9 May, to Saturday 17 May. All you need for any of the open days or ‘try sailing’ sessions is warm clothing, soft soled shoes and a waterproof if it’s raining. The clubs and centres will provide everything else! Booking may be required for some of the activities. Jackie Bennetts, RYA club support advisor, said: ‘RYA Push the Boat Out provides a fantastic opportunity to show people just how easy it is to get involved in sailing and windsurfing locally. ‘People think it’s an expensive sport but the reality is you don’t even need to own your own boat! A family of four can be members of a local club for as little as £10-£15 a month and most clubs have boats you can borrow for a morning, afternoon or evening from as little as £3-5 or sometimes free depending on the club or centre.’ Last year 260 clubs and centres in Britain hosted Push the Boat Out events with 17,000 people trying sailing or windsurfing for the first time over one weekend. For full details about what’s going on near you visit www.rya.org.uk/go/ptbo

Celebrations in order as Andrew Simpson Sailing Centre reaches first birthday

CELEBRATIONS are in order as the Andrew Simpson Sailing Centre reaches its first birthday. The centre is inviting the local community to take part in the celebration, which takes places next Saturday, May 9. From 11am, there will be opportunities to sail on the Olympic waters with free sailing tasters for children aged five and over. There will also be the opportunity to have a go at climbing and a cardboard boat race will take place at 2pm. The event offers a host of other fun free activities for all ages and a visit from Weymouth and Portland mayor Kate Wheller and her Consort Mr Michael Wheller. The centre is owned by the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation and operates as a not-for-profit sailing centre at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. Dorset-based gold medal-winning Olympian Andrew Simpson, affectionately known as Bart by friends and family, tragically died in a training ground accident as he prepared for the Americas Cup in San Francisco in 2013. The foundation was set up by Simpson’s friends and family in his honour and aims to support programmes around the world which promote Andrew’s and the Olympic values. New centre manager, Alex Porter, who was appointed in February, said there were ‘some fantastic times’ ahead at the centre. Alex added: “I’m really looking forward to working with the experienced and enthusiastic team here, running not only exciting new sailing courses but also the variety of charitable programmes. These programmes include Bart’s Inspire programme, Sail for Life, Aiming High and the popular Rod Shipley 'sail for a Fiver' programme. “I’m particularly looking forward to meeting local people who may not have been to centre yet, and I’m sure they will love what we have on offer. "We have also introduced youth sailing clubs which take place on Saturdays throughout the year. “Bart’s Sailing Club on Saturday mornings and Bart’s Racing Club on Saturday afternoons will be an opportunity for young people to come along to the centre, to develop their sailing skills and make new friends.” The centre offers the charity the opportunity to develop sailing programmes in line with the foundations objectives. In the centre’s first 12 months, it has offered more than 1500 subsidised places on its charitable programmes and is aiming to double that number this year. The centre also receives an annual grant from the foundation, allowing it to support those aged five to 24 years from schools and groups to sail. For more information visit andrewsimpsonsailing.co.uk

Himley Hall Sailing Club getting set for fundraising race

HIMLEY Lake will be full of sails next weekend as people take to the water to raise cash for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The six hour race on Saturday May 9 will be the first big event of the season for members of Himley Hall Sailing Club. Several teams from the club will take part in the sponsored long distance race, as well as pupils from Ellowes Hall School - which has recently introduced sailing as an option in PE - and Aldridge and Dudley Sailing Clubs. RNLI members will be acting as starters for the event, which is now in its 39th year and has raised more than £90,000 to date. Organiser Alan Dean said: “We’re hoping that this year’s event will be really big. The RNLI is such a worthy cause. "If there are other sailing clubs out there who would like to enter, there’s still time. Just contact the club, we’d be delighted to have you aboard.” The club is also hosting a taster day on May 16 for anyone who would like to try sailing. To book a place, call Tony Sutton on 07774 818449.

Rio Paralympics: Helena Lucas named on GB sailing team

Paralympic sailing champion Helena Lucas has been named as the first member of the Great Britain team for Rio 2016. The Southampton sailor, who turns 40 on Wednesday, is the first confirmed athlete on either the Olympic or Paralympic team. It will be a third Games for Lucas, who competes in the one-person 2.4mR keelboat event. "It's amazing that I'm the first athlete to be selected," she said. Lucas, who was born without thumbs and has limited movement in her arms, beat Megan Pascoe to the sole GB slot in the class. In 2012, she won gold in London to become the first GB sailor to win a Paralympic medal since the sport became a full part of the Games programme in 2000. "It's a massive relief to know I'm going to Rio and have the opportunity to defend my gold medal," she added. "It's a huge privilege, but also it means we can really focus on preparing for Rio and the specifics of the venue. Helena Lucas facts In 2006, Helena stood in for Shirley Robertson to helm in the Olympic class Yngling at the first Beijing Olympic Test Event, winning silver alongside Annie Lush and Lucy MacGregor. She made her Paralympic debut in Beijing in 2008, finishing in 7th place. She was the only woman competing in the 2.4mR class at the 2012 Paralympics and beat her nearest rival by nine points. "London was an amazing experience but no sailor has yet managed to defend their Paralympic title. It would be amazing to be the first sailor to be able to do that, so that's the drive and the goal for Rio." Lucas has been in superb form this year and is the only GB athlete in her class to have secured podium places in the Royal Yachting Association's (RYA) four qualification events, including silver at the 2014 IFDS World Championships and bronze in the 2.4mR Open World Championships. Her selection comes with sailing missing out on being part of the programme for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. Sailing team leader and RYA Olympic manager Stephen Park said: "By selecting at this early stage it allows us to focus our attentions on optimising Helena's performance and the specific challenges of Rio itself, which is a very difficult venue in sailing terms, while at the same time harnessing Megan's undoubted talent to aid the British team's medal-winning prospects across the Paralympic classes." GB has qualified a further five slots for athletes to compete in the Skud-18 and the Sonar class in Rio and competition for places in those classes will continue over the coming months.

Ben Ainslie Racing teams up with Siemens PLM Software

In June 2017, the Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) team will join several other sailing clubs from across the world to compete in the 35th America’s Cup race in Bermuda in a bid to take the title from current champions Team Oracle USA. Led by British Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie, the UK team will sail in a 62ft wing-sailed AC62 catamaran designed to ‘fly’ above the water on hydrofoils at speeds near 50mph. Building a boat for such a demanding race is challenging. “Unlike most sports competitions which are held according to a fixed schedule, the America’s Cup takes place whenever a qualified yacht club challenges the current trophy holders – this means there could be one year between the races, or there could be a decade,” explains Andy Claughton, technical director at BAR. “The uncertainty surrounding the next race means that we only have one chance to get it right.” In addition, competitors are prohibited from sailing their boats until 150 days before the event, which means that BAR’s 22-strong engineering team will need to largely rely on 3D virtual modelling technology to design and optimise the boat’s structure and onboard operating systems. BAR has teamed up with Siemens PLM Software UK, and its professional services partner Majenta PLM, to leverage its product lifecycle management, NX, Teamcenter and Femap software to design, simulate, test and refine the boat’s structure and onboard systems before manufacturing it. BAR will have access to any new software updates and Siemens’ engineering expertise for at least three years. According to Claughton, this will offer multiple benefits. “Ideally, we want to spend as long as possible on the design phase to ensure that each component is optimised and that the boat will perform well in a variety of different scenarios before we finalise its structure,” he explains. “The beauty of the NX system is that we can quickly go from a paper sketch to a fully functional virtual 3D model that can be extensively fine-tuned and reworked.” Fundamentally, using the NX software will enable BAR to create the basic 3D structure of the boat, capture the dimensions and then link all of the different components using parametric modelling techniques. “This will allow us to experiment with the shape, size, thickness or weight of different individual components and be confident that each time we make an alteration – such as increasing the width of the hull – all of the other components will be updated in real time,” says Claughton, explaining that this will ensure the team always has access to a fully functional 3D representation of the boat. “Without these parametric capabilities, we would need to manually restart the whole design process every time we wanted to alter a component, which would waste time, resources and money.” Meanwhile, Siemens’ Femap software will be used to perform finite element analyses, allowing the engineering team to identify how they can improve the overall structure and aerodynamic performance of the boat. For example, they can pinpoint the components that need to be strengthened, or those that need to be lightweighted to increase balance. “Working with 3D models allows us to create computational fluid dynamics simulations to test how the boat will flow through the water and how it will perform in different sailing conditions,” says Claughton, adding that this will help the sailing team to train for different eventualities. Using simulation software will also help BAR to accelerate the final manufacturing processes. “Ideally, we want to be able to make the final race boat in as short a timeframe as possible because this will give us the maximum amount of time to fine-tune the structure of the boat,” explains Claughton. “NX allows us to simulate various manufacturing processes and accurately calculate how long it will take to build the final boat. Not only will this assist with planning our production schedule and meet our deadlines, it will also enable us to find ways to optimise these processes.” BAR has already used the NX system to build and launch its first 45ft prototype boat, and to mould the material for the second test boat, which it aims to debut in mid-2015. “We will continue to refine the structure of these boats and by the end of this year, we expect to make a lot of the major decisions about the final design of the AC62 competition boat.” While the BAR team has a long way to go before it finalises the AC62 boat, Claughton is confident that the America’s Cup trophy is well within BAR’s grasp. “Siemens’ software will enable us to design an aerodynamic boat that will perform well in various sailing conditions and we have a strong, talented sailing team – of course we will win!”

New home proves to be a vital lifeline for Walsall sailing club

A SAILING club that gives disabled people the skills to navigate the water has been handed a lifeline after moving into a new home in Walsall for the first time in 15 years. Walsall Sailability has moved five miles from its former base of Sneyd reservoir to The Swag, in Barns Lane, Aldridge, following affiliation to Aldridge Sailing Club. The move comes after Walsall Council – who ran the club as part of their outdoor adventure service – tabled a move to close the service among plans to save £97,000. Although bosses later removed the proposal from planned cuts, leaders at Walsall Sailability, which was formed back in 2000 as the Sneyd Sailability Group, decided it was time for the group to make the move to Aldridge Sailing Club (SC). It comes after club principal Jeff Moore also retired from his role of outdoor pursuit officer for Walsall Council's sports and leisure team. Mr Moore will continue to run Walsall Sailability with the help of Philippa Bryan, Royal Yachting Association (RYA) senior instructor and parents of young people with disabilities who have sailed or sail with the group. The group is now looking to attract further funding, participants and volunteers to support activities on offer, with an open day held this weekend. "Sailing is one of the few sports where people of all abilities really can take part alongside each other on a level playing field," said Mr Moore. "The affiliation to Aldridge SC is the way forward for the group in the long-term both in terms of the further opportunities Walsall Sailability can offer to sailors staying involved in the sport into the future and promoting true social inclusion. "The group is self sufficient with families owning their own specially-adapted access dinghies and powerboats, while we are working with Aldridge to secure funding to invest in facilities to accommodate people with disabilities on a regular basis." Andy Jukes, principal of Aldridge SC, has welcomed the move. He added: "We are really pleased to have the opportunity to support Walsall Sailability and welcome them to Barns Lane. "It is great our club facilities will be used more widely, and going forwards we aim to continue the development of the club to promote sailing for all in the community." Residents of all abilities, ages and backgrounds are invited to see what sailing has to offer when Aldridge SC with Walsall Sailability hosts its free annual open day on Saturday (April 25). There will then be another opportunity for newcomers to also have a go at no cost on Sunday, May 10 as part of the national RYA Push The Boat Out event. "The open day and 'Push The Boat Out' event will demonstrate that getting into sailing really is simple, fun and open to anyone and everyone," added Mr Jukes. Aldridge club members will give visitors the chance to get out on the water and sample sailing at both events. Walsall Sailability will also supply adapted boats for families with disabled children or disabled adults within the family to try sailing. Visitors can also enjoy a ride in a powerboat at both events. The events run from 11am to 4pm and visitors are asked to bring warm clothes, soft soled shoes and a waterproof. To find out more, visit www.aldridgesc.org.uk

Free taster sailing sessions at Rutland Water for people and children with disabilities

Organisers of a sailing project for people with disabilities are staging an open day tomorrow (Saturday) at Rutland Water. The event hosted by Rutland Sailability will give people with all types of disability and of all ages the opportunity try sailing free of charge. The event is part of a nationwide Push the Boat Out initiative being organised by the Royal Yachting Association, A spokeswoman for Rutland Sailability said: “The event has been organised to encourage people with disabilities to try sailing. “It is a chance to have a sailing taster session at the club free of charge.” Sessions will be conducted by fully qualified instructors in specially modified boats with the last session starting at 2.30pm. To book a session or to learn more about the sailing opportunities the club provides, contact Rutland Sailability on 01778 590338. Rutland Sailability was founded 20 years ago and is a recipient of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. Its members sail on Thursdays between 10am and 3pm, and (during the sailing season) on Saturdays between 9.30am and 12.30pm.

Yachtsman badly burned in boat explosion near Oban

A yachtsman managed to row himself to safety after being badly burned in an explosion aboard his boat last night. Oban Lifeboat launched to reports of an explosion aboard a yacht anchored in Puilladobhrain, Seil Island. During an evening meeting at the station, the lifeboat received a launch request from Stornoway Coastguard to locate and assess a yacht at anchor in Puilladobhrain. It was understood that the owner had been involved in an explosion aboard the vessel, a 20ft yacht named Zulu Hunter. A spokesman for the lifeboat said: “Fortunately, the lone yachtsman had managed to escape the vessel and row himself ashore, where he was able to make his own way to Oban hospital. He was later transferred to hospital in Glasgow suffering from burns. “Oban Lifeboat arrived on scene at 9.25pm to discover the windows and hatch blown out of the vessel. With the only person on board accounted for, the decision was taken to tow the vessel back to Oban where it could be more securely berthed. “The volunteer crew departed the scene at 21.45 and took the yacht under tow and, by 10.28pm, the vessel was safely berthed in Oban.” A spokesman for Stornoway Coastguard said: “We believe it was a gas explosion.”

Teenager to help other young cancer survivors take sailing trips

A teenager from Rayne who beat a rare form of cancer has completed yacht sailing training so he can help other young survivors. Sam Dore, 18, spent March with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, learning how to take young people sailing. The former Notley High School pupil benefited from the trips himself when he was diagnosed with Nasophyaryngeal Carcinoma aged 13. He beat the cancer- in the cavity behind his nose and throat - with a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. During his recovery the Trust took him sailing around the Solent with 20 other children. He said: "I first came on a trip in 2011 and have sailed with the Trust for four years since then. “I wanted to be able to give back to the Trust, and show the young people coming on trips for the first time how much fun sailing is." The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust was launched in 2003 to give young people in recovery from cancer the chance to rebuild their confidence through sailing.