Yachting FAIL - Jessica Watson

[Factor]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I'm asking you what the cut off age should be.

Thats easy - as a matter of law in Qld at 16 she is entitled to make her own decisions in life - her parents have no lawful power to prohibit her.

What I am asking is what age are you comfortable sending people out to sea in the Southern Ocean in winter?

At no age - its a personal decision for the individual. But see above - at 16 its her call.

The whole issue of age is interesting - At what age should a person be criminally responsible for their actions for example. (I will give you a hint - for Qld its in Chapter 5 of the Criminal Code). At what age should a person be able to vote (The Feral Gummint is currently circulating a white paper which has as an option changes to the voting age - I dont think they are suggesting any change simply placing the idea out there)

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Factor

Thats easy - as a matter of law in Qld at 16 she is entitled to make her own decisions in life - her parents have no lawful power to prohibit her.

Old enough to make her own decisions in life, but not old enough to

Fight for her country
Drink in pub
Or Vote (yet Proposal to lower voting age to 16)


On Sunrise this morning(Oz TV pretend news show) they had Grant Warrington comment saying that he met her a year ago and suggested she go and do a few circuits around Tasmania and into the Southern Ocean to see if she was up to it.

Sounds like sound advice to me, but ignored by her.

I suppose she knows best, what could Grant Warrington possibly teach a 16 year old girl about boats?

[c-kow]

It will be interesting to see if her sponsors will start pulling their support due to the controversy of her position.

[Weyalan]

Originally Posted by cat man do

I suppose she knows best, what could Grant Warrington possibly teach a 16 year old girl about boats?

If you believe the gossipmongers, he could teach her plenty about shooting through without paying your bills...
Just sayin'

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

T'was in the public interest.

Some polly probably thought the family would sit on the report so the email finger slipped on Outlooks Contacts! Damn computers! No one can trust them!

I don't know how MSQ handles these reports, but having read a few ATSB reports, know it states quite clearly that they send the draft in confidence to the affected parties, and give them time to make submissions prior to releasing the final report to the public. If the Watsons knew this report would eventually see the light of day, it would be in their interest to "anonymously leak" the report to the papers. The assumption that some evil govt official leaked it would deflect criticism from young Jess, while they could say they're acting on the recommendations. I'm not saying this is what happened, but would guess that any PR-guy worth his salt would have suggested this strategy.

[barnakiel]

First comment - yes, it may take 10 miles to stop a steaming cargo, but it takes much, MUCH less effort and time to change her course to avoid collision, so, the cargo ships are not such pigs as many would like to believe.

Second comment - was she really (is she really) going to sail the southern ocean in an S&S 34 ??? Well, if so, I believe there is one more reason NOT to do it.

Is it a new S&S, or one as old as any other I have seen (at the very least 20 years old).

Is an S&S 34 the best boat to go for the project? Has this girl sailed this boat over any stretch of the southern ocean before? Has she ever crossed any ocean in this boat and on her own before?

I did think until now that she was going to sail the Coconut Milk Run way.

I must apologize to everyone here - I may have said something completely stupid in my earlier posts - I just took it for granted she was going to sail the easy way (given the boat I have seen in the pictures taken after the collision) while I should have read from her site before making any comments.

A bit puzzled,
b.

[Ocean Girl]

As a society we have a responsibility to our youth not to stifle them and to encourage instead.

You are 100% correct!! That is why I think the dad needs to hire an experienced captain to get on that boat and "encourage" her around the world. It would mean no record but she'd be alive and probably a little less traumatized.
Erika

[cat man do]

As a society we have a responsibility to our youth not to stifle them and to encourage instead.

And let Darwinism sort them out instead of rescue?

[Weyalan]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Second comment - was she really (is she really) going to sail the southern ocean in an S&S 34 ??? Well, if so, I believe there is one more reason NOT to do it.

Is it a new S&S, or one as old as any other I have seen (at the very least 20 years old).

Is an S&S 34 the best boat to go for the project?

If I were going to head of single-handed around the world, an S&S 34 would be right up there on my list as a boat of choice (for somebody without a bottomless budget).

Jesse Martin solo'ed RTW in an S&S34, and I don't doubt there have been others too.

[John A]

I met a singlehandling 68 year old lady in Trinidad in 2007 who had left Calif. in 1998 and had done a west-about on a Nor Sea 27, she had just completed a non-stop sail from Cape Town. She was about 5'4" and had the social skills of a nat. I've since learned from other cruisers that she was refered to as "Mad Mary".
There's a whole bunch of very interesting people that are cruising that don't fit the mold of what would be considered by some as normal.
John A

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Is it a new S&S, or one as old as any other I have seen (at the very least 20 years old).

Is an S&S 34 the best boat to go for the project? b.

Barnie they are excellent boats.
Built in the very early 197's they have been in probably every Sydney Hobart since. I think they would have handicap honors some time into the early 80's.

I know someone is building them new now. But of course the world of sailing has come a long way since then.

I raced on one on the Monatague Island race one year and there is no doubt about them being a fine boat.

There is an American girl 15 years old who is start in the next month or so and she is doing it in an Open 40, a cut down version of an Open 60. It would go double the speed of an S&S34 thus getting the kid out of the Southern Ocean before winter sets in. Jessica has 2 to 4 months of winter south of 40 degrees south.

It would put her in the same location at the same time as a Swan 57 pitchpoled in May 3 years ago. And if a Swan 57 fully crewed can pitchpole....

[CSY Man]

Soo, the collision happened when the girl was asleep and her vessel was not under command, but it was the fault of the Captain of the big ship..?

Not sure what planet these people are coming from..

Lets go back to basics:

1) The Rules of the road was based on both vessels having a lookout.
2) If one "captain" goes to bed and ignores basic safety and sea-manship does not make the other Captain responsible for the collision.
3) Anybody singlehanding for more than 30 hours are selfish and irresponsible: Not only is a lookout required to see and avoid collision, but also to look for emergency signals from other vessels in distress: The whole lookout thing is for mutual benefit and safety...Not to inconvenience some idiot ego and publicity driven kid or adult.

Although the little girl and her pink boat can't do much harm whatever she hits at 5 knots, there are other ego-maniacs out there in big and fast boats who sail across oceans trying to break records while snooring away.
If some poor guys in a smaller boat was ship wrecked or doing repairs while not under way, they could be run down and killed by the sleeping solo sailor in his performance 60 on autopilot doing 14 knots.

I have spent a few years of my life as crew man and "Look Out" of big ships including super tankers of 1000 feet and more: In anything but the best weather, visibilty is limited and the look-out are so far up and so far behind the bow that light rain or spray from the bow will make any kind of "look" useless.

Sure we use fancy radars with alarms and other stuff to detect "targets" but even if we see a sleeping solo sailor bobbing around on auto pilot at close quarters, it may be way too late to take evasive action:

Turn the wheel to full deflection and select full reverse on a big ship and nothing will happen for a couple of minuttes...Perhaps a slight vibration in the ship is all you will feel, but to change course or to stop takes a loooong time.

Nowadays I am running my own 33 foot sailboat around Florida and the Bahamas day and night and in high traffic areas and I know what the big ships can see or not see, and what they can do and not do if they see you:

I stay as far away from big ships as possible..I Make early turns and never ever go solo for more than a few hours so sleep is not a factor.
Anybody crossing oceans solo is not only ignoring the Rules of the Road, but also putting their own lives in danger and endangering the lifes of others and for what??

1) Ego? ...Go see a shrink.

2) Freedom? ...You are just as free with another crewmember onboard..Perhaps more so as you can take a nap without endangering yourself and others.

3) To get in the history books? Get a life instead..No points for ignoring safety and crashing into vessels or land while you sleep.

4) To write a book about your own bravery like Dodge Morgan and his solo around the world? Go feed the poor instead...Much more respect IMHO.

I am all for the kids sailing around the world, but give them a proper crew: Say 3 or 4 on the pink sailing machine with one of them being an experienced and educated sailor and a licenced Captain.

[blu]

Well, the girls just set off again. Retrial run,this time with advisors onboard.....? Look more like bouncers than sailors. Commonsense has not prevailed, really hope she survives.

[MarkJ]

Oh....... she has brought God into it:

On her own website (or her publicity company website anyway...)

Jessica determined to achieve ‘calling’

Jessica Watson - youngest ever to sail around the world


Ho ho, I just did a domonain search

canonical namejessicawatson.com.au.aliaseswww.jessicawatson.com.au
addresses119.31.230.9

Domain Whois record

Queried whois.ausregistry.net with "jessicawatson.com.au"...
Domain Name: jessicawatson.com.auLast Modified: 18-Aug-2009 01:02:46 UTCRegistrar ID: Enetica

Registrar Name: EneticaStatus: okRegistrant: 5 OCEANS MEDIA PTY LTD

It is her publicty company! LOL

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by John A

I met a singlehandling 68 year old lady in Trinidad in 2007 who had left Calif. in 1998 and had done a west-about on a Nor Sea 27, she had just completed a non-stop sail from Cape Town. She was about 5'4" and had the social skills of a nat. I've since learned from other cruisers that she was refered to as "Mad Mary".
There's a whole bunch of very interesting people that are cruising that don't fit the mold of what would be considered by some as normal.
John A

"Mighty Merry Too" is the Pacific Seacraft, Dana 24 that CF member Mary McCollum <sailorm> sailed solo across the Pacific Ocean after celebrating her 60th birthday. She’s published a book about her self and adventures.