Historic trans-ocean voyage from Mumbai to Muscat
Hilary Lister
and Nashwa Al Kindi begin historic trans-ocean voyage from Mumbai to Muscat
Mumbai: British quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister and Oman’s Nashwa Al Kindi have
set out on Tuesday, March 11
from Mumbai to Muscat on an extraordinary trans-ocean crossing which will be the first to be completed by a severely paralysed woman and the first to be recorded by an Arab female sailor.
The voyage is driven by
Oman Sail and sponsored by Mistal - Ajit Khimji Group and United Engineering
Services (UES). Speaking on the start of the voyage, Dharmesh A. Khimji,
Managing Director, Mistal - Ajit Khimji Group said: “This voyage is an
example of two people working together to achieve a common dream. Nashwa and
Hilary are exceptional women, we are proud to be supporting them on this
inspirational journey and we wish them fair winds.”
Hilary, 42, suffers from
degenerative disease called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and is paralysed from
the neck down. She became one of Britain’s best-known sailors in 2009 when she
sailed solo around Britain to set a new disabled record.
Nashwa, 32, is a sailing
instructor at Oman Sail who started sailing in 2011 and has since won the
“Coach of the Year” award at Oman Sail’s Sailir of the Year Awards 2013 and the
prestigious ISAF President Development Award 2013 for outstanding achievement
in the field.
Eight months ago, Hilary
visited Oman to give a series of motivational talks at Oman Sail and the two
women hit it off immediately and started to make plans. The trip was scheduled
to start on March 10th, but was delayed by 24 hours to clear
customs.
The pair set sail from
Mumbai on a stable 28-foot Dragonfly trimaran and are expected to return to
Muscat on March 19th.. The boat has been specially adapted to take
the sip and puff sailing technology that Hilary relies on to control the boat. The
sip and puff technology is a method used to send signals to a device using air
pressure by inhaling or exhaling into a straw. Hilary will use three straws to
control steering, sails and navigation.
During the 850 nautical
mile voyage the two women will operate a watch system to ensure safe and steady
progress. During the day, a watch will be six hours and at night three or four
hours with breaks for drinks and meals. When Nashwa is on watch, she will
switch off Hilary’s system and operate the boat manually.
Speaking about the voyage,
Nashwa Al Kindi said, “I’m doing this to inspire the Omani people - if I can do
this then there is no reason why anyone shouldn’t go after their dreams.”
Hilary Lister added: “If we get more than 10 to 15 knots it will
be a fantastic ride – we will be strapping ourselves to the boat and loving
every second of it.”
The two female sailors
will be accompanied onboard by Oman Sail’s Niall Myant, a qualified Yachtmaster
with extensive offshore sailing experience, who will help in the event of an
emergency and a carer to attend to Hilary’s medical needs. Neither will assist
in the sailing of the boat.
The boat will be equipped with a radio, life raft
and tracker. The boat location can be followed by visiting http://yb.tl/hillarynashwa .
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