The Artemis 20 is a remarkable little boat, being sailed on a remarkably large journey by record-breaking quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister

Confounding expectations. That’s what the Artemis 20 keelboat sets out to do, and that’s what one extraordinary sailor, Hilary Lister, has done again and again.

The Artemis 20 is a 20-foot racing keelboat designed to be sailed by both able-bodied and disabled sailors. But whilst many boats that have been adapted or specially designed for use by sailors with disabilities have an inherent clunkiness, the Artemis 20 is a sleek mini speed machine. Penned by Rogers Yacht Design for builders Vizual Marine, the Artemis 20 looks a little like a miniature ‘America’s Cup’ boat, with her slim hull, large downwind gennaker, and stylish all-black carbon finish. Light weight, with a deep lead keel, she is made for speed – all characteristics which mean the Artemis 20 appeals to able-bodied sailors looking for a two-man racing boat.

“It’s a boat that’s built to go sailing in, it just happens to be suitable for disabled sailors so it’s kitted out for us,” explained record breaking quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister, “but people don’t look at it and say ‘Oh, that’s a boat for a disabled person.’ That’s just a nice boat.”

But some unique features make the Artemis 20 suitable for sailors with a range of disabilities. Rather than ‘hiking out’ – or perching on the edge of the hull for balance, as happens in many small boats – the Artemis 20 can be sailed from a secure, forward-facing seat, with one for both helm and crew. The seat ‘cants’, or tilts, as the boat heels over in the breeze, to ensure the sailors stay sitting comfortably upright, with a good view, and (mostly!) dry. You could be forgiven for thinking that this 6-metre long craft would be restricted to whizzing around close to shore, but since its launch in 2006, the Artemis 20 has been on some surprisingly long voyages – mostly in the hands of one amazing sailor, Hilary Lister.

Thirty-six-year-old Hilary Lister has a rare degenerative disease that means she is now confined to a wheelchair and can move only her head and neck. However, Hilary, who was a sporty child until the disease took hold in her early teens, has taken on a series of sailing challenges. A complex ‘sip and puff’ system enables Hilary to steer, trim and manoeuvre especially adapted boats by blowing and sucking on a series of straws in her mouth. In 2005 Hilary became the first quadriplegic ever to have sailed solo across the English Channel, navigating the busy shipping channels in 6 hours, 13 minutes – an incredible achievement. Two years later she set an even bigger record, when she sailed around the Isle of Wight — a distance of over 50 miles – alone in her Artemis 20.

Hilary has set herself yet another seemingly impossible challenge – to sail around Great Britain, single-handedly. “The idea is to sail around Britain and the east of Ireland, in a series of pretty long, 40-60 mile, hops,” explained Hilary as she prepared to cross the Irish Sea on her way to Wexford. Although the team stops every night at ports dotted around the coast, Hilary will spend long days at sea, despite frequently being in extreme pain. Hilary set out from Dover, and the voyage is expected to take around 3-4 months, sailing in a clockwise direction that pits her against the prevailing winds and tides for much of the first half of the journey.

Her adapted Artemis 20, which she has nicknamed ‘Arty’, has a series of motors that enable her to ease the sails in and out, move the tiller, and control functions such as the autopilot. The only thing Hilary cannot do on the boat is reef the sails to reduce their area if the wind gets too strong – if that needs to happen then a member of crew from the following support boat jumps on board, and if they sail too far before the job is finished, then Hilary insists on sailing back to the point where they started, so she will have truly sailed every single mile of the mammoth journey alone.

“The boat is fantastic to sail, absolutely fantastic. She’s great fun. If I ever manage to find a wind that isn’t blowing on my nose, it’s lovely to get on a beam reach and just fly,” enthused Hilary. “She can be quick - although we’ve had to make adaptations that have affected her performance a little. She is pretty easy to get into ports where there are pontoons. She’s very, very stable. And she’s very, very safe.”

Hilary’s sailing career took off when she met round the world solo sailor Emma Richards at the London Boat Show back in 2005. Emma’s sponsors at the time, Pindar, were blown away by Hilary’s plans to cross the Channel and helped Hilary achieve her first goal. When Artemis bought an Open 60 from Pindar (now Artemis, The Profit Hunter), they too had their imaginations captured by Hilary’s ambition, and the Artemis 20 soon became an essential element in her dream of sailing around Britain.

But on her trip Hilary will also be raising money for her charity, Hilary’s Dream Trust, which has been set up to make other people’s sailing and sporting dreams possible, whether they are physically disabled or otherwise disadvantaged.

“The Trust is incredibly important because I got lucky, I bumped into Emma Richards at my first Boat Show by chance, we hit it off, and that got me my first sponsorship,” Hilary recalls. “Most disabled people aren’t that lucky. So the Trust is about helping disabled and financially disadvantaged people who perhaps as children, like me, did things like outdoor pursuit courses. To enable them to carry on with the sailing they’ve been doing, and to do exciting and challenging stuff, not just your regular sail around a lake.”

Follow Hilary’s progress at www.hilarylister.com