Disabled sailor sets yacht record

A disabled yachtswoman has been hailed as "truly inspirational" as she became the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around Britain. Skip related content As the sun set, Hilary Lister, 37, sailed into Dover harbour, Kent, and into the record books to cheers from waiting crowds. Her 15-mile, five hour sail from Ramsgate marked the final leg of a marathon journey for the Oxford-educated former scientist. Her sail was brought forward one day at the 11th hour after weather reports predicted adverse conditions for the scheduled voyage on Tuesday morning. Speaking in her boat at the quayside, Mrs Lister said: "I'm hugely proud of the team, the whole team, who worked so hard for four months without a day off. It's a privilege to be back in Dover. The killer was when the wind died just east of the entrance to the harbour but unbelievably it picked up just as I sailed in." She added: "We're going to have a meal for the whole crew tonight but we've got an early start in the morning." Mrs Lister described the highlight of her challenge as being able to see the marine wildlife at close quarters sailing alongside her. She said: "Just seeing whales 35ft long fully breached out of the water was incredible. Two of them jumped like dolphins, it was amazing." One of the low points, she added, was having to spend £9,000 to buy a reconditioned engine for her ridged inflatable safety boat. She also praised members of the Lions clubs around Britain who had supported her throughout her challenge. Just before a celebratory bottle of Champagne was opened to cheers and applause, she said: "I'm so relieved to be home but looking forward to the next challenge. One thing I've learnt is that you can't predict the future, we couldn't even predict tomorrow's weather so I'm not ruling anything out or anything in." Her spokesman, Paul Taroni, praised her determination and courage. He said: "This is an amazing triumph over adversity. Everything that went against her and all the things that went wrong, Hilary overcame to do something truly inspirational. We are all so proud of her."