Yachting FAIL - Jessica Watson

[surfingminniwinni]

Originally Posted by anathema

Considering the circumstances of the accident, I wouldn't count on her or her parents realizing much. (Mostly her)

Was'nt there 2 boats involved in that accident? Thats right the skipper of freighter was a male, so it could'nt been his fault. Right?

[Ocean Girl]

What does the sex of anyone have to do with it?

Are you saying that a teen girl, who was not keeping a proper watch, will automaticaly be blamed because of her gender, when a loaded 63,000 ton freighter, which takes up to 5 miles to stop, and captained by a man, cant get out of her way fast enough.

"I feel like I'm taking crazy pills" (zoolander for you movie buffs).

She screwed up, it has nothing to do with her gender -just her brain. We all screw up, it has nothing to do with our gender- its our brain. I have had near misses because I screwed up, not because of my gender -but because of my stupidity (brain).

Sorry if I sound harsh- I think I'm grumpy tonight.

Erika

[1960cjj]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

Does anyone know when she is leaving?

According to the news reports last night she is due to head off within the week.

Jessica was interviewed by Jesse Martin for a program in Oz that went to air last night. The link to the interview is below. Sorry about the first bit. The Jessica Watson's segment starts at the 5.35 minute mark.

Interview

Craig

[surfingminniwinni]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

What does the sex of anyone have to do with it?

Are you saying that a teen girl, who was not keeping a proper watch, will automaticaly be blamed because of her gender, when a loaded 63,000 ton freighter, which takes up to 5 miles to stop, and captained by a man, cant get out of her way fast enough.

"I feel like I'm taking crazy pills" (zoolander for you movie buffs).

She screwed up, it has nothing to do with her gender -just her brain. We all screw up, it has nothing to do with our gender- its our brain. I have had near misses because I screwed up, not because of my gender -but because of my stupidity (brain).

Sorry if I sound harsh- I think I'm grumpy tonight.

Erika

Yea, I bought up the sex thing cause of the other posters, going on about pink boats & make up & stuff, teen girl giggles.

What I'm trying to say is that there are 2 sides to this story, Jessica has admitted to stuffing up. What about the freighter captain? Have we heard anything on his stuff up???

Here is a classic example of what happened to me recently.

About a month ago.

Sailing to Sydney from Batemans Bay NSW south coast, off Jervis Bay approx 6.00am in the morning about 3 nautical miles off shore. Noticed a freighter come over the horizon right on my stern, I kept taking bearings on him they did not change, when he was about 1 nautical mile off and no change of course, I then started to worry & called him on VHF, he then altered course to starboard and admitted he never saw me. This happened within 1/2 nm. So as a 57yo man, I could have been another Jessica, even though I don't worry too much about my make up, my cute boat. and how my hair looks(I don't have any)Yea ok I was on deck at the time. But I still consider myself lucky.

Don't be grumpy, thats for old men.

Glenn

[cooper]

We all know there is the possibility of J. not keeping a "proper watch"

BUT lets just rephrase this question in legal terms and priorities

Why did a several tonne frieghter run down a small sailing boat in one of the busiest areas of costal Australia ?

Failure to keep a proper watch ?

[hoppy]

I don't know if it would really matter that much if she sets of on this trip at 16 as opposed to doing at at 26.

However I think it is risky and stupid for her to do the trip in a well publicised bright pink boat covered in sponsor advertising.

Would you send you 16 year old daughter down the seediest part of town at night wearing just a skimy bikini? It to me is just asking for trouble.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by surfingminniwinni

... What about the freighter captain? Have we heard anything on his stuff up???

This happened within 1/2 nm. So as a 57yo man, I could have been another Jessica, even though I don't worry too much about my make up, my cute boat, and how my hair looks(I don't have any). Yea ok I was on deck at the time. But I still consider myself lucky.

Unlike Jessica, the Captain doesn’t have a website, sponsors, parents & a public relations firm representing her. Also, unlike Jessica, he has a job to do - which doesn’t include hyping the media. It’s unlikely that he, or his employers have any significant online presence.

Don’t sell yourself short. Being awake, on deck, and aware, doesn’t constitute good luck, in my view. It merely represents the bare minimum of prudent care & control.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by surfingminniwinni

, Jessica has admitted to stuffing up.

Has she? Most of the media accounts seem to have her father laying blame 100% on the collier. Anathema's post doesn't attribute the accident to her gender, but you seem to want to rail on about gender bias. How do you even know the captain or the watchkeeper on the collier are male? They do have women in the industry, you know?

I agree with Anathema - J and her parental units don't seem to be able to face reality. In her interview, she blathers on about what a great job her team had done, and how well she coped with the challenge - not one single word on trying to figure out where it went wrong, where her equipment failed her, or her procedures, or whether she needed to rethink her watch/sleep strategy.

[sneuman]

I actually think the selection of a pink hull was a smart move.

She's far more likely to require a rescue at sea that she is to be accosted by pirates or dirty old men.

I heard somewhere that the USCG says the two hardest colors to pick out of a frothing ocean are white and blue -- just coincidentally the two most common hull colors. Pink, by contrast, would be pretty visible, I should think.

[osirissail]

- - As to fault in a collision - COLREGS is specifically written such that the occurence of a collison automatically makes both parties "at fault." It was discussed extensively a few hundred posts earlier in this thread. And it was reported in the news reports that after the collision when J was talking to the freighter on the vhf, the freighter offered to pay for the damages. Whether they did or not was never reported.
- - I am pretty sure that Jessica & company has a publicist/PR person and as anybody in the business knows you never admit to any "fault" and either deny it or simply talk about something else and avoid the question. I am sure neither party, shipping company or Jessica, Inc. wants to get involved in an Admiralty Court so they watch what they say and press on with life. If a death was involved then it would be a whole different story.

[Bark]

Originally Posted by cooper

We all know there is the possibility of J. not keeping a "proper watch"

BUT lets just rephrase this question in legal terms and priorities

Why did a several tonne frieghter run down a small sailing boat in one of the busiest areas of costal Australia ?

The freighter didn't "run her down". Jessica sailed right into the side of the tanker. SHE ran into IT, not the other way around.

[CSY Man]

The freighter didn't "run her down". Jessica sailed right into the side of the tanker. SHE ran into IT, not the other way around.

Don't spoil the fun by introducing facts..Most of these posters don't have a clue what facts and reality are all about..

[osirissail]

Just consider a fist heading for your face. If you move your face away you will not get hit. It takes both the fist and the face to not move before your lights go out.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Bark

The freighter didn't "run her down". Jessica sailed right into the side of the tanker. SHE ran into IT, not the other way around.

And you got this information from where?

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Wotname

And you got this information from where?

Self-evident - it was obviously a glancing connect on the starboard side of the yacht from the pictures available; if the collier plowed into the side of the 34 ft yacht, there wouldn't be anything but pink flotsam.