Jessica Watson's Round-the-World Voyage

[slomotion]

I believe that the RTW "rules" require that she round Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Leeuwin plus cross the equator both ways. Using the Straits of Magellan or the Beagle Channel wouldn't qualify.

[osirissail]

>>>Of course, this does not mean that a vessel might not very well be stopped and boarded by authorities from the country whose waters you're transiting, and that would ruin someone's "solo" and "unassisted" standing, placing a big asterisk on their record-breaking attempt.<<<
Very true - but the Wiki entry is out of date and not true- Since 9-11 the "vessel in transit" also known as "innocent passage" has been dramatically changed. Terrorist prone (countries who "think" they may have a problem) have adopted the USA lead that any ship entering their waters has to "check-in" with "authorities" for inspection and possible boarding unless they do it at a "clearance port." You cannot transit many "territorial" waters using innocent passage unless the particular country has passed "innocent passage" provisions in their laws and regulations. (e.g. the Bahamas has such a law allowing "innocent passage". Trinidad and the USA do not. You must notify officials and check-in or be boarded for "National Security Reasons." The "Safe Harbor Provisions" of the International Maritime Convention have also been re-written since 9-11 to abrogate those provisions if the Nation doesn't want to allow "safe harbor" for "National Security". This came up in other threads about "Q-flagging" through countries where you do not wish to stop and go ashore. New world order . . .
- - To avoid these "political problems" RTW'ers simply stay in International Waters.

[SvenG]

As I posted in another thread, I suspected that Ella's Pink Lady was under power at the time when she struck the Silver Yang. I listed my reasons for thinking so.

Tonight I have gotten information which I trust, which tells me that she was indeed under sail at the time. All I was given was the conclusion, not the evidence behind it, but the source is credible enough for me.

I would have posted this in the locked thread, except it is locked, so for the record I have posted it here.



-Sven

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

So you can see why I wish she'd sail a different route......

Originally Posted by Wotname

Ocean Girl,
There really is no way that one can sail RTW unassissted without sailing around Cape Horn. The only other way to get past the Americas is the Panama Canal and it is impossible to transit the canal SOLO UNASSISSTED; so until the Northern ice cap melts, one has to sail the Horn.

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

.......Wotname-I am not touching that with a ten foot pole.....

Hmm…after re-reading my post and OG’s comment (above), I see I have not expressed myself very well and may have inadvertently given the impression I was re-hashing the old ground of solo etc. This was not my intention and I apologize if my post was read this way.

The point I was intending to make was in reference to JW’’s proposed route and OG’s general question as to its suitability or otherwise. My point being JW must sail around the Horn as there is no other possible option for her.

Of course this may have been self evident .

[12,800ft]

Any news or maybe "luck"?

Jessica Watson past Norfolk Island
NEWS.com.au - ‎Oct 26, 2009‎
However, Mr Fraser said a tracking device would be added to Jessica's website in the next 48 hours. "That way we will give people an estimate of where she

[paradix]

Originally Posted by 12,800ft

Any news or maybe "luck"?

This from her website yesterday:

"For all of those fans wanting to track her voyage, we are pleased to advise that we will post a tracking map next week which will provide everyone with an estimate of Jessica’s position."

I think they wanted to get her through the first couple of weeks with some privacy and safety. Given the other recent events around the world (see other threads), I guess there's always some risk to publicly advertising the position of a young woman with a high public profile sailing alone. Although she's far from pirate territory, she has been in quite busy waters, and there are opportunists everywhere.

She has been updating her blog every day and the website also, with sufficient information for interested people to work out roughly where she is. From her website today:

"These fast downwind conditions helped put Jessica ahead of her schedule, with the teenager expected to crack 1500 nautical miles sometime today as she sails towards Tonga."

She has had an excellent run with mainly S/SE winds since Norfolk Is.

[paradix]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Hmm…after re-reading my post and OG’s comment (above), I see I have not expressed myself very well and may have inadvertently given the impression I was re-hashing the old ground of solo etc. This was not my intention and I apologize if my post was read this way.

The point I was intending to make was in reference to JW’’s proposed route and OG’s general question as to its suitability or otherwise. My point being JW must sail around the Horn as there is no other possible option for her.

Of course this may have been self evident .

Personally I just thought OG was reacting to your mention of the icecaps melting, and wanted to avoid being drawn into the inevitable yes-it-is no-it-isn't argument about global warming!

[12,800ft]

Thanks Paradix!

Should we be monitoring the website or the blog?? Someone might want tell the "team" to sync new news with the blog.

It's an interesting idea they have don't you think?

People sail around the world within eyesight of land disappear and SAR can spend at min. 72 hours searching and cannot find a trace of them.

Yet here we're concerned with people with nothing to do, actually seeking a single boat in the middle of the ocean for whatever reason.

May I ask you what has changed exactly?

Since we're told Jessica's right on track in fact a little bit ahead of schedule owing to the recent winds, what has changed from the pinpoint declaration of "48 hours' from the 28th, to now a nebulous week or so?

Really has a determination been made that from now and say 7 days forward, some unrest is occuring in the territories she'll next be closer to and that is the reason? Has someone devised a formula "x"amount of miles from land * CIA World Book unrest = hours or days before posting the tracking device?

Did you see what the "pirates" did to poor Saito-san as he rounded the Cape? held his boat hostage until the insurance paid out. The entire winter.

RSA is pretty stable.Don't believe there's ever been any piracey or shenanigans there of any sorts.

Thanks!

Appreciate your personal input from the "family" and "team".

[Stillraining]

12,800'...decend and take a deep breath dude..

[paradix]

Hi there,

I'm not sure how better to answer your questions, 12,800ft, other than to repeat my earlier post. I'm not sure from the tone of your question whether you genuinely want answers, or just want an argument. I don't want to turn this thread into the latter so I'll leave it at that.

Originally Posted by paradix

This seems to have become something of an obsession with some folk around here. Since when has her progress been a secret? She has been regularly updating her blog with her progress in respect to significant waypoints (Lord Howe I, Norfolk I), her heading and her distance travelled, so surely that is enough to put a pin in the map of her approximate position. On another thread, people are criticising the kidnapped couple for publicly letting others know of their intended route. Jess is not in pirate-infested waters, but she has been in the proximity of populated islands and other vessels and is entitled to her privacy for both safety and personal reasons. Everyone who needs to know her exact position has her tracking data. Everyone who doesn't, has updates on her progress through her blog.

[12,800ft]

Simple question, your repeated claims it's about her safety is the current theme about not having a tracker.

The other day we were told one was to be implemented in the next 48 hours.

At the time that statement made, "things" must have been alright to allow for it to be made.

72 + hours later "things" musn't be alright to allow for the tracker to be implemented.

Since the implementation of the tracker accoding to you and the team is for security reasons, I would like to know what exactly has taken place in the approaching reason to claw back the only 72 hour ago giddy offering that it would be forthcoming.

Seriously.

Are the "natives restless" in the south pacific?

If you can give a clear explanation as to this "delay" "again", I'd be interested.

Please be assured it's not a trick question, I'm not a native English speaker so maybe my articulation comes across all skewed.

Originally Posted by paradix

Hi there,

I'm not sure how better to answer your questions, 12,800ft, other than to repeat my earlier post. I'm not sure from the tone of your question whether you genuinely want answers, or just want an argument. I don't want to turn this thread into the latter so I'll leave it at that.

[GMac]

Originally Posted by 12,800ft

72 + hours later "things" musn't be alright to allow for the tracker to be implemented.

Or maybe just their computer is broken. The 'things' could be many, varied and a long list of simple small things even before you start looking at bad things.

And it isn't a 'tracker' more just a 'she is around here somewhere' as I understand it. Not having a live tracker open to public view makes perfect sense to me, she is a young lady alone after all.

Are the "natives restless" in the south pacific?

Yeap and have been for many many years but they aren't about to stop a yacht and eat the crew. All have got supermarkets now. They aren't that sort of restless.

Good luck and fair winds I say. She has bigger figuratively speaking balls than most males I know.

[12,800ft]

If someone can give a simple explication I'm all ears.

Thanks!!

[Stillraining]

Here it is...once and for all

Your on a need to Know basis ...You don't need to know..same as me.

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by GMac

Good luck and fair winds I say. She has bigger figuratively speaking balls than most males I know.

I agree with this uh er eloquent statement. The gal has sailed 1500 miles into the pacific on her own. Pretty darn impressive.

For me it can be kind of scary offshore at night. The black water, can't see the waves but I can hear them grumble now and then. Then I peek up at the stars, and it makes me catch my breath. Billions of stars twinkling down on me..too cool.

Cheers,
Erika

PS everyone take a breath, I think we are mis-communicating, and then it gets taken out of context.