Few years ago now.
MC, Hi and welcome to the debate! 
Never realised there were so many glums around. “We’ll never make it”, “We’ll all be doomed”. Every time I go sailing I don’t expect someone to come and find me. The next big trip is to Antarctica (solo) and I don’t expect anyone to come & get me and I won’t be reaching for the epirb if I get in the sh#t. The reaper has many ways of making a call and with all the electronics you can put on a boat these days, its getting harder for him to add yachties to his harvest. Hundreds of years ago the shores of sailing countries like England were littered with lots of wrecks and the bodies of sailers who worked on these boats. It’s sheer luxury flicking on the GPS/Chart plotter and finding where you are. (Thank f#ck I learnt to use a sextant, compass, pencil and paper prior to the electronics age because it would be easy not to worry about learning it now.) If my sons had of wanted to sail around the world solo I would done everything possible to make it happen.
Give Jessica and her parents the support they deserve. I’m sure they have thought long and hard about the reaper hitching a ride on the boat but I’d say he’s being kept busy with the young drivers of car.
If you have any doubts about her doing it, why don’t you go down to the old peoples home and ask them if there was something they had wished they had done when they were young. If you want to say home, don’t make everyone one else.
Hey crusoe, just out of curiosity, do you take and use a calculator? I've got a reasonable one in my CN kit to do all the tedious calculations. But I've got backup for that Just In Case batteries go dead, etc. My backup is a booklet of trig tables that I made up. In high school we used to use pretty comprehensive trig tables and one of those would have been perfect but I couldn't find one for love nor money. So I've made my own that I think would do.
Just wondering if you use anything like that and if so, what you use?
Apologies for the threadjack... please continue...
There is a movie called 'The Dove' a true story about a 16 year old who sailed solo around the world, back in the 1970s. I can't remember if he sailed non-stop and unassisted but the movie was quite interesting. I remember watching it as a kid (after we got back from our sailing holiday) but I haven't seen it since then. I would love to watch it again.
) Another interesting read is "Sailing the Farm" by Ken Neumeyer. A bit post apocalyptic in his philosophy but quite practical.
maxm you obviously sold your folkboat and have been grieving this fact but when you want to sail again all you have to do is come to Queensland and sail in the sun and realise that there is more to life than being a:
winging cockroach
negative computer nerd
and a smart ars_
When it comes to being adventureous you were locked out of the club, you never have extended yourself past living in your house and have obviously occumplished nothing in your years on this earth other than an electricity bill.
whiteout, whiteout, whiteout. What do we do with you? 
Trolls aren't known for being bright but even as trolls go you're not a particularly clever troll are you?
Aye knock it off you guys!
This thread started with positivity, Dont turn it bad with petty crap.
Save that for the General discussion thread
Once upon a time, people were married at 14, had families and went to war or embarked on lifelong careers by 16 and managed to survive without 'mummy'. Just because we have been breeding a few generations of soft, whinney, TV junkies does not mean that there is not strength and resilience in the young. I know of several 65 year olds with huge yachts who should NOT be allowed to risk all at sea, but then, who the hell am I to play nanny. For that matter, who are you to?
Well that is quite interesting. Just goes to show what a well found and well prepared yacht with equally well prepared crew is capable of.
Indeed, although it should be noted that her parents did a fly over on the morning after she rounded, so help isn't that far away for her....
That being said, she's doing it pretty easily so far. The southern ocean on the way between Africa and Australia is going to tell the true story of her courage, now that she's got the first rounding under her belt...
I hope she makes it, but I also hope she donates some of her money to those who will never get to see a boat, let alone sail in it........
Michael
That's it a 16 year old girl doing the best she can Go Jess you show them.
Too bad others don't applaud you but others all they say is negative bites of disinformation, I only wish is that other teenages take note and travel in your footsteps instead of showing their bravado on the roadways.
That's it a 16 year old girl doing the best she can Go Jess you show them.
Do you donate the money you earn to disadvantaged teenagers MichaelR ?
I'm not sure why this is such a concern. What's wrong with making a bit of money?
Jessica just survived 3 knockdowns and 70knots of wind with 10 meter seas, Awesome .
Go Jessie
I dont care if you keep all your money to yourself! Im enjoying the adventure from my laptop
Hhhhmmmm, have to admit, the only criticism I have had over Jess' voyage has been that it does seem to be a little self-indulgent without raising money for a charity to mitigate it.
Just wonder how her siblings took to the notion of their parents pouring a LOT of money into their sister's venture whilst they remained onshore doing same old, same old. Must be a really tight, loving family.........my girls fight over EVERYTHING, despite being very loved and well adjusted
However, I guess there is the prospect, as discussed, of the opportunities that a trip like this presents. Maybe she'll put something back in for the time and effort she has received. Probably a lot more likely than the rich kids who have their 15K plus per year doled out for going to posh schools....not much of that goes back into society[}:)]...instead generally perpetuates the greed that dominates our world.
At the end of the day, wish her fair winds and no more knockdowns...that's gotta hurt!!
Go Jess
Jessie gets a phone call from The PM Kevin Rudd on Australia day and that says a lot!
To me it kinda says that the naysayers are starting to come around and realizing that #1 she has weathered mad conditions (70knots with 10 m seas), #2 She has passed half way when she was tipped to never be seen again and #3 she has a very mature approach, Just check her blog and read her latest post to see how level headed she is, Commenting on the American girl who has just left chasing the same record as Jess - www.jessicawatson.com.au/ ----- Go Jessie Go
