Nice to see many people wish her to succeed. Not common knowledge, she's done
a lot sailing. Last big one Qld to NZ Whangarei when she was 15 single-handed.
I think just lucking little of experience with all the gadgets on board.
Yep it seems to be the way in OZ these days? The character of individuals is beaten out of you if you dare stick your head up, Sailing your boat around the world is against the rules of OHS and outside the bounds of Workcover So you CANT do it!! GO JESSIE GO!!
I too admire her courage and have verbally smacked down anyone who's said she shouldn't go if the topic ever comes up.
It's her life to do what she wants with, so long as it doesn't impact on the community in a negative way and so long as she doesn't require a very expensive rescue attempt. Being in an S&S 34, that's unlikely, but things happen in the ocean as we all know.
She, and her parents are doing it all for the fame, the record and of course they've invested a lot of their own money and of their sponsors. They will reap the rewards of this with documentaries, public speaking, books and all kinds of media deals. Jessica and her parents will do very well thank you.
This is my personal bug bear. If she and her team had simply have said they were going to donate some of the proceeds, some of the sponsors money to any kind of worthy charity, I think she would have had much more support.
Of course I believe she can do it, I also hope she has a great time proving all the tall poppy cutters and the doooooogooooooders wrong, but I also believe it's coming across as a selfish act at the moment.
Off soap box....
Mick
That's alright Wannabe, you look pretty stupid right now.
I'm guessing you don't get out from behind the computer too often.
Cisco- I didnt know about the General discussion thread that went on for 6 pages? There's so much negativity in there???? Why? Your comments were well informed and positive, Good on ya! Whats happened to the Aussie attitude? its heartbreaking to see so much pessimism
OK, I'll take a contrarian view, just to add some (hopefully) sane negative viewpoint.
I don't think she should go and it has nothing whatsoever to do with her abilities and experience (or possible lack thereof). My sole reason is simply this:
When Jesse Martin went, I thought, as many do now with Jessica, that it was a Good Thing. In other words, my thinking was generally supportive and I thought it was an excellent example for other young adults.
But the problem that has since dawned on me is that there was a record set in this. And where there is a record (and the commensurate publicity and therefore money) there will be people attempting to break the record. For a "youngest person to ever _____" (fill in the blanks) this means that the only way to break the record is for younger and younger people to perform the feat.
So Jesse's record has lead directly to Jessica's attempt (her PR admits as much). And if Jessica succeeds then someone younger must attempt it. And younger.
Where does it end? Should we have three year olds attempting solo circumnavigations? If you answer "no" then you need to specify where the line in the sand is. When is someone too young? If you answer "yes" then you're sick - go get help.
DO NOT imagine that the kids parents and circle of advisors will somehow "know" if they are capable. That isn't a solution. Why? Because there is money involved and there are some piss poor parents out there that will make piss poor decisions based on their own welfare rather than that of their children. (NOTE I DO NOT say Jessica's parents fall into this category... I am talking generally - somewhere out there there are parents lurking who WILL fall into the category).
So, that's the sum of it. Basically, as I've said on other forums, the problem as I see it isn't Jessica. The problem is the rest of us.
I wish Jessica the best of luck, because i think she is going to need it.
Well said maxm, & i agree with most of what you wrote.
This whole adventure is happening in an attempt to break a record, i find it very sad that young jess will risk her life to acheive that.
Of course she will see & do some amazing things on this adventure, but she could see & do the same amazing things with crew, to spread the workload, to consult others on the spot with decision making to avoid fatal mistakes & lower the risks.
I do not think she will die, but the fact is it could happen, "easily".
I understand dreams & goals, & really experiencing life, & knowing your alive by nearly dying stuff, but leave the truly risky pursuits until your an adult.
I'm all for young people exploring, discovering & questioning, but the risks are too great on this one. The line is drawn at 18 years old for me.
It would be a very sad shame if we lose an extremely bright & ambitious child like Jess
The book and I think also a movie "The boy who sailed around the world alone"
When Robin Lee Graham was ten years old, his parents gave him a dinghy for his birthday,and he sailed a boat for the first time. At the age of sixteen, 1965 he set out to cross the pacific in his 24-foot sloop, alone except for two kittens. He returned five years later. In the years in between, he had circled the earth, battled tropical storms, and endured mind-numbing doldrums, he was nearly rammed by a freighter and swept overboard in high seas. Above all, he had wrestled with lonliness and near-despair. But Robin,the boy, survived the treachery of the elements returned home a man.
I am not for what jess is doing, I think its "stupid" and there's been alot said about that. In contrast to that, If she were to plan a voyage in the trades, was going to visit many places, cultures and gain real life experence and not be in such a bloody hurry! I would be her biggest fan and im sure she would receive much respect and support from the sailing comunity and the general public.
"As in the story above" 
Ooh that right its just about getting a "stupid" record, where do these stunts stop,
and to be honest who really give's a S##T about some record based on tecnical crap, No respect from me 
She already holds two world records.... "the youngest solo sailor to collide with a bulk carrier" and "the youngest solo sailor to survive a collision with a bulk carrier."
you guys have got it all wrong, those of you that have negative views on someone sailing around the world.
(1) all of you live in a house in relative comfort with electric lights and hot water systems drive cars to the shops and work on land.
(2) you don't live on yachts and sail places anyway, have no abition to achieve anything.
(3) live your dreary credit sucking lives in misery, listen to media reports and have never achieved any adventurous task.
Try to see what others are achieving and support Australians who are willing to have a go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whiteout
You need to look into things more and get all facts and put them together and look at the "big picture" Its like having a brand new chain with a faulty link, the chain is perfect to look at but close examination proves it to be faulty.
In this case there are many faulty links. 
A lot of people in this world like to live their lives in a nice comfort zone, and feel secure all the time.
But for the people that dare to step out of this secure zone get shot down in flames by the people who can only dream of having an adventuress life.
Go Jessica, us Aussies are backing you .Because we all believe in having ago :)
So, whiteout, hoop, micmac, a few posts ago I posed a hypothetical. Care to declare your position on it? Should the three year old "have a go" while I cheer on in the comfort of my bungalow?
I don't care about the line. If you feel comfortable with your ability then have a go.
3 year olds going around the world alone is a pretty stupid analogy. It's obviously not going to happen. I don't understand how people can get so offended if someone they don't even know wants to try something that they are too scared to do.
Well, yes, of course it's a stupid example, hoop. It's obviously intended to be an extreme position. What I'm putting to all of you is black and white (ie extreme examples) and then asking you what shade of grey you can live with.
The question has nothing to do with what I myself want or do not want to do and you certainly don't know me well enough to know whether or not I'm scared so please, lay off that angle OK?
The point is that some people are saying 16 is OK to circumnavigate alone unaided. That's fine, I can probably live with that. Personally I'd go with 18 but 16 is probably OK.
The problem I have is that the aim of the excercise is to be the youngest person around alone. So assuming she makes it then the gauntlet has been thrown down to someone else to do better. And so someone younger will go. At some point, someone too young will go and will die in the attempt. Now, I've got no problems with adults going out risking their lives on things like this. None whatsoever. But for some reason, it just rankles with me when kids are sent out to do the same.
Now, we're sailors here. Collectively, we've got a pretty good idea of what lies out there. If we can't decide this question between us then I'm damned sure the rest of the population can't. And so some idiot of a parent without a clue somewhere WILL decide that it's easy enough for their child to do it and send them out to their death. How do I know this? Because the sport of aviation has already been there and done it. Just google Jessica Dubroff and see what I mean. She was seven.
So hoop, micmac, anyone else who wants to chime in... where's your line? Answering "If you feel comfortable with your ability then have a go" just doesn't cut the mustard I'm afraid. That just leaves the door open to the idiot who wants to send another seven year old out there. If 16 is OK then how does a 7 year old facing the southern ocean sit with you? 13? 10?
C'mon, where is your line?
Christ maxm, you sound like my old man giving me a lecture when I was 16.
I already said "I don't care about the line". And that is my opinion.
Most 16 year olds wouldn't be able to pull it off but there are exceptions. Same goes for younger kids.
Anyhow, who's talking about sending a 7 year old? It's a little early to start panicking don't you think.
Obviously there has to be a line somewhere, which may be blurred by proof of ability depending on the task at hand.
A few hits on Google and you'll find a myriad of "youngest" attempts, such as this one. www.msn.com/en-au/ stating that she has been taken out of the care of her parents! They are not disputing her abilities as a sailor, but her mental acuity to accomplish the task. So, for the Dutch at least, the line is somewhere OLDER than 13.
tech.mit.edu/V116/N18/pilot.18w.html is the story of the 7 year old Pilot, she wasn't even on her own and had an instructor and her father with her, but the back story is, they were trying to meet media deadlines and took off in bad weather. Something no decent, sensible pilot would ever do..... So, who was being pushed there? For the US the line is probably somewhere OLDER than 7.....
Then there is this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicki_Van_Meter One wonders whether the coming down from the "high" of all the fame and notariety was perhaps part of the cause of her suicide.....
On the other side of the line, Zac Sunderland (who's sister Abby is currently raising funds for an attempt), Mike Perham and Jesse Martin have all come home safely. However, like Jessica Watson, they all had the benefit of multiple electronics systems to help them steer, navigate, stay in touch and eat correctly. So one wonders whether it's really a "solo" attempt at all.
Francis Chichester - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Chichester started flying at the tender age of 18, trying to break Bert Hinkler's record from London to Sydney - then albeit a lot later, he was the first to circumnavigate the Clipper routes WITHOUT THE AID OF COMPLEX electronics, in a leaky boat and nursing an aging, aching body. If you've never read the stories here's a good start theopencritic.com/?p=11
So, for my money, it's not about the age, it's about the ability, mental preparedness and the dogged determination to succeed. Even in such adverse conditions with failing gear, if you have perseverance and courage it can be done.
One also wonders how any of these kids would go if they needed to navigate by sextant and had no radio communications, blog updates or contact with anyone but Neptune.... my guess is that they'd never actually start the journey at all.
Still, hopefully Jessica and all those who follow in her footsteps will be an inspiration to their generation, just like Chichester, Cottee, Lexcen and even Dick Smith were to my generation.
Michael
Few years ago now.
