WELCOME TO THE SOLENT
WELCOME TO THE SOLENT
Hello and Welcome to the Solent, what an incredible place! I live in the beautiful seaside town of Cowes, a vibrant busy little town, the hub of British sailing and in the centre of the Solent. Whether your passion is cruising, racing, training, fishing or taking part in one of the many water sports on offer, there is something for everyone. Traditional seaside villages, cities, forests, beaches, small inlets, beautiful bays and stunning scenery. The Solent is a stretch of water that offers so much and I am lucky to live here. My name is Natasha Lambert and I have been sailing the waters around the Isle of Wight and the Solent for the past 14 years. This is where I learnt to sail. Progressing from a small keelboat on the River Medina to sailing all along the Solent with its beautiful harbours, creeks and bays, challenging tides and ever-changing weather! My disability means I need to sail in a radically different way to other sailors. I use a system called sip-and-puff which allows me to control my boat by breath. These techniques I have perfected on the Solent have enabled me to undertake my most ambitious challenge to date; a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Leaving Cowes and the Solent behind, we sailed down to the Canary Islands, for the start in 2020. The actual 3000-mile Atlantic crossing took 18 days from Gran Canaria to St Lucia in the West Indies. I became the first person to sail across using breath control and the unique sip-and-puff system in my converted catamaran Blown Away. We encountered everything from dead calm to 40 knots plus thunder and lightning. Whales, dolphins, flying fish and of course magnificent sunrises and sunsets, some fantastic downwind sailing it was the best experience of my life and definitely one that I will be repeating, but for now I am back here training for that next expedition. I love the diversity of sailing in the Solent, so much to explore and enjoy. I hope to see you on the water soon, please give me a wave and say hi if you pass me! Miss Natasha Lambert
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