Natasha Lambert ready for next sailing challenge

NATASHA Lambert is busy preparing for her next adventure - Sea and Summit Ireland. The 19-year-old adventurer, who, with the support of her parents, has proven disability need not be a barrier to completing challenges, is not only planning to sail across the Irish Sea on July 17 but down the coast from Belfast to Dublin - and then scale a mountain in the Wicklow National Park. The challenge, made possible by the invention of her father, Gary, which enables her to sail by the power of pressure from a gentle breath, and climb with the aid of a special brace and wheels, was featured in a recent BBC South programme, Invented in the South. Natasha will be fundraising for the charity established by the family, the MissIsle School, which helps others with limited mobility to sail, and Cowes RNLI. Natasha has athetoid cerebral palsy, which means she has movements she cannot control. Despite that, the inspirational teenager has not only sailed around the Island, but also across the English Channel, to Wales, around Scotland, and from Cowes to Tower Bridge. She has also climbed two mountains. Natasha can be sponsored at tinyurl.com/IWCP-ISC

YES! wins the 2017 Round the Island Race in association with Cloudy Bay Gold Roman Bowl

There are still some boats needing to finish, but mathematically we believe none of them will be able to dislodge Adam Gosling’s JPK 10.80 YES! from the top of the overall results, hence scoring them the biggest trophy of the day, the Gold Roman Bowl. Often they say that the Round the Island Race is won by either the biggest or the smallest boats and for a time it looked like this would be a big boat race, after an impressive performance from Irvine Laidlaw’s Reichel-Pugh 82, Highland Fling XI. But with Fling sitting at the top of the results table, Yes! and much of the rest of the IRC1 fleet, within which she was racing, stormed home to dislodge a number of previous finishers from the top positions. Highland Fling did manage to hold onto second, but ultimately Yes! were in another league taking victory by just under eight minutes corrected. Gosling’s team are a well-known group in the Solent and have won a great many trophies and plaudits but the Round the Island Race win had thus far eluded them. They join a very special group of 81 winners from the illustrious race. Congratulations to all of the team.

Two women sail around UK to test for 'micro plastic' in the sea

Two women are embarking on a boat trip around the UK coastline to research the levels of ‘micro plastic’ floating in the sea. Deborah Maw and Jess van Heurssen are joining an all-female crew on the trip to test for the first time how many of the particles there is in the waters off our coastline. ‘Micro plastic’ is the tiny particles of plastic, less than 5mm, which end up in the sea from things like cosmetics and clothing or are the end-product of larger pieces of plastic being eroded down. It’s said to be harmful because it ends up in the fish we eat. Deborah and Jess, who both live in Macclesfield but didn’t know each other before signing up for the trip, are raising money to join the ‘citizen science’ trip, which is funded by the people who take part. As they travel around the UK they will stop off at ports to talk to people about the trip. Deborah, 60, who has lived in Macclesfield for 28 years and now lives in her van in the town, will be giving art workshops using plastic they find. She started making artwork using waste plastic from beaches when she studied a foundation degree in Art and Design at Macclesfield College. Deborah, who was a research biochemist and science teacher before studying art, said: “The issue of micro plastics is a massive problem and affects our health. It’s now found in 70 per cent of the fish we eat and we end up with plastic in our bodies. Micro plastic acts like a sponge for chemicals floating in the ocean. “It comes from micro beads in cosmetics, tiny fibres from fleece clothing and even dust from tyres which gets washed into the water. “The information we gather on the trip will be shared widely and used to help persuade the government we need to change how we use plastic. Something needs to be done.” When Deborah signed up to the trip she realised that Jess would be on board too. Jess, originally from Canada, lives on Hurdsfield Road and is a senior lecturer in North American History at Leeds Beckett University. Deborah will give a talk about the trip and the problem of plastic at the Snow Goose on Sunderland Street, Macclesfield, on Thursday, July 13, at 7pm. Contact the Snow Goose for tickets or go onto the Facebook page. Go to exxpeditionuk2017.blogspot.co.uk to read Deborah’s blog.

Sailing a large VIKING ship nowadays, SPECTACULAR!

Largs sail charity has Olympic ambassador

Largs based charity, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, is delighted to announce the British Sailing Team's Luke Patience, 30, as its newest official ambassador. A leading 470 sailor from the British Sailing Team who has represented Team GB in the past two Olympics, winning a silver medal at the home Games in 2012, Luke explained why he wanted to get involved with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust: "Having raced all my life, being part of something like this is new ground for me. It's so humbling and I would love to think that I can give something back to people that need it through a sport that has given me so much". The announcement comes after Luke joined crews from the Trust's Round Britain 2017 voyage over the past month. Organised by the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, this national relay involving over 100 young people in recovery from cancer will be visiting over 60 towns and ports around the British Isles. Luke joined some of the young people taking part across the first few legs. The epic sailing challenge launched at Largs Yacht Haven last month, and comes to it epic conclusion on its return to the charity's Scottish base in September. Luke said: "I am delighted to be part of something that has become closer to my heart of late. I've seen the amazing work the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust do over many years and it's an honour to now be involved as one of their ambassadors. I'm constantly inspired by the young people." Luke will be joining a group of Patrons and Ambassadors for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust which include Radio 1 DJ and Bestival curator Rob da Bank, Volvo Ocean Race CEO Mark Turner and Luke's fellow British Sailing Team colleague Charlotte Dobson, to name just a few. Hoping to make a difference, Luke will be actively involved, whenever he can, by joining sailing trips and promoting the work of the Trust at fundraising events. The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is a national charity that takes young people, aged between eight and 24 from across the UK, on sailing and other water-based adventures to help them rebuild their confidence after cancer treatment.

Sailor’s voyage around Britain to tackle pollution

AN Aberporth sailor more accustomed to catamarans and dinghies will be joining the all-female crew of a 72-foot yacht on a circumnavigation of Britain to raise awareness of plastic pollution in the seas. Gail Tudor and her colleagues will be setting out on their three-leg journey aboard Sea Dragon from Plymouth on 8 August. The next 10 days will take her around Cornwall and into Cardiff before heading west and into Cardigan Bay, and stopping off at Belfast before she finally leaves the vessel at the end of its first leg at Arran. Over 30 days prior to Sea Dragon’s anticipated return to Plymouth via London, crew members taking part in ‘eXXpedition Round Britain’ will carry out the first continuous trawl for plastics and toxic materials in UK waters whilst sailing over 2,000 miles of the UK coastline. The voyage will take them into the heart of the four UK capitals, as well as Arran in the Clyde and Stornoway­. Onshore activities in every port will include citizen science workshops, film screenings, school visits, creative art and storytelling events, beach-cleans, and engagement with local academic communities, campaigning community groups and local politicians and media. “Living by the sea and being concerned about plastic pollution just made it seem like a good idea,” Gail told the Cambrian News. “Something I and a lot of other people didn’t realise is that plastic never goes away – it just gets smaller and more dangerous­. “Although I sail catamarans and dinghies I have never undertaken anything like this. A lot of the crew have never even sailed before. Basically we’re a bunch of ordinary women setting out to do something extraordinary. “We need to raise £10,000 in order to qualify for match-funding for Heritage Lottery funds to pay for the outreach work in the ports we visit and things like venue hire, beach clean-ups, science workshops etc. “The sooner we can reach our target the more chance we have of getting the heritage lottery money as it is limited and may run out soon. “All costs of the voyage itself, the boat and passage, are being met by the participants.” The crowdfunder link is www.crowdfunder.co.uk/exxpedition-round-britain/.

America's Cup 2017: Great Britain eliminated by New Zealand

Ben Ainslie's Great Britain are out of the America's Cup after New Zealand earned a 5-2 semi-final win. Leading 3-1 overnight in the best-of-nine contest, New Zealand won the first of Thursday's three scheduled races to take them to the brink. And although Britain won the next race, New Zealand took the third. "Three and a half years ago a few of us were sitting around a table in London - what we have we have achieved is incredible," said Ainslie. "I was really proud of the way the team sailed today. We will be back next time and we will be stronger." Despite the capsize NZ took a 3-1 lead into the third day of racing It was a victory to savour for New Zealand after their catamaran capsized during racing in high winds on Tuesday. After Wednesday's races were postponed because of high winds, New Zealand made a strong comeback to go 4-1 up on Thursday. Great Britain had a 26-second lead at the first mark before their opponents came back to secure a 31-second victory. Britain managed to hang on with a near-perfect win in the next race after getting off to a strong start and, this time, maintaining their lead and matching their opponents for speed. However, New Zealand's class shone through as they put Tuesday's troubles behind them. "We struggled coming into this with a lack of speed but everyone has dug so deep to get us more competitive," added Ainslie. The Kiwis will take on Sweden or Japan in the play-off final. Sweden need just one more win after a dramatic comeback. They trailed Japan 3-1 at the start of the day but won all three races on Thursday to take a 4-3 lead. There were hugs, tears and cheers as Great Britain sailed back into the dockyard for the final time. They were facing up to the realisation that this 21st British challenge for the 'Auld Mug' had gone the same way as the others. Britain's wait to bring sport's oldest trophy home goes on for at least another two years. Amid the despondency, there was a positive message from Ben Ainslie. The man on whom so much rested certainly isn't the type to hide. He strode up to BBC Sport to give his first interview, despite the obvious pain that this deeply personal challenge had failed only minutes before. "We will be back," was the emphatic message. In reality, he had probably known this moment was coming for a while. Since the high of winning the World Series pre-qualifying event, it's been evident that the British bid was behind its rivals. Boat speed and control was often cited as an issue; practice races hadn't been encouraging. They were also inconsistent throughout this regatta. Ainslie had proved almost unbeatable in the starts, but too often their rivals would reel them in. The Kiwis are the strongest challenger, and despite dropping one race to Great Britain on Thursday, they showed no outward scars after Tuesday's dramatic capsize. The inquest will be thorough and probably painful for Britain, but Ainslie seems far from done with the America's Cup. What happens next? Holders Oracle Team USA await the winners of the challenger final in the America's Cup. The first to seven points wins the America's Cup, or the Auld Mug as the trophy is known, with a possible 13 races to be sailed on 17-18 and 24-27 June. The America's Cup, the oldest competition in international sport, was first raced in 1851 around the Isle of Wight and has only been won by four nations.

Land Rover BAR rush to repair damage as New Zealand handed 2-0 America's Cup lead by broken British wing

If Land Rover BAR dodged a bullet on Sunday when racing was cancelled due to a complete lack of breeze – almost certainly saving them from going 2-0 down to light-wind specialists New Zealand in their playoff semi-final – the British challenger took one squarely between the eyes on Monday. This was luck evening itself out in brutal fashion; a mechanical failure to their wingsail - their first in years - just a couple of minutes into the first race of the day, forcing them to retire with boat damage, the noise of crunching carbon-fibre ringing out across Bermuda’s Great Sound. Their misfortune was compounded by the fact that they also had to forfeit the second race in the best-of-nine series. Unable to sail the boat back to their base to get their spare wing, they had to be pushed back to the dockyard by their chase boats. It took so long they ran out of time to make the switch. “Was it Winston Churchill who said: ‘When one door closes another one slams in your face’?” asked an exasperated Sir Ben Ainslie afterwards. Certainly it seems that every time the British team takes one step forward, it takes a couple backwards. Many of those setbacks have been self-inflicted of course, but this one felt particularly cruel. It will be a long way back from 2-0 down to a team of the calibre of New Zealand. A long way but not impossible. The one encouraging aspect, from a British perspective, was the speed and boat-handling of the team in the brief bit of racing we did see. Much had been made of Ainslie’s aggressive starts, and they could well still prove to be a factor, especially in the strong winds, possibly approaching the 24-knot limit, which are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. But the one we saw here did not appear to unduly ruffle New Zealand’s young helm Peter Burling. The 26 year-old, the youngest helmsman at this America’s Cup and an Olympic gold medallist in the 49er at last year’s Olympics, managed to get the boats out of sync in the pre-start, got down to the layline first and although he had slightly less of a run-up to the start he managed to hit it with fractionally more pace and lead down to the first mark. You might then have expected, based on the two boat's respective form thus far at this Cup, New Zealand to pull clear, but instead it was the British boat which gained ground on the first downwind leg, rounding the mark cleanly before a loud noise forced Ainslie to stop the boat. "The wing just went 'pop' and basically it went from being our normal setting to being max camber and max power,” said wing trimmer Paul Campbell-James. “We had no way of really controlling it. We're absolutely gutted because we thought that was our day today. In three years of sailing we have maybe had one wing breakage. And here we are in the first race of the semi-finals and it goes pop. "We were really confident today. It would have been fascinating going up that first beat and seeing how we compared [with the Kiwi boat]." Ainslie decided to pass up the opportunity to switch wings last night and head out for a practice sail, saying there were other upgrades and changes the team wanted to make to the boat. “I think the early analysis is that we can be back racing with the same wing, just replacing the part,” he said. “That would be the ideal situation for us. The guys will work through the night to get that done and then we’ll head out in the morning.” Asked whether he expected other teams to suffer mechanical gremlins in the strong winds this week, he added: “You can see the tolerances are so small, who knows what might happen. But you don’t want to profit from other teams’ misfortunes. “It’s tough. But sometimes when your backs are to the wall… if you can turn it around it would be some achievement. And certainly everyone on the team still believes we can.” In the other semi-final, Swedish challenger Artemis came from behind in the final race of the day to drawl things level at one race apiece in their match-up with Japan. The first team to win five races in each semi-final will go through to the challenger final at the weekend.

America's Cup 2017: Great Britain face New Zealand in rearranged challenger play-offs

Great Britain will face New Zealand in a rearranged America's Cup semi-final on Monday after a lack of wind caused Sunday's races to be postponed. As the highest scoring challengers, second-placed New Zealand picked their opponents leaving Sweden to face Japan in the other play-off. New Zealand said they chose Great Britain after studying the forecast. "The winds simply didn't reach the required six knot strength," said regatta director Iain Murray. "This is how it is sometimes in sailing. Here in Bermuda we have been spoilt for action so far, and today was just one of those days." Team USA won the qualifying round with a crucial victory over New Zealand and take a one-point lead into the finals. Holders USA advance automatically to the first-to-seven America's Cup matches - which begin on 17 June - and will have a bonus-point lead over their challengers. The first team in each semi-final to win five races progresses to the challenger final for a chance to take on the American team. Ben Ainslie said his Land Rover BAR team are facing "a real battle" against New Zealand but were "up for it". America's Cup - all you need to know Great Britain went into the final day of qualifying with an unassailable lead over bottom-of-the-table France knowing qualification was already guaranteed. In their first race of the day, the British boat jumped Japan at the pre-start and then dealt well with the conditions to seal their fourth race win of the qualifiers before losing the final race to USA. Elsewhere, Sweden comfortably beat France, who were eliminated on Friday - all but one of the six teams taking part in the qualifiers advanced to the play-offs. Standings and how it works America's Cup Qualifiers Team Wins Losses Total points United States* 8 2 9 New Zealand 8 2 8 Great Britain* 4 6 6 Sweden 5 5 5 Japan 3 7 3 France 2 8 2 *Land Rover BAR (GB) started the round-robin qualifiers with two points and Oracle Team USA with one point after finishing first and second in the 2015-16 World Series Each team raced the other teams twice in this stage, gaining one point per victory, with the top four progressing Defending champions USA skip the next stage and advance automatically to the America's Cup matches. They take a bonus point with them after topping the qualifying group Schedule Monday, 5 June Four semi-final races from 18:00-20:00 BST. New Zealand v Great Britain - Race 1 Sweden v Japan - Race 1 New Zealand v Great Britain - Race 2 Sweden v Japan - Race 2 Full schedule What happens next? Holders Oracle Team USA await the winners of the challenger final in the America's Cup. The first to seven points wins the America's Cup, or the Auld Mug as the trophy is known, with a possible 13 races to be sailed on 17-18 and 24-27 June. The America's Cup, the oldest competition in international sport, was first raced in 1851 around the Isle of Wight and has only been won by four nations.

America's Cup 2017: Britain lose to New Zealand but beat France to progress

Great Britain secured a play-off place at the America's Cup by narrowly defeating France in a thrilling contest at the end of Thursday's racing. The GB crew had earlier lost to New Zealand and retired with their opponents having already finished. But a late manoeuvre saw them clinch a crucial victory against France, who had earlier lost to Japan. Sir Ben Ainslie's Land Rover BAR team now have an unassailable lead over bottom-of-the-table France. All but one of the six teams taking part of this stage go through - though Team USA, as holders, will skip the next stage of the competition and return for the actual America's Cup matches. In their first race of the day Britain had been level with the New Zealand boat heading to the first mark but lost their way after a disastrous gybe saw the boat nosedive and turn sharply. They soon trailed by 350 metres and Ainslie could be heard asking: "What happened? What happened?" Britain's previous two victories in Bermuda came against Sweden. Racing continues on Friday - but it is a rest day for the British crew. Standings and how it works America's Cup Qualifiers Team Wins Losses Total points United States* 6 1 7 New Zealand 6 1 6 Great Britain* 3 5 5 Japan 3 4 3 Sweden 2 5 2 France 2 6 2 *Land Rover BAR started the round-robin qualifiers with two points and Oracle Team USA with one point after finishing first and second respectively in the 2015-16 World Series Each team races the other teams twice in this stage, gaining one point per victory, with the top four progressing Defending champions USA skip the next stage and advance automatically to the America's Cup matches What about the rest of the field? Racing had been rescheduled after organisers decided winds on Wednesday were too light to let sailing go ahead in Bermuda. Japan defeated France by almost six minutes in Thursday's opening race - taking them on to three points, one above the French. The United States then defeated Japan by more than half-a-minute to move on to seven points at the top of the standings. The light wind speed made for challenging conditions but Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill produced a tactical masterclass - a change of tack resulting in the American boat transforming a 22-second deficit into a 35-second lead between the fourth and fifth gates. Schedule Friday, 2 June Racing from 18:00-20:00 BST Race 8 - New Zealand v Japan, Race 9 - Sweden v United States, Race 10 - New Zealand v France, Race 11 - Japan v Sweden Full schedule What happens next? Holders Oracle Team USA advance automatically to the actual America's Cup matches while the top four qualifiers are split into two best-of-five semi-finals from 4 June, with the winners competing in the final for the right to take on the USA. The first to seven points wins the America's Cup, or the Auld Mug as the trophy is known, with a possible 13 races to be sailed on 17-18 and 24-27 June. The America's Cup, the oldest competition in international sport, was first raced in 1851 around the Isle of Wight and has only been won by four nations.

America's Cup 2017: Britain beat Sweden to end run of defeats

Britain recorded their first America's Cup Qualifiers win since Saturday's opening day with victory over Sweden on day four of racing in Bermuda. The six-man British crew, steered by Ben Ainslie, won by 30 seconds to end a run of four straight defeats. Ainslie's Land Rover BAR team now have two wins from their six races - both against Sweden. The result means Britain stay in third place on four points, two clear of Sweden, France and Japan. New Zealand are in second, while the United States top the standings. "We made some big changes to the boat and we had a great race," said Ainslie, whose crew take on New Zealand and France on Wednesday. "It's a big win for us but we need to keep looking forward." Standings and how it works America's Cup Qualifiers Team Wins Losses Total points United States* 5 1 6 New Zealand 5 1 5 Great Britain* 2 4 4 Sweden 2 5 2 Japan 2 3 2 France 2 4 2 *Land Rover BAR started the round-robin qualifiers with two points and Oracle Team USA with one point after finishing first and second respectively in the 2015-16 World Series Each team races the other teams twice in this stage, gaining one point per victory, with the top four progressing Defending champions USA skip the next stage and advance automatically to the America's Cup matches What about the rest of the field? Sweden led for the majority of their race against New Zealand but the Kiwis took advantage of a late slip-up for victory. In Tuesday's other race on the Great Sound, the United States comfortably beat France, who were almost two minutes adrift. Schedule Wednesday, 31 May Racing from 18:00-20:00 BST Race 4 - Japan v France, Race 5 - Great Britain v New Zealand, Race 6 - United States v Japan, Race 7 - France v Great Britain Full schedule What happens next? The top four qualifiers are split into two best-of-five semi-finals from 4 June, with the winners competing in the final for the right to take on holders Oracle Team USA, who advance automatically to the actual America's Cup matches. The first to seven points wins the America's Cup, or the Auld Mug as the trophy is known, with a possible 13 races to be sailed on 17-18 and 24-27 June. The America's Cup, the oldest competition in international sport, was first raced in 1851 around the Isle of Wight and has only been won by four nations.

America's Cup 2017: Britain suffer fourth consecutive defeat

Great Britain suffered a fourth consecutive defeat in the America's Cup Qualifiers on the third day of racing in Bermuda. The six-man British crew were beaten by France, who sealed a 53-second win. Having won their opener before losing race two on Saturday, Ben Ainslie's Land Rover BAR were also defeated by defending champions Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand on Sunday. Britain began Monday joint second in the table, but now slip down to third. Standings America's Cup standings Team Wins Losses Total points United States* 4 1 5 New Zealand 4 1 4 Great Britain* 1 4 3 Sweden 3 3 2 France 2 3 2 Japan 2 3 2 *Land Rover BAR started the qualifiers with two points and Oracle Team USA with one point after finishing first and second respectively in the 2015-16 America's Cup World Series. **The top four teams progress to the next round New Zealand beat Sweden in a dramatic second race on Monday after nine lead changes, while France followed victory over Britain with defeat by SoftBank Team Japan in race three. France, Japan and Sweden are all just one point behind Britain, who started the qualifiers with a two-point advantage for winning the America's Cup World Series. How it works Ainslie steered his Portsmouth-based team to victory in the 2015-16 America's Cup World Series, a result which earned two points for the qualifying series. Each team will race each other twice in the qualifiers, scoring one point per win, with the top four teams progressing to the challenger round. Land Rover BAR start the qualifiers with two points and Oracle Team USA with one point after finishing first and second respectively in the 2015-16 America's Cup World Series. The top four challengers are split into two best-of-five semi-finals from 4 June, with the winners competing in the final for the right to take on holders Oracle Team USA - who are also taking part in the qualifiers - in the actual America's Cup matches. The first to seven points wins the America's Cup, or the Auld Mug as the trophy is known, with a possible 13 races to be sailed on 17-18 and 24-27 June. The America's Cup, the oldest competition in international sport, was first raced in 1851 around the Isle of Wight and has only been won by four nations.

America's Cup 2017: Great Britain's Land Rover BAR suffer two defeats

Great Britain suffered a setback as they lost both of their duels during the second day of racing in the America's Cup Qualifiers. Having won their opener before losing race two on Saturday, Ben Ainslie's Land Rover BAR were defeated by defending champions Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand on Sunday. A nosedive after gate three resulted a 39-second defeat for BAR against USA. We very, very nearly sunk Land Rover BAR CEO Martin Whitmarsh And despite a penalty, New Zealand beat BAR by one minute and 28 seconds. It looked promising for Ainslie's team when they led USA into the first gate, before skipper Jimmy Spithill's Oracle charged into the lead. A mistake after gate three cost the GB catamaran more time. There followed another defeat, this time against New Zealand. The Kiwis were handed a two-boat-length penalty after the start having crossed the boundary, but they still managed a handsome win following a poor turn by BAR at gate two. America's Cup standings Team Wins Losses Total points United States* 4 1 5 Great Britain* 1 3 3 New Zealand 3 1 3 Sweden 2 2 2 France 1 2 1 Japan 1 3 1 *Land Rover BAR started the qualifiers with two points and Oracle Team USA with one point after finishing first and second respectively in the 2015-16 America's Cup World Series. **The top four teams progress to the next round 'We nearly sunk' Land Rover BAR CEO Martin Whitmarsh, the former chief of McLaren's F1 team, said Ainslie's catamaran almost perished during the defeat by Japan on Saturday. BAR's port hull careered into Japan's starboard hull prior to the race. "We very, very nearly sunk," Land Rover BAR CEO Martin Whitmarsh told the Daily Telegraph. "It was foiled back so we didn't take too much water on. When we got back here and went down on the hull, very quickly it began filling with water. "If we had left it in the water for a few more minutes it would have sunk. You've got all the electronics, everything. "I could have climbed up through the hull yesterday, it was that big. We're talking about 20ft in terms of length." Despite the extensive damage, BAR's shore team worked through the night to have the catamaran race-ready for Sunday. What about the rest of the field? It was a great Sunday for USA who won two of their three races. The French catamaran also recorded its first win, with victory over Sweden's Artemis. New Zealand also added to their success over BAR by defeating Japan, who currently prop up the table.