Jessica Watson

theartfuldodger · #1 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009

Well it seems there is now a young lady pushing off from Australia to make her attemt to sail around the world none stop. Jessica Watson - Youngest Around the World Sailing Attempt should be interesting to follow as there has been lots of preparation and such. I wish her the best and a safe sail.

Freerider · #2 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009

Round-the-world yacht girl collides with bulk carrier - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Not going so well, already a collision with a freighter!!!

WheresTheBrakes · #3 (**permalink**) 09-09-2009

Crazy !! I've been watching her for over a month now.. Just checked on her this morning.. I heard it here first !!

theartfuldodger · #4 (**permalink**) 09-09-2009

Wonder if she herself might have been napping, thank goodness it sounds just the boat with damage and not her. Guessing there will be more to the story shortly. Hope she gets fixed up and still heads on.

Omatako · #5 (**permalink**) 09-09-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by theartfuldodger

Hope she gets fixed up and still heads on.

Once again I'm sorry to be confrontational but by now it should be clear to all that sending children to sea on their own is a bad idea.

This child was very lucky that she collided with a freighter. Maybe a minute or two difference in time and the freighter could have collided with her.

She should be flown to New Zealand to have lunch with Judith Sleavin first before being allowed to go to sea again. When she gets run over by another ship it will be the poeple on the ship who will have to live with her death through no fault of theirs.

If the parents fix the boat and send her on her way again and she loses her concentration like she did the last time and dies, they should go to jail. I think the charge would read something like "depraved indifference".

I wonder if Jessica's parents have ever had a really bad day at sea?

mdidriksen · #6 (**permalink**) 09-10-2009

Omatako:

Where in the article does it say that she was at fault? It may very well be the case that she was, but so far I haven't seen any details as to how the incident occurred. While I can't imagine sending my own daughter off at age 16 to try something like this (i.e., I'm probably in your camp on this) I don't think we know any facts at this point in time. Since her press release and press conference seem to very carefully avoid discussing what actually happened, it seems a bit suspicious to me, but in any event I think it worth waiting to hear the circumstances before laying blame.

MD

tdw · #7 (**permalink**) 09-10-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdidriksen

Omatako:

Where in the article does it say that she was at fault? It may very well be the case that she was, but so far I haven't seen any details as to how the incident occurred. While I can't imagine sending my own daughter off at age 16 to try something like this (i.e., I'm probably in your camp on this) I don't think we know any facts at this point in time. Since her press release and press conference seem to very carefully avoid discussing what actually happened, it seems a bit suspicious to me, but in any event I think it worth waiting to hear the circumstances before laying blame.

MD

Local press here in Oz are quoting JW as saying that she was below deck when the incident occurred and that the ship has acknowledged that they saw her.

So.....she was not keeping a proper watch......and the ship didn't stop to render assistance.......mmmm....the lawyers should have fun with this for a for quite some time....

Omatako · #8 (**permalink**) 09-10-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdidriksen

Omatako:

Where in the article does it say that she was at fault? It may very well be the case that she was, but so far I haven't seen any details as to how the incident occurred. While I can't imagine sending my own daughter off at age 16 to try something like this (i.e., I'm probably in your camp on this) I don't think we know any facts at this point in time. Since her press release and press conference seem to very carefully avoid discussing what actually happened, it seems a bit suspicious to me, but in any event I think it worth waiting to hear the circumstances before laying blame.

MD

Well here's my thinking:

If the ship had run into her she'd be dead so clearly she ran into the ship.
If she was the stand-on vessel and decided to test the ship's resistance to giving way then she made a bad choice. When it comes to a conflict between a ship and a yacht the only REAL right of way the yacht has is the right to get the hell out of the way.
If she wasn't the stand-on vessel and held her course and sailed into a huge ship then she made a bad choice.
She was in a shipping area and was apparently down below long enough for a ship to sneak up on her so she made an obviously bad choice. Judith Sleavin will attest to that.
If she had the equipment that she should have on a solo non-stop circumnav then she should have at least switched the radar on and kept an eye on it or set an alarm ring while she was down below. If she didn't she made another bad choice.
If she didn't know how to then she should never have left the harbour, yet another bad choice.

There appears to be a common thread here. If she can make any one of these bad choices when she's in relatively calm weather (confirmed by the local metservice) imagine the quality of choices she's going to make after being for 3 days in sustained 70 knots of wind and a 30 foot following sea, without much sleep and very little food.

So that's why I think this child shouldn't be allowed to be sailing on her own even from one port to another let alone around the world (as flawed as my thinking may be).

theartfuldodger · #9 (**permalink**) 09-10-2009

I've been thinking of this situation, and know for a fack that times when I've found myself bearing down on something be it another boat or object in the water, as soon as I would attempt to avoid the situation and bear off in a safe direction the boat would go into irons and dam near heave to. At that point it takes some work to recover the situation, which could be enough time to not permit her to get out of the way. It has been reported that she was trying to raise the ship on VHF, and I'm guessing the radio is in the boat thus suggesting her reason for below deck.

In any event this no doubt has been a lesson for her and only her alone knows the real truth, it may be as she says, it need not matter she has to live with that knowledge.

Valiente · #10 (**permalink**) 09-10-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omatako

So that's why I think this child shouldn't be allowed to be sailing on her own even from one port to another let alone around the world (as flawed as my thinking may be).

My wife and I discussed this and noted that the majority of driver deaths in our country are between the ages of 16 and 20...implying that the sort of "attention deficit issues" might be applicable to some youthful sailors in some conditions.

My understanding is that the wind was eight knots, implying a speed for a 10.5 metre boat of no more than four knots, meaning "how many dozen minutes were you below to not see you were about to prang a freighter?"

Accidents happen to the most experienced, but stupid, avoidable accidents point to a lack of attention, experience and diligence. I'd rather crush a dream than crush a sailor.