Jessica Watson Heads Into Sydney Harbour (Photo by Martin Pryor)
Solo teen sailor Jessica Watson says she’s not a hero, but just ‘‘an ordinary girl who had a dream’’.
The 16-year-old was welcomed by thousands of cheering people at the Opera House and on a flotilla of boats crowding Sydney Harbour just before 3pm this afternoon after a 210-day round-the-world voyage.
‘‘It’s completely overwhelming right now,’’ she said as thousands whistled and clapped while others chanted ‘‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie … Oi, oi, oi!’’.
Jessica Watson Escorted Into Sydney (Photo by Martin Pryor)
‘‘There was nothing out there … and there’s absolutely everything now.’’
The harbour was turned into a spectacular reception area, as hundreds of boats crammed into the narrow waters to greet the young adventurer on her small, pink yacht.
She had left Sydney in October, sailing in sometimes difficult conditions through the Pacific, across the equator, past Cape Horn in South America, across the Atlantic, past the Cape of Good Hope, through the Indian Ocean before returning to Australian waters.
Fellow solo sailors West Australian Jesse Martin and English teen Mike Perham helped Watson take her yacht in after she crossed the finish line, as an aeroplane wrote her name ‘‘Jessica’’ in white smoke in the sky.
Fears that Watson would struggle to walk after such a long time at sea were unfounded, as she made her way up a pink carpet to the Opera House forecourt with her family, wearing a broad grin and looking none the worse for her epic voyage.
She was met by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who hailed her as “Australia’s newest hero”.
“You do our nation proud,” he said. “You are a hero for young Australians … and young Australian women.”
But Watson said she had to disagree with Mr Rudd as “I don’t consider myself a hero”.
“I’m an ordinary girl who had a dream. You just have to have a dream and set your mind to it.’’
Confident and relaxed, Watson was even able to throw in a joke or two. ‘‘It was tough,’’ she said when asked how it felt to leave her yacht.
‘‘Stepping off was so strange, because for the last seven months, I was doing everything to stay on board,’’ she said as the crowd laughed. ‘You can achieve anything’
The Queenslander was quick to emphasise how young people – especially girls – could achieve anything ‘‘if you want it enough’’. ‘‘People don’t realise … what girls are made of,’’ she said.
‘‘When you take away those expectations, it’s amazing what you can achieve.’’
She added at a press conference later that people ‘‘just need the passion to want something bad enough and a way to make it happen’’.
Jessica Watson On Ella's Pink Lady (Photo by Martin Pryor)
Thanks to Martin Pryor for waiting hours for Jessica’s arrival to get these photos.
Jessica Watson (Photo by EPA/Dean Lewins)
Tens of thousands of fans waving pink flags are expected to line Sydney Harbour’s foreshore on Saturday to welcome back round-the-world sailor Jessica Watson.
The 16-year-old’s homecoming is expected to rank among the biggest events in Sydney as the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority prepares for a huge crowd.
It has classified Watson’s arrival as a Class One event – the same rating it gives to New Year’s Eve celebrations and the Mardi Gras.
When Australian Kay Cottee, the first woman to complete a solo nonstop circumnavigation of the globe, returned to Sydney Harbour in 1988 she was greeted by a crowd of 100,000 people.
The crowd on Saturday could be even bigger, taking into account the popularity of Watson’s journey blog.
Watson is expected to complete her solo, nonstop voyage on Saturday, sailing through the official finish line at Sydney Heads about 11.30am (AEST).
One hour later, after her passport has been checked by Customs onboard her yacht, Ella’s Pink Lady, she will step on to land for the first time in almost seven months into the arms of her parents at the Opera House.
Watson’s managers are hoping Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and NSW Premier Kristina Keneally will also be there to welcome her.
Special event clearways will be in place in the Sydney central business district, Double Bay, Mosman and Watsons Bay from 9am to 4pm and roads may be closed by police if required.
NSW Transport Minister David Campbell said it was difficult to predict the size of Saturday’s crowd.
“It is not something that we have experience of,” he told reporters in Sydney on Monday.
“New Year’s Eve, Mardi Gras, we know what to expect … What we do know is that a lot of people are in awe of the achievement of this young woman.
“We’re planning for a very large event.”
Mr Campbell would not specify what the event was costing the state government and Events NSW, or whether Watson’s management, 5 Oceans Media, was paying some of the costs.
He said the cost to taxpayers would be evaluated “at the end of the process”.
“It’s part of governing. It’s part of providing services to our community and it’s one of the challenges that comes along from time to time,” Mr Campbell said.
The public relations company managing Saturday’s event, Janet Glover PR & Events, said it believed the recent controversy surrounding Watson’s voyage had galvanised local support for the young sailor.
Sail-world.com magazine claimed last week the teen’s route had cut corners, saying that she was more than 2000 nautical miles (about 3700 kilometres) short of a world record and has not travelled far enough north of the equator.
But Watson’s management said that wasn’t true.
“Jessica has adhered to every component of her chosen route and as of 3pm on Sunday, she had sailed a total of 22,808 nautical miles,” the teen’s project manager, Bruce Arms, wrote on Watson’s website.
In order to claim a World Sailing Speed Record Council record, a sailor must be aged over 18, must cover 21,600 nautical miles and fulfil a series of technical requirements.
Watson, who will be three days shy of her 17th birthday when she arrives in Sydney, may have not travelled far enough above the equator to meet those requirements as the record is not just about distance – it’s also about the route.
But Watson’s management said it’s a moot point as there’s no official body to recognise the under-18 sailor’s feat and, therefore, no official rules for the voyage.
Jessica Watson's Pink Boat (Photo by Colin Merry)
Check out Jessica’s Arrival At http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/
Jessica Waston at Sydney Boat Show In 2009 (Photo by Colin Merry)
Jessica Watson Is back in Australian Waters.
She had this to say about arriving in her country’s home waters. “The flyover with Mum, Dad, Tom and Hannah on Saturday was a great welcome to Australian waters and a lot of fun. Even though all I could see was a small plane way overhead, it was still really cool. Mum reckons that Ella’s Pink Lady and I looked really small between the swell, which seems strange to me because Ella’s Pink Lady is my whole world at the moment!
Things got pretty interesting for a while last night, when what I thought was just a light passing squall, turned into a full on electrical storm, the worst I’ve seen at sea yet. Even though I could hardly see it through the icy cold sideways rain, the lightning was striking the water nearby much too close for my liking. The wind gusted pretty high too.
Ella’s Pink Lady was already well reefed down at the time. But till I was able to furl almost all of the headsail away and pull the tiny third reef in, we were healed over pretty dramatically. But the wind soon dropped again and as it did, the rain really started. It was so heavy that you could hardly see where the water stopped and the sky began. A bit of thunder has never worried me, but alone at sea at 4 in the morning, it seems particularly menacing and it becomes a lot harder to keep your nerves in check!
Other than the lightning storm, the weather’s still been really unsettled with almost constant rain, squalls and a messy sea. Luckily the wind hasn’t been too strong though. Progress has been good and even with all this gloomy grey stuff, I’m happy as Larry and mostly staying dry thanks to my snug dodger.
Jessica was yesterday treated to a visit from some guests who dropped by. Her Mum, Dad, brother Tom and sister Hannah flew overhead to give her a wave from a small plane. “With the sun peaking out through the clouds and Ella’s Pink Lady surfing along in a big sea and lots of silly chatter over the VHF, it was a really, really special moment, “said Jessica”
“The plane couldn’t come in very close at all this time, which was a pity, because I’d made a special effort with my hair, painted my toe nails pink and shaved my legs especially. Strangely it felt a lot like a normal family get together which gives you an idea of what’s become normal for me.”
She is due in port in a couple of weeks.
Jessica Waston (Photo by Colin Merry)
The 16-year-old Australian yachtswoman Jessica Watson, who is hoping to become the youngest person to sail around the world, will almost certainly have to delay the start of her voyage, after hitting a cargo ship on a test sail.
Jessica had started out on a 10-day test run from the sunshine coast in Queensland south to Sydney. Unfortunately, less than 24 hours into the trip, she hit the carrier – at about 02:00 local time on Wednesday morning, 17:00 BST on Tuesday evening.
Her yacht Ella’s Pink Lady has sustainded damage to its mast, and the starboard side of the deck and hull have been badly scraped. Jessica is unharmed, although a little shaken.
The teenage is still determined to carry on with her plans to circumnavigate the globe: “”All things considered, the boat did come up well. The big thing for me is I came through the whole thing feeling confident.” Ms Jiggins said Waston called her parents immediately after the crash, who then contacted maritime authorities for help.
“Her parents contacted our rescue co-ordination centre which advised Watson to turn her motor back on and head to Stradbroke Island,” Ms Jiggins said. Watson, who is now 15 nautical miles from shore, later agreed to travel to Southport on the Gold Coast and is expected to arrive in the next two hours. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will also investigate the crash. Watson left Mooloolaba Wharf yesterday on a week-long test run ahead of her world record attempt to be the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will investigate the circumstances of the collision early this morning, but was unlikely to recommend a halt to the solo sail. ATSB spokesman Richard Batt said details about the crash were still sketchy. “We know it was a foreign ship heading out of Australia,” Mr Batt said. “We are still gathering some preliminary details. “It is not our role to apportion blame. From our point of view it would be about seeing whether there could be any safety gains made. The question of whether it is reasonable for a young person to be doing this is not a matter for us.”
Despite the mishap, Watson’s spokesman Scott Young said the solo attempt would continue. “She is determined as ever,” Mr Young said. “It certainly hasn’t stopped the voyage. I cannot ever see Jessica not wanting to do this. She is every bit the competent professional.” Mr Young said a preliminary assessment of the yacht indicated there was no structural damage. “There’s mostly just damage to rigging, which can be replaced,” he said. “But we’ll have to get boat back into port to confirm that at this stage. “The good news is that we know the tracking systems and communication system on her boat are second to none and that the network of the project team, including her family and those around her, have worked.”
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Brett Harrison said conditions in the area at the time of the crash were relatively calm. “There would have been come showers around earlier this morning. The wind weren’t particularly strong. It doesn’t look particularly bad, apart from a few showers, Mr Harrison told ABC Radio.
Jessica Watson's Pink Boat (Photo by Colin Merry)
Spirit of Mystery at the Sydney Boat Show (Photo by Colin Merry)
Well the boat show here in Sydney has got off to a great start! The weather is sunny and temps. are up into the high teens. With five exhibition halls and a marina full of boats there is plenty to see and drool over. ”Spirit of Mystery” is being really well received with loads of people coming on board for the tour and story of her voyage. We are working hard to try and accommodate all who want to see her.
Jessica Watson's Pink Boat (Photo by Colin Merry)
Next door to us is a very pink yacht indeed! It is a 34′ Sparkman and Stephens. Sixteen year old Jessica Watson will be setting off from Sydney in September in her bid to be the youngest solo circumnavigator. Her route will take her northeast across the equator to Washington Island in the North Pacific, around the notorious Cape Horn, below South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, across the Indian Ocean and up the East coast back home to Sydney. Jessica hopes to return before her 17th birthday. I asked her a few questions whilst being shown around on board.
Why? – The challenge, she has heard the stories and needs to know what it will be like for herself.
Which things are you most looking forward to? – The milestones, the Horn would be great.
What things are you most dreading? – The first storm, other than getting that one behind me not anything really.
What will you miss most? – Friends and family.
How long are you planning for? – 230 days.
What are you taking with you to remind you of friends and family? – Pics, mascots, music and a dancing chicken!
What frustrates you most about societies perception of a youngster taking on what you are about to do? -Not being ready to accept that I can do this. And being classed as a minor on all the forms that have to be signed off.
Colin Merry and Jessica Watson
Jessica came across as a level headed girl who has her sights firmly set on achieving her goal.
Jessica Waston (Photo by Colin Merry)
We at C&A wish her well and will be following her progress. For more information on Jessica log onto www.jessicawatson.com.au
