Cowes RNLI Sends Bon Voyage Messages to Brave Natasha
Goodwill messages from Cowes RNLI lifeboat station have been sent to quadraplegic cerebral palsy sufferer Natasha Lambert, as she helps crew a specially adapted yacht for a gruelling crossing of the Atlantic.
The 3,000-mile crossing from Gran Canaria to St Lucia, aboard the yacht Blown Away, is to raise £30,000, to be divided between three charities: the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, the MissIsle School of Sip Puff Sailing, and Cowes RNLI.
Natasha, who lives near Cowes, has already won widespread admiration for using a sip and puff control system designed by her father to control a boat on various feats of endurance.
A message from Cowes station’s operations manager Mark Southwell states, ‘First the Solent, then round the Island, followed by across the Channel. Now this….
‘Lifeboat crews well understand what it takes to be at sea, and we have nothing but admiration for you and your crew. Safe sailing, Tash, and fair winds!’
A general message from the station reads: ‘Everyone at Cowes RNLI sends a heart-felt bon voyage message to you as you set off on your biggest maritime challenge to date.
‘The station is honoured to again to be chosen as a beneficiary of your wonderful fund-raising. Already we are most grateful for the money raised from your past amazing exploits on the sea, which paid for the station’s kitchen and the extra-large TV screen used for training purposes.
‘Be sure all of us at the station will eagerly follow your progress.
‘May you and your fellow-crew members complete the crossing both safely and enjoyably!’
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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