Quote:
Originally Posted by Ocean Girl
Wow, it is great to hear from someone who knows her It is very apparent that she is a remarkable girl. Though I think the route she has chosen is a very bad idea (sorry), now that she is out there I am praying for success and safety. Thank you for your insight, and again, it is nice to meet someone who knows her.
Godspeed Jessica, and Pink Lady.. take care of your captain
Erika
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Thank you Erika for your sentiments. Jessica is a very special person. Jessica's
family are also very fine people, well repected by eveyone who knows them. They have nothing to gain from this whole exercise except to support a very special daughter in her dream. Her father gave up
employment, to
work full time on the
refit of the Pink Lady. He put in 7 day weeks for months, as his goal was to have the
boat as safe as he could humanly make it. I guess this was his way of coping with the thought of what she was going to do. I would think most Dads would do the same. I think he was a bit emotional after the
collision and again I think that is perfectly natural. I do not believe he is a liar!!! All the facts are not yet in about the
collision and won't be until the final report in 6 months time.
This is my first entry to this forum. I have been reading it with increasing dismay for some days! I was suprised to read in the forum of the comments about Jessica's teeth. What relevance her appearance has to her trip is
lost on me! I was very interested in the set of rules as I registered. I wonder whether it would be useful for some of your members to re read them?
I also know this girl and her
family very well!. I am amazed at the misinformation and idle, unfounded speculation, put forward, and then picked up on as fact by other members.
To suggest some of the things that have been said is mind boggling! Do you really believe that Jess and her team are perpetrating a fraud? And that she doesn't intend to
endeavour to circumnavigate the world solo, unassisted? She may not succeed but she is jolly well giving it a good try!
Jess is being tracked by EVERYONE who needs to know her exact position, including the relevant Maritime Authorities, may I suggest it just isn't any of your business? All your members and the rest of the world needs to know are approximate positions. And Yes! Jess doesn't need helicoptors buzzing her and drenching her and taking the
wind from her
sails, this has already happened!
Jess WAS sailing when the carrier and her
boat collided. Jess did everything needed to make the boat secure after the collision, with a cool
head, in the dark, in the middle of the night, including cutting away damaged
rigging that was hanging
overboard and risking her
safety. I have not personally seen Jess shimmy up a
mast, but have seen several photos of her doing so, she is very fit, very brave and also very determined! The
Water police were full of her praises for what she did out there on her own, and how she brought herself in. One of your members suggests that the preliminary report that says Jess was sailing is incorrect, but is prepared to take as gospel other rubbish and hearsay, such as a scribbled note that Jess had doodled on was her log for her trip?? Excuse me! - newspapers need to make
money and the best way to do that is to create a controversy. For example. I watched a TV interview of Jessica's mother which also featured a person, unknown to the Watson family who was asked about his views on whether Jess would make
money out of this adventure. He said in reply that she would make millions. His opinion! The next day's newspapers both in
Australia and
New Zealand had Jess' mother making that statement not him!
To address a few
mistakes in this forum. Jess is being sponsored by Bob McDavitt. He is not being paid by her. He will be assisting and advising Jess during the voyage. He knows and respects Jess vey well and has assisted her with
weather advice on other occasions. Roger Badham is NOT advising Jess, he has been employed by a Sunshine Coast newspaper to report weekly on the
weather Jess is likely to experience.
Jess is only now going into her second week of her trip. Where does the three weeks of non
tracking claimed in thread #796 come from?
Pardon me? Whats this talk about a support boat? Or if you repeat an incorrect thing often enough does it become fact?
Jess wants to just get out there and sail around the world! She doesn't really care about the
record, anyone who believes that needs to think again. There is no animosity between the sailors who have already done this (Jesse Martin, Mike Pearham, and Zac Sunderland) nor is there with the American girl Abby, and Jess. They understand each other and that the
record is the means to an end, to achieve the sponsorship which is needed to make the trip!
Please stop bagging Jess and her family! And to finish off Sven, I think, who was querying Pink Lady's speed. Jess was doing up to 8.5 KTs on Tuesday, according to her blog.
Sorry this is such a long blog/thread. You may not even publsh it. I guess you have been having fun over the last few weeks with your threads, but please remember that sometimes its at another person's expense!