Hilary Lister celebrated after arriving in Dover on Sunday evening
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A disabled yachtswoman who became the first female quadriplegic to sail solo round Britain has said she is already looking forward to her next project. Hilary Lister, 37, sailed into Dover harbour, in her home county of Kent, on Sunday after a three-month trip. Speaking at a reception in the town on Monday she said she felt "completely overwhelmed" by her achievement. "Last night it did feel like a come down, but this morning I was thinking about the next project," she said. "I have a list of ideas bouncing around my head but until I reach a stage where I know what I'm going to do next I'm going to keep them to myself. "I will need a bigger boat, that's all I'm saying." Mrs Lister, who lives near Canterbury, spoke of the difficulties of being buffeted by high winds during her voyage, which saw her sail clockwise from the coast of Devon in May. Her journey took her along the coastline of Wales, the east coast of Ireland, Scotland and the east coast of England. Mrs Lister, an Oxford biochemistry graduate, is disabled from the neck down. 'Sip and puff' Her specially-adapted vessel, an Artemis 20 called Me Too, was designed to be operated through three "straws". They allowed her to control the boat using a "sip-and-puff" system. At the reception at Dover Marina she thanked her friends, family and team, including her husband Clifford, for their support in helping her raise around £30,000 for her charity, Hilary's Dream Trust, which helps disabled and disadvantaged adults who want to sail. Her record-breaking sail was beset by difficulties. She had to postpone the rest of her journey in August last year because of poor weather and had to delay starting out from Plymouth in May after suffering breathing difficulties. Geoff Holt was the first quadriplegic yachtsman to sail single-handed around Britain in 2007.
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