Jessica Watson OAM (born 18 May 1993) is an Australian sailor who was awarded the Order of Australia Medal after attempting a solo circumnavigation[1] at the age of 16. Although her voyage did not meet the distance criterion of 21,600 nautical miles (40,000 km) for a circumnavigation, Watson was nevertheless named the 2011 Young Australian of the Year[2] and awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2012 for "...service to sailing and to youth through the achievement of sailing solo and unassisted around the world [sic], and as a role model for young Australians".[3][4] She currently resides in Melbourne.[5]
Watson was born on the Gold Coast,Queensland.[6] The second of four children of New Zealand-born couple Roger and Julie Watson, who moved to Australia in 1987, she has dual Australian and New Zealand citizenship.[7] She has an older sister (Emily) and younger brother and sister (Tom and Hannah). All four took sailing lessons as children, and the family went on to live on board a 16-metre cabin cruiser for five years, the children being home schooled via distance learning. Later they lived on a purpose-built double decker bus for some time.[8] When Watson was eleven and they were still living on the boat, her mother read Jesse Martin's book Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit to the children as a bedtime story. This led to Watson forming the ambition, at age 12, to sail around the world too. She started sailing when she was 14 years old.[8][9]
On 13 January 2010 (9:40 UTC) she passed Cape Horn, having sailed around 9,800 nmi in 87 days. This was 11 days ahead of the planned 100 nmi (190 km) per day schedule. Soon after her parents flew over her in a small plane in order to witness the passage.[28] Just over a week later, on 23 January 2010, several days after passing the Falkland Islands, she suffered four knock-downs in a severe storm with 10-metre waves and 70-knot (130 km/h) winds. The storm caused minor damage to her boat and her emergency beacon was inadvertently activated as the mast hit the water.[29][30][31]
Watson arrived in the Australian economic zone on 10 April 2010, celebrating with crackers and Vegemite. There her parents and media flew over her in a small plane in order to welcome her.[35] She passed Cape Leeuwin on south-western Australia two days later, with approximately 2,500 nmi (4,600 km) remaining.[36]
Watson's journey has been criticised, particularly after the collision with the freighter. Barry Tyler of Pacific Motor Yacht magazine wrote, "like the majority of the seafaring world [I] consider it irresponsible, cavalier and indeed ignorant to attempt such a feat, at such a tender age and with so little trans-ocean experience."[43] Questions about her experience were also expressed by Phil Jones, the CEO of Yachting Australia, and by Grant Wharington, the skipper of Skandia, with Wharington stating that he had been impressed by Watson when they had met, but that he had advised her to gain experience by undertaking a number of shorter solo passages before attempting the circumnavigation, although she chose not to follow his advice.[44] A more general concern was raised by the Australian Childhood Foundation, who questioned whether a 16-year-old girl would have the ability to fully understand the risks that such a venture would involve.[45]
Watson received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the Australia Day Honours List in January 2012 for service to sailing and to youth through the achievement of sailing solo and unassisted around the world, and as a role model for young Australians.[70] In November 2022 she was inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame.[71]
Netflix will make a feature film about Jessica Watson, who at 16 became the youngest person ever to sail around the world solo and unassisted when she cruised into Sydney Harbour in May 2010, 210 days after she had departed*.
"I'd love to do it again," Watson says of sailing around the world. "But next time it will be stopping along the way. I'd like to actually see all these incredible places I had to sail straight past last time."
\\\"I'd love to do it again,\\\" Watson says of sailing around the world. \\\"But next time it will be stopping along the way. I'd like to actually see all these incredible places I had to sail straight past last time.\\\"
Hi Jessica, Wow, what a great thing you are doing, a truly fantastic young lady with the skill, knowledge and spirit to follow your dream. After this you will have the world at your feet and I have no doubt, a very very interesting and exciting life ahead. My admiration and very best wishes Jessica, safe journey.
I have no doubt you will complete your dream. A girl like you with so much determination and stamina and sea knowledge above your years is not only a task done by so few but one done by special people and you definately fall in that category. The world will be at your feet when you return. You are an inspiration to not only the young but all ages Well done young lady
Many are surprised to learn that when she first dreamt of sailing around the world, Jessica was scared of just about everything. She believes that three things enable anyone to turn their fears into courage;
While many assumed that the voyage was reckless, Jessica approached the voyage with a strong focus on mitigating risks. She explains that to manage risk, you must analyse the consequences and likelihood of the different dangers involved, an approach that is equally relevant to risks in the business world and in our everyday lives. Jessica also urges audiences to consider whether there may be a risk in inaction.
Watson's response, "If I haven't been sailing around the world, then it beats me what I've been doing out here all this time." received widespread media coverage. And by following on with "...it's a shame that my voyage won't be recognized by a few organizations because I'm under 18 ..."
Watson's manager, Andrew Fraser, defended Watson's circumnavigation claim, noting that the WSSRC does not recognise records by sailors under eighteen. He stated "Jessica has sailed a southern hemisphere solo circumnavigation, [in which] 'a vessel must start from and return to the same point, must cross all meridians of longitude and must cross the Equator'. Jessica has ticked all of these boxes. Jessica has sailed the most challenging and treacherous oceans of the world, passing the four capes (Cape Horn, Cape Agulhas, Cape Leeuwin and the Cape of SE Tasmania) and crossed the Equator twice. She has sailed around the world, non-stop, solo, unassisted and when she completes the voyage, she will be the youngest to have done that, sailing almost 23,000 nautical miles in the process. We have official TracPlus data to confirm Jessica's exact distance upon her return."
Watson received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the Australia Day Honours List in January 2012 for service to sailing and to youth through the achievement of sailing solo and unassisted around the world, and as a role model for young Australians.
Jessica Watson, is truly a serious ocean sailor, and after her solo, NON-STOP circumnavigation, holds the earned respect of many sailing peers, young and old, around the world.
Laura Dekker is also an experienced and respected ocean sailor, and sailing from port to port to accomplish this is very admirable, but, the next step up would simply be, sailing solo non-stop around. I really have nothing to say about the silly California teens publicity attempt, is was dangerous, life threatening, and very very poorly planned and managed by the adults around her.
If I remember she had a epic fail trying to sail in boat traffic falling alseep and crashing into a huge steel boat. The other one is experter at that sailing the traffic laden North Sea at 13 years old there and back and in and around Rotterdam the busiest port in the world.
Zac Sunderland, her brother, held the record for a little more than a month last year until Briton Mike Perham completed his own journey. The record changed hands again last month, when 16-year-old Australian Jessica Watson completed her own around-the-world voyage.
df19127ead