Jessica Watson urged to cancel round wrld attempt

[Raka025]

Should she simply live a life of quiet desperation like the rest of us?

Or maybe there is a Wii app for sailing and she could stand in her yard doing it for 6 months . . .

What about the 13 year in the Netherlands? http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...27/2669044.htm 16 sounds mature to me.

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

What's the completion rate for the latest batch of the Around Alone race? 1 in 3? And those folks are seriously experienced. True, their boats are built too much for speed and not seaworthiness, but experience matters a ton when you run in the "Roaring Forties".

[RFNK]

True, their boats are built too much for speed and not seaworthiness, but experience matters a ton when you run in the "Roaring Forties".

And their speed allows them to sail away from danger, they have watertight compartments and a commendable history of keeping an eye on each other. A little girl (or boy) out there in a yacht that's hit a container or caught in her third week of gales? Wouldn't be any child that I cared for. Rick

[riverat]

The ship is a 63,000 t bulk carrier loaded with coal from Newcastle, N.S.W. and bound for china. The collision occured about 20 n.m. off Stradroke Island, Queensland in the open sea.She sailed into the PORT side of said vessel which was travelling at service speed (15-18 knots) IMO she should have been crossing astern, apparently she spoke the ship telling them she was o.k. but the mast was broken, chinaman aknowledged the call and continued on his merry way. I think the port side has a bloody big RED light does it not. regards ray

[Larks]

Well she is off, 'left Sydney this morning and I wish her all the very best of luck.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...18/2717160.htm

[Candyfloss]

Can you keep us up to date on this please Larks? It doesn't get much coverage over here. Not that I watch the news anyway.

[hansp77]

Yep, very best of luck to her,
I hope she proves the skeptics wrong, and if I had to bet on it, that is where I would put my money. (but then I am a tragic for going for the underdog and picking the longshots)
What an adventure. I can't exactly say I am envious (don't think it would have been my thing at 16), but I do greatly admire her guts and determination, especially after the most recent incident and media frenzy.

[Candyfloss]

Well here's the weather map for the Tasman Sea today. I don't think she's going anywhere soon.



About this circumnavigation & the definition thereof. If I recall correctly all the others, for instance Robin Knox-Johnson & Peter Blake in "ENZA", left from the Northern Hemisphere, traversing the Atlantic twice. Seems to me Jesse won't be doing that. All she will be circumnavigating in fact is Antarctica. Not quite the same thing really is it?

[shamus]

She has to cross the equator at least once for it to be deemed a circumnavigation. If I was making the rules you'd have to pass through 2 points opposite each other on the globe.

[Larks]

Yes, seems a bit of a short cut by comparison, crossing into the Northern hemisphere for a few minutes once, I wonder how it compares in miles to the others, I think Sir RKJ's was something like 28000nm??? but can't find it in a quick google search.

BTW, here's her route: http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/route-rules

[Candyfloss]

I've bookmarked that thanks Larks.

[Bill Lowe]

It took me 4 years to go arround, saw lots of places, met lots of people I am sure glad its her and not me sailing the southern ocean, at any rate good luck to her and to her safe return.

[TimH]

Her video says there have been more people in outer space than have sailed around the world alone.

[BarnacleGrim]

I wonder what's wrong with the "easy" route around the world, through the canals. She could be seeing interesting stuff along the way, and her parents could fly and meet her. Does it really have to be non-stop? Or has some 16 year old already gone and done that?

[shamus]

The age of majority in Australia is 18.

[PatCassidy]

I' m glad she was not hurt. But I'm a bit disappointed that her boat was not destroyed in the accident. Perhaps that would have called more attention to the requirement of maintaining an adequate lookout at all times.

[riveter]

Go Kid (Jessica)...you are amazing...your folks are pillars... TO ALL OF YOU...if this was a 16 year old BOY....we wouldn't have even gone here with all this negative jabber. Everyone seems to comment on what you have "heard" and what you have "read"......has any of you talked to her in person.....have you first hand knowledge of this kids experience?????have you sat down with her parents...close friends........or do you succumb your comments to the shallow "justs" of rumour...

Riveter
Ya never know where your too....till ya been where yur at!

[shamus]

She's writing a nice blog. 155 nm yesterday.
http://www.youngestround.blogspot.com/

[PeterSibley]

You're right , the lass can write !

[Larks]

...if this was a 16 year old BOY....we wouldn't have even gone here with all this negative jabber.

Sorry Riveter, but that is just crap!!! This whole issue of Jessica being capable of sailing around thne world came about because she got clobbered by a bloody great freighter the first night of her sea trials indicating that she lacked the experience and maturity to complete the voyage safely, it had absolutely nothing to do with her gender.

Having said that, her tenacity since the incident has been admirable and because of the wake up with the freighter incident, rather than despite it, I believe she is in better shape now to complete the voyage than she was before and I sincerely wish her all the best of luck with her journey.

[RFNK]

Go Kid (Jessica)...you are amazing...your folks are pillars... TO ALL OF YOU...if this was a 16 year old BOY....we wouldn't have even gone here with all this negative jabber. Everyone seems to comment on what you have "heard" and what you have "read"......has any of you talked to her in person.....have you first hand knowledge of this kids experience?????have you sat down with her parents...close friends........or do you succumb your comments to the shallow "justs" of rumour...

You obviously have?

Of all the concern raised about this kid's trip, I haven't seen any references to gender. I've seen concern raised about the highly dubious goal of being `youngest round', concern about the possibility of inordinate pressure being placed on a young kid, and, of course, very understandable concern about her actual capacity to do the trip safely as she already went to sleep in front of a freighter. We all hope she does the trip safely and admire her courage - you can assume that's a given. But, I don't need to talk to the parents of any child who aspires to be the youngest to reach the South Pole, climb Everest, base jump from the Chrysler Building, walk solo across the Simpson Desert, sail a windsurfer to Tasmania etc. and encourage this to consider this an unhealthy direction in human endeavour. I'm told the Guiness Book of Records, for example, is considering not publishing the results of `youngest' endeavours. Personally, I think kids of today in Australia, the US and many other countries are hopelessly overindulged and overprotected. I have no problem with kids taking on sports and other activities where they might crack a bone or two and I think kids should be given much greater responsibility than they are generally given these days - no problem with that. But, for parents to allow a 16 year old, who's never crossed any ocean, to sail the Southern Ocean solo, is just plain irresponsible. Scotty is not there to beam her up if things go badly. Rick

[riveter]

[QUOTE=Larks;2359356]Sorry Riveter, but that is just crap!!! This whole issue of Jessica being capable of sailing around thne world came about because she got clobbered by a bloody great freighter the first night of her sea trials indicating that she lacked the experience and maturity to complete the voyage safely, it had absolutely nothing to do with her gender.

Sorry back at ya Larks...but this is my point...you .., or nor I, are of authority to putting blame on the "tanker...or the kid" The media is quick to judge....the populous is even quicker with nectar from the media to forward their judgement and opinions.
The professionals will review this incident...and "qualified" peers will rule a judgement. For this thread to suggest negative comments is what my point meant....seriously...if this was a boy...the media would be reporting on something completely different..like polo,,, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. A kid is sailing solo.....so bloody what......glen wakefield tried west about last year....ran out of heart medication ....and got lazy and injured himself to the point where he and his vessel were damaged to much to continue... he is around 60 years of age...did the world watch him...scrutinize his choices....nope...but if it was a chick the same age... it would have been in the news...the 48 hour rescue..the risk of lifes to save one....
I still say GO KID...you are an inspiration to so many.

Riviter

Ya never know where your too...til ya been where your at

[RFNK]

The professionals will review this incident...and "qualified" peers will rule a judgement.

In fact the Queensland Maritime Safety investigation team has already ruled on this. Their finding was that Jessica did not have appropriate procedures in place to protect herself from collisions with other craft. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's preliminary report reports that Jessica went to sleep less than 5 minutes before the collision after seeing the ship on her radar about 6 miles away before that. The Watsons report, in the media, that Jessica now has improved procedures and equipment to avoid such an incident from recurring. Now, as to `qualified peers' - I wonder just who that would be?

Riveter, you seem to completely miss the point of concerns raised. Jessica's campaign is to be `the youngest round' - that's the title of her quest, that's the goal. This is the issue - encouraging children to set out on endeavours of this kind sets a dangerous precedent. Some of us with long experience of working with children and parents don't see Jessica's parents as `pillars' nor do we feel comfortable with the sponsors and sectors of the media capitalizing on this campaign and, it has to be said, her gender. You may blithely regard these concerns as `negative jabber' but I would suggest that this particular jabber is a little more considered than the hype I've seen supporting this dubious venture.
Rick

[Larks]

Sorry Riveter, I reckon you are off the mark mate. I've said this in a previous post but if this was an older guy setting off for some sailing record and he got clobbered by another vessel on his first night of sea trials because he was asleep, hadn't set up his warning systems, hadn't taken any proper position fixes, didn't have a passage plan or plotted a route, he'd have copped so much flack just from the sailing community for being such a useless bloody idiot that he'd not have been game to show himself on a yacht in public again. If anything Jessica, despite the media attention, was let off lightly because of her age and pluck in giving it a go.

As for peers? Well I've clocked up about 60,000 miles of off shore experience, both under sail as master (about 40,000) and on commercial vessels - incident free (touch wood), so I kinda give myself enough credit that I'm in a reasonable position to comment on what it takes to sail offshore and when someone has stuffed up doing so.

[Steve Paskey]

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's preliminary report reports that Jessica went to sleep less than 5 minutes before the collision after seeing the ship on her radar about 6 miles away before that.

Actually, the facts are somewhat different. You'll find a summary of the ATSB report here, along with a link to a PDF of the complete preliminary report. The complete report includes photos and charts. http://yachtpals.com/jessica-watson-collision-7050

The vessel she saw on her radar at a distance of 6 miles was NOT the Silver Yang, the ship she hit. When she headed below to take a nap, the Silver Yang was only a mile away. According to the ATSB:

At about 0146, Ella’s Pink Lady’s skipper prepared for another catnap. The yacht was making good a course of 144°(T) at a speed of 7 knots. The skipper checked the radar and noted that there was a vessel about 6 miles off her starboard quarter. She could not see it visually, but she monitored its progress on the radar for about 1 minute. Once she had determined that it did not present a collision risk, she set the radar guard-rings, set her alarm clocks and then went to bed again.

However, she had not detected Silver Yang, which was now about 1 mile to the south-southeast of her position.

The investigation apparently continues. One question: Why did she fail to detect a 225-meter-long ship at a distance of a mile -- and in front of her off the starboard bow -- before going below for a nap?

[TimH]

Why did 2 pilots fail to land at the airport when they should have?

Sh|t happens

[Steve Paskey]

Sh|t happens

Yes, but a 225-meter ship with a deadweight of 63,800 tons is an awfully big load of it.

[Candyfloss]

Well, she'd be pretty lucky to find anything to hit where she is at the moment.

[shamus]

Well, she's past 2000 miles now, and cooking chocolate cupcakes.

[TimH]

Well, she's past 2000 miles now, and cooking chocolate cupcakes.

She will probably come back 150lbs

[Alan H]

Do they really think its sensible to buy a boat without ever having sailed-let alone a 40-50 foot boat worth six figures. Do they think its just like hopping into a new car, turn the key and go?

Having taught sailing for several summers, the answer to the above question is *yes*. Some people think that way.

I remember giving some lessons to one guy. He came on the dock and I headed for the 30-footer we were scheduled for. He gave me a look and said. "I want to learn on that one." (pointing to the Passport 40) "I won't be taking my clients out on little boats."

He lasted exactly three weeks.

**
we now return you to the original purpose of this thread**

[Alan H]

BTW, I'm 52 years old, I've been sailing and racing small keelboats for almost 20 years, have taught sailing and I've sailed solo from California to Hawaii twice, and done several solo passages up the coast of California.

...and I'll tell you right now that the notion of sailing solo in the Southern Ocean makes me soil my pants. The idea of a 16 year old kid, I could give a rip about her gender, trying it is absolutely ludicrous.

As for this "living lives of quiet desperation"...go anchorage-hop around the coast of Baja California, or New Caledonia, or the east coast of Mexico. That's great, and it's a grand adventure and I wish Jessica had that in mind. There's kind of a large difference between that and sailing around the world in the Southern Ocean. Dream all you want, the reality of the Southern Ocean is not pretty sailing. She WILL get hammered by 50 knot gales. have you ever BEEN in a 50 knot gale? She WILL be sailing in water that's so cold that if you go in, you have about 60 seconds before you're dead. She WILL be sailing in conditions where her boat doesn't have the speed to work the weather, she'll have to take what comes, and her boat don't surf. There's nowhere to hide, no anchorage, no place to warm up down there, and she'll be there for weeks upon weeks, and if she goes at all south, she'll have icebergs to deal with. If and when she DOES get to South America, the anchorages are demanding and unforgiving.

It's not romantic. It's bloody dangerous and miserably uncomfortable and it will go on for weeks after week after week.

Have you ever watched the video of Dame MacArthur breaking down and crying in the Southern Ocean? THAT is what this girl is up against. If it can take down Dame MacArthur, then I know damn well it's more than I can bite off. It scares me bloody ***tless, truth be told.

[downthecreek]

Southern Ocean makes me soil my pants. The idea of a 16 year old kid, I could give a rip about her gender, trying it is absolutely ludicrous.

Saw a programme yesterday on the telly about Mike Perham, who currently holds the (silly) record for the youngest solo circumnavigator. He was 16 when he sailed into the southern ocean (Open 50) and turned 17 somewhere en route home. He was so much delayed by gear failures that he was too late to go for Cape Horn, so he took the longer route via the Panama Canal (don't ask me how these records work) He did encounter some true southern ocean conditions, though, and was clearly very shaken, although he did hang in there. Very impressive young man, really. Lots of guts. How he would have coped with a longer spell down there if he had taken the Cape Horn route, I don't know.

I have spent some time with Ellen and have the very highest regard for her, both as a sailor and as a human being.

[PeterSibley]

Well here's were she is ...generally .Some interesting weather down there ! The arrows are wave direction , not wind .

[TimH]

I plan on taking the equatorial route round the world. The southern ocean holds no appeal to me.

[RFNK]

Well here's were she is ...generally

Understatement of the year Peter? Rick

[Larks]

Here's her track as she goes:

http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/the-voyage

[PeterSibley]

Here's her track as she goes:

http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/the-voyage

I thought she was going South...I'll have to read the rules won't I !!

[Foster Price]

Jessica was here in Bluff on one of her shakedown trips (down to the Campbell Islands, no place for the faint hearted but she wasn't alone). I didn't get to see her but a cobber of mine (a sailor of considerable experience) did spend a couple of hours talking with her and was enormously impressed - enough to back her wholeheartly. This was before her prang, and his opinion of her has not changed since. Lucky bugger even got some photos with her.

Get a life you "stay at home" people, and hope you never need rescued yourself from some miserable little puddle ten minutes from home. At least if she needs picked up it'll be out there on a real ocean. But I hope she doesn't and wish her all the best.

Cheers - Foster

[Larks]

I thought she was going South...I'll have to read the rules won't I !!

She just needs to cross and recross the equator before heading south, so depending on wind and tide she may not spend more than a few minutes in the Northern Hemisphere.

Get a life you "stay at home" people, and hope you never need rescued yourself from some miserable little puddle ten minutes from home.

"not sure who/what you are aiming that at there Foster?.

[BarnacleGrim]

I don't think anyone suggested that Jessica should stay on dry land altogether, just choose a slightly more comfortable route around the world.

The fact that she's out there and not at home playing FarmVille like most teenagers is definitely reason to back her up.

[bucheron]

About this circumnavigation & the definition thereof. If I recall correctly all the others, for instance Robin Knox-Johnson & Peter Blake in "ENZA", left from the Northern Hemisphere, traversing the Atlantic twice. Seems to me Jesse won't be doing that. All she will be circumnavigating in fact is Antarctica. Not quite the same thing really is it?

She has to cross the equator at least once for it to be deemed a circumnavigation. If I was making the rules you'd have to pass through 2 points opposite each other on the globe.

These things will always be a bit arbitrary, because of the layout of the continents. There is also the "Euro-centric" or "Northern hemisphere" view colouring our judgement.

I remember as a boy reading about Wiley Post setting round the world flying records. I plotted his track in my school atlas. He stayed well inside the northern hemisphere, not going south of 30deg north latitude, and flew 15 500 miles. The circumference of the earth is 21 600 nautical miles.

The problem with going around near the equator is having to use the canals and then having to answer quibbles about how much assistance you had. Seeing as the record breakers also seem to be obsessed with the "non-stop" idea, the equator route is just about ruled out.

Shamus, your idea is worth a look, let's research a route going around points in the North Pacific and mid Indian oceans. One could start and finish in Capetown.

[Candyfloss]

Well, she seems to be doing just fine so far. Admittedly things will change when she turns the corner & the Trades are against her all the way south, but till then guys, can we just wish her the best & see how she goes?
By the way I think she has about the best boat she could wish for, & the best backup anyone could wish for. After all, they are all Aussies. (Dammit , that hurt to say. At least one of them must be a Kiwi!)

Yes I know. Her weatherman Bob Mcdavit is a Kiwi! (Actually there is a possibility he's a Pom.)

So to lighten things up. Any insights into the antecedents of Bob Mcliftingear?

Or any other topic excluding doom & despair?

[Larks]

Don't worry mate, I think since she has left everyone has been behind her 100% and wishing her all the best. She's committed to the project now and I doubt that there is anyone (except maybe some of those media gargoyles) wanting anything less than a safe and successful completion. And I agree that she certainly does have the right boat for the trip.

[purri]

She needs to carry a skyhook.

[Alan H]

I wish her all success. But I still think it's barking mad and grossly irresponsible, and I hope the Guinness book quits publishing "youngest to do XYZ" records.

[BarnacleGrim]

Watson will be covering a distance greater than a great circle, but she'd have to go far up in the North Pacific to cross any antipodal points, so she doesn't follow the strictest definition of a circumnavigation. It's no less of a feat, though, an equatorial route would easily solve the antipodal problem.

[Steve Paskey]

She's now covered over 2,000 nautical miles. As of yesterday she's 950 nm from the equator. An update from 10 days ago:

By Amanda Lulham, The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)

Saturday, 31 October, 2009

TEENAGE adventurer Jessica Watson had her first taste of tough conditions less than two weeks into her quest to sail solo and unassisted around the world.

The 16-year-old said she was delighted with how her 34-footer Ella’s Pink Lady handled its first real test after encountering 4m seas and winds gusting to 28 knots during her second week at sea.

“She has had a bit of rough weather,” mother Julie Watson said yesterday. “She had 4m waves and was surfing down them and was really pleased with the way the boat was handling it.”

These fast downwind conditions helped put Jessica ahead of her schedule, with the teenager expected to crack 1500 nautical miles sometime today as she sails towards Tonga.

But Jessica, who has averaged between 100 and 140 nautical miles a day, still has plenty of ocean ahead with her journey covering 23,000 nautical miles and expected to take up to 8 months.

[TimH]

And I cant even get my girlfriend to go sailing with me on in the sound.

[TimH]

Jessicas blog

http://youngestround.blogspot.com/