Hilary Lister
Record-breaking sailor BORN MARCH 3, 1972 DIED AUGUST 18, 2018, AGED 46
REFUSING to let other people’s expectations stop her from achieving her dreams, Hilary Lister became the first disabled woman to sail around Britain alone.
Born in Dunkirk, Kent, Lister was the daughter of Colin and Pauline. As a child she was able-bodied but was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy at the age of 15.
By the time she began studying biochemistry at Oxford University in 1991 Lister needed a wheelchair.
After graduating, she embarked on a PhD at Kent University but her condition deteriorated and in 1999 Lister was forced to quit education altogether.
Growing increasingly depressed she tried to take her own life.
But in 2003 Lister had a renewed sense of purpose when a friend took her sailing. She recalled, “It’s incredible, that feeling of utter freedom, the ability to move and go where I want.”
Two years later she set out to sail the Channel on her own, doing so in six hours and 13 minutes. She crossed by blowing special straws to navigate the boat. That same year she was also awarded the Helen Rollason Award for inspiration.
In 2007 she became the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around the Isle of Wight. But her next challenge was tougher; to become the first disabled woman to sail singlehanded around Britain.
Her first bid in June 2008 was halted by bad weather and technical problems. A year later she succeeded and was judged one of the world’s top four sailors.
The voyage earned her many awards. She founded Hilary’s Dream Trust which helps adults who are disabled or financially disadvantaged to fulfil their sailing dreams.
Lister married her husband Clifford in 1999 but the pair separated in 2015. She is survived by her stepchildren, Alex and Anna.