Yachting FAIL - Jessica Watson

[swagman]

Originally Posted by Zednotzee

I have to agree to a point. It's entirely likely she has tons of sailing experience, but I can't help but observe that very few parents would leave their 16 year old alone for a few months in a house, & they hardly ever get run over by bulk carriers.
This kind of stuff reminds me of Jessica Dubroff, & I hope it doesn't take the same sort of tragedy in the sailing world to put a stop to it. Hopefully though we won't need to legislate common sense (never works anyway).

AMEN.

John

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

increasing Deep sea ship’s overtaking speed

She was heading from Mooloolabah to Sydney so she was sailing SOUTH

The ship involved in the collision was heading supposedly heading NORTH

It is believed the ship she tangled with is the Hong Kong registered Silver Yang. The Silver Yang is 225 metres long and 35 metres wide. "The bulk carrier is believed to be heading north up the east coast and has allegedly failed to stop," the AMSA spokesman said.

Solo sailor Jessica Watson hits ship, forced to turn back | The Courier-Mail

And I have to say it, but whats the point of having a radar and not using it.

Yes, I know they suck power, but there will be plenty of time out of shipping lanes to save power.

[gbendaly]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

How did it happen? Because her parents and the authorities are cretins.

And let those idiots that support these fools remember this incident.

Mark

I totally agree
assuming she started sailing/ cruising at 10 she must have 6 years sailing experience, do you honestly think that 6years are enough to take on a circumnavigation solo ??? this is insane !

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

And what about the media? If this child was a dog or male would she get the attention of the 'before' articles?

I'm sure a dog that could sail a yacht would get some attention.

[blu]

Lot of puritans being exceptionally judgemental when not in possession of all the facts. Let's wait and see where the stuff up occurred.

[s/v Moondancer]

John 8:7

"He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone upon her."

Not that I approve; it's just that I understand how it happens.

quote: "Remember experience only means that you screw up less often."

Phil

[Artful Dodger]

People in general are always so judgemental of young persons and their attempts at doing something we may have just thought of and brushed aside. The young lady is 16 which permits her to drive a car, get Married in some countries, get a job, and so many other things we take for granted. Why can't we just support her in her quest it seems she has it all together. Tania Aebi was sixteen when her father set her off on her voyage, becuase he felt sending her to college was a waste, but having her complete something would help her down the road. As for her accident, one can be sitting having a coffee and be taken out by a falling piece of a building as it has happen twice that I know this year. I hope she repairs the sail boat and gets back to it as I support her completely, GO JESSICA.

[John Brewer]

I am glad Jessicca Watson survived her collisiion at sea. I have had several near misses while cruising alone.

What concerns me is that the LAST great freedom I have is to put to sea in NSW Australia with out having to ask anyones permmision, pay any fee, hold any licence, and sail any where in Australian teritory (or arround the world non stop) no questions asked.

If Jessicca wants to sail arround the world at the age of 16 there are no regulations in Australia to stop her... and good for that!

But with great freedooms come great responsibilities.

I have read she has great experience at 16 years of age. She has been sailing since she was 8. Thats 8 yrs total experience.

Well, I have been sailing since I was 8. I am now 57 years old. I have been sailing for 49 years, and have seen the Tasman sea at its worst many times. Winds over 80kts, breaking seas 45 ft +.

I won't tell Jessica not to go because that is the last great freedom. But freedom comes with great responsibility!

Modern reaserce says the human brain is not mature till around 21 years of age. It is her parents who fail to recognise the limitation of her age.

I gained a AYF Yachtmaster Offshore Instuctor certificate in 1993, that means Jessicca was zero years of age. When I did my assesment there were no courses for Yachtmaster, You simply put yourself up for assessment and were judged. When I went for my assessment there were 4 other candidates, some of whome where live aboarders of many years experience. I was the only one to pass on the day. The standard was high. Sadly I feel the standard is not as high now.

My point is that people who put to sea without understanding the GREAT RESPONSIBILITY, put all of the freedom we have as cruisers at risk.

All the attention. All the publicity. The evermore encroachment of regulation and restriction. All because of the irresposible action of the few.

Sorry to be so depressing but thats the way I see it.

Jesicca good luck, you have the freedom. Make sure you live up to the responsibility. And to your parents WHY?

[Talbot]

The amount of "Told you so" that is flowing in this thread is revolting.

I expect the media will also turn on her, as she has already had her 15 minutes of fame, and it is time to knock her of her pedestal.

I would like to know the reality of what happened so that we can learn from the experience, until that time, assigning blame is a symptom of idiocy.

Mind you reading some of the "learned" posts, idiocy is probably the correct term. I would commend a lot much deeper study of IRPCS, and an understanding of responsibilities.

Meanwhile, this poor girl has just had her dream and her boat smashed, and deserves a modicum of comfort.

[cat man do]

Just having a look at the blog and this point jumps out at me
http://www.youngestround.blogspot.com/

Ok, I better go and fire the radar up, turn the navigation lights on and have one last check of everything on deck before it gets dark. Then I might think about some dinner before grabbing some cat naps of sleep.

Which is the point I made above.
Radar, 63000 tonnes of steel, surely an alarm should have at least sounded, or if having a kip an alarm clock to wake every 20 minutes to check the screen and have a look around.

Here is the AIS for the ship in question,Live Ships Map - AIS - Vessel Traffic and Positions it does a little deviation off Straddie and slows before picking up speed so one could assume it's where the collision was.

Interesting to see that the speed for the hours before and after have only been around 9 knots, so a 16 mile radar would have given how much warning?

[MarkJ]

And another point in my scathing attack on all these junior bambi brigade of circumnavigators is their goal achievement is limited to a point of stupidity: alone and unassisted non-stop circumnavigation.

It sounds like a real challenge.

But is it?

NO!
She doesn’t have to prepare her boat
She doesn’t have to maintain it over a long period of time - years.
She only has to make one land fall.
Doesn’t have to arrive at ports!
Doest have to clear customs / immigration etc anywhere except back home.
She can avoid dangerous navigation areas -like the Panama, Suez, SingaporeStraits(!!)English channel, or even SydneyHarbour, or any harbour!
She doesn’t have to provision her boat and keep it topped up in out of the way places or using local foods etc
She doesn't need to learn 'Hello' or 'How Much' in any other language.
She never has to anchor or re-anchor in dragging ground.

She doesn’t even have to have foreign currency!!! "I travelled the world and only had Australian dollars which I never spent!"
In fact in all the endeavours that these 13, 16, 17 year old kids do and try to achieve they are still NOTHING when it comes to the skills and knowledge of the normal old cruisers we all are!

Us Cruiser Forum mob who have slipped a fair bit around the world or across and ocean or 2 in a year or 2's cruise need so much more knowledge, skill and determination than these pissants and their flaky supporters.

We have the age, knowledge and skills to at least wake up when an alarm rings... maybe even to set it correctly.

And our boats aren’t covered with sponsorship logos: We have done it ourselves!

Her boat, and all the boats of the various kiddies, could be radio controlled from home with the child on it like a Sputniks dog.



Mark

[Artful Dodger]

Sometimes we are so narrow minded we can't see the forest for the trees. I would suggest that looking inside the cover or the forest would show us someone who has learned that, in this world if you want something bad enough and display the things that big corporations are looking for, then I wonder who is out of step. She has followed a dream taken all kinds of courses to prepare herself, carried herself as a young lady making her parents no doubt very proud of her, not to mention a lot of her country men. She has work hand in hand with the preparations of the boat she has sea tested and to all accounts has found the boat to very sound. She no longer needs her mother to walk accross the street as some seem to express here. When she is on the sea she will have to deal with the weather, communications, the boat systems and vast number of other things. She will gain an education which no class room could provide, and in so doing become a better person. I say good for her for getting off her duff instead of sitting around and waiting for the world to provide for her, she went out and got it. I would also suggest she is someone's daughter and until one has children as it seems some with comments don't have here I would suggest you move to the side lines and see how this all plays out. Have you never done nothing exciting or dangerous, if not then there in it is the answer.

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by blu

Lot of puritans being exceptionally judgemental when not in possession of all the facts. Let's wait and see where the stuff up occurred.

Hear hear!

Always grand to tear down those who DO.....

Hope she gets back underway soon.

[imagine2frolic]

Being a single-hander myself. I can see how she would need a wee bit of rest. Especially if it was a circus before she left. When I was in Mexico in 93 a boat left the day after the farewell party for the South Pacific. Lots of fun, and drinking were had. A couple were the owners, and an extra crew of 2. Early that night on their first day. They all went to sleep, and were hit by a freighter. So you see it's not just her, and it's not her age.

Single-handing puts you at risk with minimum of watchkeeping. I would put a ton more blame on a freighter with a crew, and supposedly a constant watch than I would this young lady. She didn't ruin the Captains life long work. He ruined it himself by not running a proper crew.......i2f

[speakeasy]

Accident investigations for military aircraft show that the most dangerous time in a pilot's career is when he has been in the fleet a few years and has between 600-900 hours of flight time. It is the time when his skills are peaking and he feels like he can do anything. It is also the time of peak arrogance and recklessness. Pride goeth before the fall, as has been written somewhere.

You cruisers who're judgmental abouat this girl might want to be very careful. There is way too much inequity and suffering, especially in the 3rd world, to get so worked up and to waste too much indignation on a girl trying a great and foolhardy sail. We wouldn't want anything nasty to happen to you as you travel and report back to us 'cause we love hearing your reports.