Jessica Watson's Round-the-World Voyage

[sec906]

From Jessica's Blog today:

I don't normally bother addressing critics because someone's always going to be saying something, no matter what I say or do. But I thought I'd have my 2 bobs worth on these claims that I haven't 'officially' sailed around the world.

Call me immature but I've actually been having a bit of a giggle over the whole thing. If I haven't been sailing around the world, then it beats me what I've been doing out here all this time! Yes it's a shame that my voyage won't be recognized by a few organizations because I'm under 18, but it really doesn't worry me.

I mean there's millions, properly billions of people who still don't believe in global warming, so I'm more than happy to settle for a few people going against the tide and declaring that mine hasn't been an official circumnavigation. Well I think I've wasted more than enough time on the whole petty debate - so moving on!

[Factor]

A very mature response on her part

[SvenG]

Yes it's a shame that my voyage won't be recognized by a few organizations because I'm under 18

It would be really depressing if she actually wrote that. It is so disingenuous that we are much better off assuming it was written by her ghost writers.


-Sven

[scubasteve]

Originally Posted by SvenG

It would be really depressing if she actually wrote that. It is so disingenuous that we are much better off assuming it was written by her ghost writers.


-Sven

Sounds like it was written by a 16yr old.

I'm very impressed with her accomplishment and positive attitude through the whole voyage.

[John A]

Originally Posted by SvenG

It would be really depressing if she actually wrote that. It is so disingenuous that we are much better off assuming it was written by her ghost writers.


-Sven

Why is it so depressing for a 16 year old girl to be less than candid? I think she's well within her rights to express her feelings about unfounded judgemental statements.

[sailorbyfate]

To no one in particular. Two statements:

1. Jessica Watson will soon be the youngest person to have sailed around the world.

2. Jessica Watson's voyage has not met the requirements set forth by the WSSRC.

Both are clearly true. The amount of vitriol spewed out trying to deny one or the other of these statements just astounds and amuses me.

My advice to anyone who is angry or frustrated about this is to follow Jessica's example and have "a bit of a giggle". Then enjoy the coming celebration of a truly amazing achievement.

[Mariness]

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!

See, I knew it was a bad idea to let your mother pack for you!
Seriously though, do people think she's just been going in circles out of sight of the harbor all this time? Official "record" or not, it seems pretty impressive to me.

[Banjo]

Good evening,

If you sail East from Sydney and keep going for a couple of months, by yourself, nobody came on board, nobody handed you any spares, food etc along the way, and you eventualy appear over the Western horizon, oh yes, even popped over the equator somewhere along the way, I'd say you have just done an unassisted solo circumnavigation.

Jessica will hopefully soon arrive safely in Sydney. She will live with the satisfaction of being a solo circumnavigator and nobody can take that away from her.

For those who do not understand this, take a globe, run your finger East. Keep going till your finger gets to where it started from. Your finger has now gone round the world. Your finger is now a circumnavigator. Not quite as good as Jessica, but probably the closest you'll get to doing what she has done.

As the saying goes, "go Jess!".

Regards,

Banjo.

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by Banjo

Good evening,

If you sail East from Sydney and keep going for a couple of months, by yourself, nobody came on board, nobody handed you any spares, food etc along the way, and you eventualy appear over the Western horizon, oh yes, even popped over the equator somewhere along the way, I'd say you have just done an unassisted solo circumnavigation.

Jessica will hopefully soon arrive safely in Sydney. She will live with the satisfaction of being a solo circumnavigator and nobody can take that away from her.

For those who do not understand this, take a globe, run your finger East. Keep going till your finger gets to where it started from. Your finger has now gone round the world. Your finger is now a circumnavigator. Not quite as good as Jessica, but probably the closest you'll get to doing what she has done.

As the saying goes, "go Jess!".

Regards,

Banjo.

So what your saying is when she left Sydney that is what her entourage was telling everyone she was about to attempt? Oh and be the youngest ever to achieve that beating others before her?
Remembering that they are very keen for her to arrive prior to her 17th Birthday. Interesting how her spokes person this week denied that they were seeking to break previous record. So then why the necessity to arrive prior to her birthday. So was the previous record done using your head East, cross the Equator somewhere formula and will all future attempts be set using these rules or will the next contestant use a different formula? Before anyone tries to swist this around sure it is an achievement but was the publicity, money etc gained to allow this sailing trip, done honestly and in that I am looking squarely at her parents not Jessica. Remember even the boat was apparently donated.

[Hirophant]

Originally Posted by Banjo

If you sail East from Sydney and keep going for a couple of months, ... and you eventualy appear over the Western horizon ... I'd say you have just done an unassisted solo circumnavigation.

Actually, if she’d done it in a couple of months I’d have been extremely suspicious!

(I wonder if her parents were suspicious... after all they did go all the way to Cape Horn to check she was really there! Maybe they thought it might be just one of her little pranks...)

[LTCruiser]

I think Jessica’s achievement is truly great & a great roll model for everyone. I can’t say as much for her ghost writers or her minders. I looked at her progress & see that her position has been repositioned in the last couple of days. Also looking at the upcoming weather, I would guess she should be in Sydney by about Wednesday, app 380 miles. So why is she being kept at sea just to please the media & hype?

[Hirophant]

Originally Posted by meyermm

Remember even the boat was apparently donated.

It's just on loan from McIntyre Adventure actually. I don’t think he expected her to paint it pink though, if the next person to borrow it is a boy, I pity the ribbing he will get!

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by LTCruiser

I think Jessica’s achievement is truly great & a great roll model for everyone. I can’t say as much for her ghost writers or her minders. I looked at her progress & see that her position has been repositioned in the last couple of days. Also looking at the upcoming weather, I would guess she should be in Sydney by about Wednesday, app 380 miles. So why is she being kept at sea just to please the media & hype?

Politicians use media minders and most people do not believe much of what they have to say with good reason as most is just spin to make the polys look and sound good. In Jessica's case anyone who questions what they are putting out (minders) are branded as unkind, jealous and all the other descriptions except gullible

[97fxdwg]

WAY too much nit-picking going on. Way to go Jess, Good on ya!

[slomotion]

Originally Posted by Hirophant

Actually, if she’d done it in a couple of months I’d have been extremely suspicious!

In an S&S 34, yes! But the actual speed record is something like 57 days. For multi-million dollar, purpose built, space age, speed record type trimarans, the WSSRC definition or something like it is important and makes sense. But for solo, non-stop, unassisted, circumnavigators in conventional monohulls, speed is virtually irrelevant. They get frustrated when there is no wind and maybe their birth date is important, but that's about it. They do not take the fastest routes because the long standing custom of traditional cape rounding routes is considered part of the challenge.