Round the world sailor Jessica Watson arrives back in Sydney
Noah's Dove
Round the world sailor Jessica Watson arrives back in Sydney
She has battled mountainous seas, intense loneliness and critics who
said she would never make it, but teenage sailor Jessica Watson has
finally navigated her tiny yacht home to Sydney.
By Bonnie Malkin in Sydney
Published: 9:49AM BST 15 May 2010
Teen sailor Jessica Watson waves as she sails into Sydney Harbour
aboard her yacht, Ella's Pink Lady Photo: EPA
As she entered Sydney Harbour, escorted by a cloud of small craft and
larger vessels, she knew she was leaving behind her the arduous months
of solitude behind her and embarking on a life of celebrity - in
Australia and beyond.
After fighting a strong southerly wind and 12-foot seas, which added
an unexpected two extra hours to her journey, she steered the 30-foot
Ella's Pink Lady across the finish line at 1.50pm, becoming the
youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the
world.
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"As a little girl people don't think you're capable of these things,
they don't realise what young people, 16-year-olds and girls are
capable of," she told the waiting crowds. "But it's amazing what you
can do."
Her homecoming, under sunny autumn skies, was watched by thousands of
spectators on the water's edge and thousands more in their living
rooms, as the event was broadcast live across the country. Helicopters
buzzed overhead, a sign writer spelled out "Jessica" on the sky, and a
flotilla of supporters took to the water in everything from catamarans
to kayaks to accompany Miss Watson to her journey's end, at the Man O
War steps next to the Opera House.
After more than 200 days and 23,000 nautical miles without seeing a
fellow human being, an obviously overwhelmed Miss Watson fell into the
arms of her family, who were clearly relieved to see her back.
The physical effect of the gruelling journey was evident as she took
her first steps onto the dock near the Opera House. Miss Watson, who
is expected to take at least one week recovering her land legs,
shunned a waiting golf cart, and walked gingerly down the pink carpet
that had been laid out for her return, aided by her father Roger and
brother Tom.
Waiting to welcome her home was and the prime minister Kevin Rudd and
premier of New South Wales, Kristina Keneally.
In front of a huge crowd gathered on the Opera House steps, Mr Rudd
paid tribute to Miss Watson, calling her "Australia's newest hero".
But the teenager, unfazed by the prospect of disagreeing with the most
powerful man in the country, would not accept the compliment.
"I'm an ordinary girl who believed in her dream, you don't have to be
someone special to achieve something big," she said. "You just have to
have a dream, believe in it and work hard, anything is possible."
Talking about her voyage, she said the hardest times came when bad
weather was forecast, but that her own resilience had surprised her.
"When you're in the middle of the night in a storm you can't fall
apart, you have to just keep going."
Miss Watson said she was reluctant to leave her boat, which had become
"more than a home", at the end of the journey and had enjoyed every
last minute of her sail.
"It was so beautiful out there today, I'm sorry that it took me so
long and that I kept you all waiting but I was loving it."
Miss Watson, who has been sailing since she was eight, will now have
to adjust to life on land, and the celebrity - and wealth - that comes
with it. Her camp has already secured contracts worth an estimated $1m
including $700,000 (£430,000) for telling her exclusive story to one
of Rupert Murdoch's Australian newspapers and becoming an "ambassador"
for his company News Ltd.
Then comes a whirlwind nationwide "Meet Jessica" tour. Her book True
Spirit: The Aussie Girl who Took on the World, is due out in July and
there is also a documentary in the works. Her bank account will also
be swelled by the Jessica Watson brand baseball cap, posters and
souvenir packs for sale on her website. The local media has already
declared her a shoe-in for the Young Australian of the Year Award, an
accolade that will further propel her rising star.
Her fame, which has been slowly building during the course of her
voyage, has reached fever pitch in Australia, a nation that loves a
successful sportsperson.
But the trip had not always been such smooth sailing. The teenager
from Buderim in Queensland set off on October 18 under a cloud of
controversy after her boat collided with a tanker on a trial run to
Sydney from Mooloolaba.
Critics questioned whether she was experienced enough to take on the
treacherous journey and whether her parents were wise to let her go,
but she told naysayers: "The one thing I won't accept is when someone
calls this reckless. This is years and years of planning and
preparation. We haven't just jumped into this."
The first few months of the trip went well, although the lack of human
contact took its toll. At times, Miss Watson admitted to being "pretty
moody and a little homesick" and in April wrote on her blog: " I think
I am ready to come home now. "Love it out here still but I think
enough is enough."
But harder times were to come. After passing Cape Horn and the
notorious Cape of Good Hope without incident, Australian waters
presented her biggest test. Swells as large as a four-storey building
and towering "like liquid mountains" pounded Ella's Pink Lady,
knocking the boat onto its side more than six times. Miss Watson had
to strap herself into her bunk and put on a crash helmet to prevent
being injured in the wild seas, which slowed her progress for more
than a week.
Sailing experts announced that Miss Watson had not sailed far enough
above the equator to beat the existing record set by Jesse Martin, a
fellow Australian, who sailed around the world in 1999 when he was 18.
Her feat was remarkable, but it would not be officially recognised by
the World Speed Sailing Record Council, they said.
Miss Watson's team shrugged off the argument, saying that since the
WSSRC abolished its under 18 category after Mr Martin's journey, Miss
Watson knew she would not be considered to have broken the world
record.
The sailor, not one to dwell on the negative during her time at sea,
responded on her blog: "Call me immature but I've actually been having
a bit of a giggle over the whole thing.
"If I haven't been sailing around the world, then it beats me what
I've been doing out here all this time!"
But the criticisms kept coming. Callers to Australian talkback radio
called her trip "pointless and masochistic" and complained that the
outpouring of adulation directed at Miss Watson, for completing a
reckless journey, was over the top.
Then, in the final days of her voyage, the wind picked up again, her
generator engine started playing up and her toilet broke. With her
mind fixed solely on her return, she patched up the engine with a bit
of wire but gave up on the toilet.
Writing in her final blog, Miss Watson, who arrived home three days
before her 17th birthday, reflected on what she would miss about life
at sea.
"I'm going to miss the kick I get from overcoming challenges by
myself, flying along in the dark. A new sunset every night and the
time I always take to watch it. I'm going to miss watching the waves
and sea. I know it's ¨been nearly seven months and I'm still not bored
by it."
Now back on dry land she is desperate to get home to the Sunshine
Coast and have a jog on the beach.
After so long subsisting on prepackaged meals, the occasional freshly
caught fish and a steady supply of chocolate, Miss Watson said she was
craving fresh fruit, salad, a chicken burrito and her mum's pavlova.
She also plans to get her driving license, finish school and spend
some time "being a normal teenager".
Trip by Numbers
Days at sea: 210
Litres of water: 150
Cartons of juice: 160
Tins of Spam: 32
Tins of tuna: 64
Tins of pineapple: 32
Chocolate bars: 576
Freeze dried ready meals: 290
Servings of porridge: 96
Jars of bacon bits: 20
Bottles of dishwashing liquid: 6
Hits per day on her blog: 400,000
Pressure cooker: 1
Books: 30
Blue whales spotted: 1
waratah
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