Jessica Watson's Round-the-World Voyage

[Hirophant]

Originally Posted by slomotion

In the Times race you were allowed to have RDF and HF radio (many entrants didn't), use your engine to charge batteries, and receive mail from passing ships.

Jesse Martin received mail from a passing ship too, whilst rounding the halfway point (Azores). I was surprised his family were allowed to chuck him a mail bag without it violating the unassisted rule. What if one of the envelopes had contained a replacement keel bolt or something? At least with satellite phones you can't smuggle things aboard, even if you can phone your mum to ask where she put the cheese!

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by John A

Please explain why this is important.

A 16 year old girl is completing a sailing adventure of over 23,000 miles. Solo, non-stop. She's nearing the end of a journey started on Ocjober 19th,

Give her credit of that.

Must we sit in our warm homes sucking on a single malt and pass judgement?

Please start another thread to discuss this.

Because she and her parents have misled a lot of people to gain $$s to both fund the trip and fill their pockets based on a record breaking trip. As soonas you start hiring media consultants, spokes person etc you know there is lots of money on offer and that is what this has been about right from the beginning. There are many single handed sailors sailing all over the world, some very old one's at that 70s -80s. No they may not be doing non stop world circumnavigation but they also do not have a media circus following them constantly. If disaster strikes no one would know for days or weeks unlike Jessica. Her media staff are know saying she never was attempting the record, more BS!

[Factor]

I am reminded of a couple of a few old adages:

1. Winners are Grinners and losers can please themselves
2. There are two sorts of people in the world, those that do it and those that criticise it.
3. Those that can, do, those that cant become commentators


I am also reminded of the famous "Man in the Arena" speech

Theodore Roosevelt - President of the USA

"Citizenship in a Republic,"
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

As for the semantic torturing of the word unassisted. I did'nt see her get any assistance. As others have pointed out every contemporary sailor has had their little helper be it weather rating, GPS, HF radio etc.

All I can really say is - Go you good thing

[Factor]

Originally Posted by meyermm

Because she and her parents have misled a lot of people to gain $$s to both fund the trip and fill their pockets based on a record breaking trip.

Cough up with the names and details, who was duped and in what way, where is the evidence for this, I am not disputing your assertions, merely asking for a slight hint of proof, or even detail.

Let me ask you - do you know who Bruce Arms is. I do - he is one of her supporters, I interviewed him about your very point and he refutes being misled.

As soonas you start hiring media consultants, spokes person etc you know there is lots of money on offer and that is what this has been about right from the beginning.

Again - you really need to justify wild accusations like this.

[slomotion]

Despite and perhaps because of Donald Crowhurst, who paid the ultimate price in search of redemption, one of the few truly fine things about solo, nonstop, unassisted circumnavigations is that the sailor is presumed to be a gentleman or gentlewoman or gentlegirl. Even with modern technology there is no way to know for sure that such sailors do not use their engines or receive airdrops of supplies. Even the WSSRC cannot monitor voyages at that level. We can and should accept that the enormity of the endeavor implies the integrity of the sailor.

[Jim D]

Originally Posted by meyermm

Because she and her parents have misled a lot of people to gain $$s to both fund the trip and fill their pockets based on a record breaking trip. Her media staff are know saying she never was attempting the record, more BS!

Sour to partly sour grapes, with some gusting. A shame, really.
Hi Ho.

Jim
~

[surfingminniwinni]

Originally Posted by meyermm

Because she and her parents have misled a lot of people to gain $$s to both fund the trip and fill their pockets based on a record breaking trip. As soonas you start hiring media consultants, spokes person etc you know there is lots of money on offer and that is what this has been about right from the beginning. There are many single handed sailors sailing all over the world, some very old one's at that 70s -80s. No they may not be doing non stop world circumnavigation but they also do not have a media circus following them constantly. If disaster strikes no one would know for days or weeks unlike Jessica. Her media staff are know saying she never was attempting the record, more BS!

Please explain. We all wait for in great anticipation.

[RichardInMd]

Originally Posted by paradix

You shouldn't believe everything you read in the press...

Nancy should have checked her WSSRC history more carefully. Compare Jessica's route with the route of Kay Cottee, who is recognised by the WSSRC as the first female singlehanded non-stop circumnavigator. Kay's route was very similar to Jessica's - she crossed in the Atlantic, rather than the Pacific, but no antipodal point, and if anything a slightly shorter overall distance. I wonder if Kay will now be handing back her "Australian of the Year" title, or (more pertinently) her WSSRC record...

In any case, as has been stated many many times, the WSSRC have discontinued their "youngest" category so this was never going to be a record of any sort for them. Whatever you call it, Jessica has actually SAILED it, not sat at home with a calculator or keyboard and picked holes in someone else's endeavours, or criticised their storm tactics, or second-guessed why they may or may not be calling some other sailor, or...

A bientot Cruisers' Forum, I'm off to Sydney to welcome Jessica home.

Other Kinds of Sailing Records

If this is indeed true, this information needs to be blasted out through Australian media, to stop the smear campaign. If true, Kay Cottee, ( a sailing icon ), should come forward and say that JW has sailed around the world. Otherwise, her own credibility is at stake, having not followed the exact rules for a circumnavigation.

Another twist, Could it be that Sailing World is pissed off at the media restrictions that the Murdock deal invoked? They could be wrecking the party because they weren't invited. Very stupid, because at least in the US, the age of sailors is getting older and older. The industry should do all it can to support fantastic people like Jesse.

There also could be a bit of envy going on with Nancy. She might be trying to relive her moment of fame in 1959 when she paraded through Queensland in a Falcon convertible as Miss Surf Queen. Why else try to rain on Jesse's parade?

Richard in Maryland

[TOM]

Originally Posted by meyermm

Because she and her parents have misled a lot of people to gain $$s to both fund the trip and fill their pockets based on a record breaking trip. As soonas you start hiring media consultants, spokes person etc you know there is lots of money on offer and that is what this has been about right from the beginning. There are many single handed sailors sailing all over the world, some very old one's at that 70s -80s. No they may not be doing non stop world circumnavigation but they also do not have a media circus following them constantly. If disaster strikes no one would know for days or weeks unlike Jessica. Her media staff are know saying she never was attempting the record, more BS!

A young women .A Child by definition has just risked life and limb to sail a 34 foot yacht around the world in what i would call one of the greatest sailing achievements of all time and you are doing your level best to discredit her based on the fact that she has hired a media consultant and stands to make a few dollars.SO WHAT! even Donald Crowhurst had a media person and that was back in the sixties.

Jessie Martin did not actually make that much money .He could not even get the Maritime musuem to buy his boat .He did make some money out of a book but not a retirement amount.

Media Circus or not this is a Massive achievement by an increadible human being .Nothing less.

www.byamee.com

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by RichardInMd

If this is indeed true

See http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post447032 . It may be Sail-World that has been smeared (libeled ?).



-Sven

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by Factor

Cough up with the names and details, who was duped and in what way, where is the evidence for this, I am not disputing your assertions, merely asking for a slight hint of proof, or even detail.

Let me ask you - do you know who Bruce Arms is. I do - he is one of her supporters, I interviewed him about your very point and he refutes being misled.

Again - you really need to justify wild accusations like this.

Many, in fact, most are probably not in this country (Australia), so would not be aware of the widespread coverage and comment on the way her trip has panned out. What I wrote is being widely talked about on TV and radio, even a conversation at the Manly QLD marina last Sunday. Neither I nor most others are against her achievement, but it was sold to the public, press, etc. as a world record attempt - so much so that her web site read as though she had already broken the record before she even left. It has now been altered, I believe, but this is the reason she is now getting bad press.

[surfingminniwinni]

Byamee Tom ,well put. I also enjoy your blog. Mate, you still spend a lot on grog. You are braver than me, because I'm to scared to work out how much I spend.

Cheers,

[Coot's Away]

Originally Posted by meyermm

What I wrote is being widely talked about on TV and radio, even a conversation at the Manly QLD marina last Sunday.

So who did the tv and radio shows name as being duped by Jess, and who was involved in the conversation at the Manly QLD marina?

[Factor]

I had a conversation at the Manly Marina last sunday - talked about what a great weekend we had at the Sandhills.

[surfingminniwinni]

Yes but, remember if its on TV or on the radio, it must be true!