On Friday next week (16th June), inspirational Isle of Wight sailor, Natasha Lambert, is the focus of a 30 minute programme on BBC One.
Natasha was born with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, which affects her limbs and confines her to a wheelchair. However, this hasn’t stopped her sailing around the Isle of Wight single-handedly in 2012 using a ‘Sip & Puff’ system, or climbing the 4,080ft Mount CairnGorm Mountain.
The programme titled ‘The Girl Who Sails with Her Breath’ airs at 7.30pm on BBC One on Friday 16th June. It follows Natasha’s journey across the Atlantic. Tash was supported by Islanders Mandy (her Mum); Rachel (her sister); Gary (her Dad); Angela Cross; Mike Acton; Neil Oliver and Sue Bailey.
A story of determination
The blurb for the programme reads:
Natasha has cerebral palsy. She can’t walk across a road on her own, but she can sail a 46 foot yacht.
After discovering a love for sailing on an activity holiday, Natasha declared that she wanted to sail all by herself. However, despite living in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, a place famous for sailing, dad Gary and mum Amanda had never sailed – it wasn’t a world they knew. That didn’t stop Natasha for a moment.
So, her dad set out to invent a system that would enable her to control a boat by breathing in and out of a straw. Puff: the boat goes left. Sip: it goes right. Her dad’s invention means she is fully in control. But Natasha didn’t just want to sail, she wanted to do challenges. First, she sailed the Solent and then across the English Channel. Each time, her challenges got bigger and bigger.
This film follows Natasha and her family on their biggest challenge to date, sailing the Atlantic Ocean. The family have to get a bigger boat, find a team to help them, and dad Garry has to adapt the boat for sip and puff.
Filmed by the family, we see the highs and lows of this extraordinary crossing as they set sail across one of the biggest oceans in the world. Rough seas, 20 foot waves and a storm that could capsize the boat are just some of the obstacles the family have to overcome. But for Natasha, all these issues are nothing in comparison to the everyday challenges she faces.
This is the story of a family determined to enable Natasha fulfil her dreams. And it’s the story of how a young woman with cerebral palsy inspires her family to take on the challenge of a lifetime that changes them all.
If you miss the live broadcast, you’ll be able to watch again on BBC iPlayer.
Image: © BBC One
