Yachting FAIL - Jessica Watson

[Bark]

What bothers me most about this is the girls's seeming fixation on how "cute" and "pretty" she and her boat are. All she talks about with regard to the repairs after she hit the cargo ship is how the boat *looks*, not how safe it is.

Example quotes from her blogJessicawatson.com.au:

"Motoring into the Southport seaway, not looking too pretty"

"Things are already underway to get Ella’s Pink Lady restored to her original beauty."

"Ella's Pink Lady is only a wash away from looking totally cute again"

"it’ll take 10 days to get Ella’s Pink Lady looking her best again and the rigging should’t be much longer. Luckily we’re still got some leftover pink paint handy!"

"Looking totally stunning the day we sailed out of Mooloolaba!"

"Above are a few pictures of Ella’s Pink Lady reefed down in a bit of a sea, how cute does she look!"

"on Sunday afternoon I covered the whole cockpit with cosmetics and had a good scrub up"



A cockpit full of makeup? This kid should hang out with her girly friends at the mall for a few more years until she is mature enough to have her priorities straight.

p.s. Who exactly thought it was a good idea to paint the boat Barbie-doll pink, thereby broadcasting to everyone she encounters that there is a teen girl alone on the boat?

[sandinmytea]

The old Chinese parable: "Wait and see" ?

Also: "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 them 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, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in 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 fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat"

If she dies out there, turtled in the Pacific... she tried. The problem is, enough intelligent, careful people have now gone before us that it is all too easy for us to chart the smart, safe way using numerous instruments and proven methods. When we stray from those methods, its suddenly foolhardy. Perhaps it is. But once upon a time we would have all died of scurvy, or gotten eaten by the locals. Someone populated the Pacific sailing this way! What I find funny, is that wherever they left from, they didn't return. So everyone back at home probably said "See? Tutumba never came back... he's dead. Glad I stayed home to count my coconuts"

I hope she does well. If she doesn't, oh well. If she's not ready, then she wasn't ready. A few years ago while I was deployed, a few Newporters disappeared on their way back from St. Thomas. Of course its awful that they were lost, but they were lost doing what they loved. I applaud anyone with big enough eggs to REALLY dream, even if they're too immature to realize their dreams are "silly." Maybe this young lady is out of her league. She may even die with the world watching, which might make people want to pass laws preventing such things,and so on... the truth is, if we don't do stuff like this, its just not worth living anymore.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by sandinmytea

Also: "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 them 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, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in 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 fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat"

I hope she does well. If she doesn't, oh well. If she's not ready, then she wasn't ready.
... I applaud anyone with big enough eggs to REALLY dream, even if they're too immature to realize their dreams are "silly." Maybe this young lady is out of her league. ... the truth is, if we don't do stuff like this, its just not worth living anymore.

While wishing her the best of luck, I hope she fails, without harm. I don't want to see other, younger children, endangereing their life & limb, challenging a meaningless record.

Excepting the financial, Jessica’s endeavour is only intended to decrease the minimum. How little (age, maturity, strength, experience, etc) can we get away with. If there were any other motive, she wouldn't be compelled to undertake this challenge NOW.
I don’t see this as a cause “worthy” of endangering a young lady’s (girl’s) life.
Except in a “Disney” fantasyland, merely “Wishing upon a star” just isn’t enough.

[sandinmytea]

I agree about this not being a worthy cause for all this attention, but if its worthy to her, then so be it.

True also, how young will be young enough for this to get just plain stupid? Probably 16! Truthfully, chances are this isn't going to work out for her. Lots of nay-saying going on for good reasons.

In the end though, its hard to say. Time will tell.

[Jace]

"What bothers me most about this is the girls's seeming fixation on how "cute" and "pretty" she and her boat are." - Bark

SHE'S A CHICK!!! That's why she's talking about how "cute" her boat is. Centering on looks ... it's what chicks do. They have a bit of an obsession with their looks and all the tinsel that goes with it. AND THANK HEAVENS THEY DO!

Hey Bark, let me introduce you to the female of the species.

www.joekeck.com

[GordMay]

Well, at least “Ella’s Pink Lady” is packed with (Ella Bache) skin care products.

[osirissail]

- - Be very glad she is not from California valley country! That would be ugly.
- - I agree that there should not be any age issue, that is all a variable based on upbringing, the environment of the society around you and a hundred other factors that can result in a 50y.o. being too reckless and juvenile while in a different part of the world a 12 y.o. is mature, responsible and crafty enough to compensate for lack physical strength.
- - She will probably get in a "record book" one way or the other - either "Guinness" or the "Darwin Awards."

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by osirissail

- - Be very glad she is not from California valley country! That would be ugly.

Allow me to provide a translation of this, osirissail, for non-Angelenos.

I suspect you're a little vague on the details, yourself, as "California valley country" is a term that doesn't compute. For those who know Los Angeles, The Valley has a distinct meaning: It refers to the San Fernando Valley, essentially a bedroom community north and west of downtown LA.

In 1982, Frank Zappa released his soon-to-be-famous "Valley Girl." Performing on that recording was his eldest child, daughter Moon Unit, then going on 15. She was a student at Oakwood, one of the more exclusive private schools in The Valley, and she talked just like all of her friends. It was from listening to his daughter and her friends that Frank Zappa found the inspiration for the record.

Not to say this is ancient history, exactly, but the now-42-year-old Moon Zappa, married to Paul Doucette of Matchbox Twenty, has a child of her own who's almost five. I don't know if Moon made it all the way to graduation, but her brothers Dweezil and Ahmet were invited to leave Oakwood early. Her youngest sibling, sister Diva, I have no information on.

While Jessica Watson is close in age to what Moon was when "Valley Girl" was popular, I'm sure she has no knowledge of "val-speak." But I have no doubt that she's well-versed in the current Aussie equivalent.

TaoJones

[Bark]

Originally Posted by Jace

"What bothers me most about this is the girls's seeming fixation on how "cute" and "pretty" she and her boat are." - Bark

SHE'S A CHICK!!! That's why she's talking about how "cute" her boat is. Centering on looks ... it's what chicks do. They have a bit of an obsession with their looks and all the tinsel that goes with it. AND THANK HEAVENS THEY DO!

My point is that looking "cute" seems way more important to her than being safe. And avoiding crashing into tankers.

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by Jace

"What bothers me most about this is the girls's seeming fixation on how "cute" and "pretty" she and her boat are." - Bark

SHE'S A CHICK!!! That's why she's talking about how "cute" her boat is. Centering on looks ... it's what chicks do. They have a bit of an obsession with their looks and all the tinsel that goes with it. AND THANK HEAVENS THEY DO!

Hey Bark, let me introduce you to the female of the species.

www.joekeck.com

Uh, I am a chick and I fawn over my boat because she has beautiful lines and good solid bulkheads. Thats what offshore sailor chicks do. I gaze at her and admire her stong chainplates, nice full keel, and solid deck. I LOVE her big heavy-duty bronze ports, man I can gaze at those for hours! But it all boils down to admiration for her seaworthyness - have ya noticed how beautiful a seaworthy boat is?

Waxing on about how "cute" the boat looks is different than admiring a vessel for what she is capable of doing.

My 2 cents

[Bark]

Several news stories mention a photo of her checklist covered with "more childish doodles than safety tips" that was leaked to the media. Does anyone know where to actually view this thing for themselves?

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

While Jessica Watson is close in age to what Moon was when "Valley Girl" was popular, I'm sure she has no knowledge of "val-speak." But I have no doubt that she's well-versed in the current Aussie equivalent.

TaoJones

Bogan?

[Jace]

Good point, Bark, and well taken.

"I gaze at her and admire her stong chainplates, nice full keel, and solid deck. I LOVE her big heavy-duty bronze ports ..." Ocean Girl

Hey Ocean Girl, what'r ya doing, trying to turn me on? All that hot sexy chainplate and "her big heavy-duty bronze ports ..." talk is inappropriate. Your boat is a private affair, and I think it's a little risque to talk about your boat's private ports. It's your boat and your private ports are very nice, I'm sure, but as a single guy as yet without a boat of my own, I would hope that in the future, you'd try to be a little more sensitive to us single boatless guys' weakness for such portographic talk.

www.joekeck.com

[Ocean Girl]

Sorry jace, I get carried away when it comes to my boat..I didn't even mention the over sized rigging, her big bronze rudder boot, and massive fiberglass tabbing. Peek into her bilge and you will find...ok, I see what you mean .

Anyways, my point is - if I was about to sail the roaring forties, I would be obsessed with how my hatch will take a breaking wave NOT the color of my hull, what will happen if she turtles? if she pitch poles? do I have a weakness in my rigging? etc.

I am planning to sail Ocean Girl to Australia by 2012. I have been plotting my course (I love to look at my pilot charts for the south Atlantic), call me a wuss, but if I go around South America I'll be taking Drakes passage.

Erika

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

I am planning to sail Ocean Girl to Australia by 2012. I have been plotting my course (I love to look at my pilot charts for the south Atlantic), call me a wuss, but if I go around South America I'll be taking Drakes passage.

Erika

Honey, Drake was smart and so are you ; -)