Following Jessica Watson ...

Ed Schenck · Dec 6, 2009

Not sure that I agree Scott. Each morning with my coffee I also check Jessica's blog. I sense mood swings when I read between the lines. Then there are the days when she writes nothing at all. With over 4000nm left to the Cape there have to be some lonely feelings, especially when the weather turns. An awful lot to endure for anyone let alone a sixteen year old. Like you I am hoping for a safe passage.

Levin · Dec 6, 2009

My thoughts...

Hello all...

Thanks to this website I was introduced to Jessica's blog and I check in on it about once a week. I've found it fun to read and being that the news is pretty depressing, or downright silly right now (why again do I need to know about Tiger Woods love life?) it's a nice "feel good read" to balance everything else out.

Anyway I have no idea if she will finish the journey or not but I expect she will if simply because... well where else is she going to go? She's stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Quitting at this point might be somewhat difficult.

However what I was wondering about is how everyone else felt about the fact that she is billing this journey as the "Youngest person to sail solo and unaided around the world". Given what I've been able to read she has someone predicting weather for her, her father talking to her daily over the sat phone about any challenges she might encounter, people tracking her on GPS, and a host of other support networks just a phone call or E-mail away. Is this really sailing "unaided" around the world simply because they aren't there on the boat? Should her journey really count at the same level as the young man who currently holds the record and who didn't have these advantages?

I don't know but while I'm still hoping she makes it all the way around I have to ask the question of it she can really claim that she did this thing on her own.

...this probably isn't all that important of a discussion but it is a heck of a lot more interesting to me that hearing more about Afghanistan, the health care debate, or the State Dinner party crashers

Take care,
-Levin

Ed Schenck · Dec 6, 2009

You ask a valid question Levin. But I think she is following some concise rules about what constitutes an "unaided circumnavigation". Like the rule about having to cross the equator. Not sure where these rules reside. I have not looked for them. But you are right, she has more assistance than most who travel offshore.

dserrell · Dec 6, 2009

Levin,

If you consider the state of ship building, electronics, and modern sailboats as compared to those of the past, what is fair regarding records? I'd say is all relative and I'm jealous that she's out there and I'm not! She's certainly much safer sailing with all the electronics than without! To me that seems much smarter! Sailors in the past were at considerable risk! Her life, or anyone's, isn't worth setting a record! Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic. That was surely much more dangerous than sailing around the world today! Jessica has to be admired for her incrediable talent and desire to "set a record"! Your post was a good question! Have a great day!

David

Ross · Dec 6, 2009

When you compare this effort to that of Tanya Abei you have to give higher marks to Tanya. She made the voyage before gps, sat nav , sat phone, computer up links, and epirbs. Jessica is just a phone call away from a friendly voice and the comfort that can bring. She can know where she is 24 hours per day without concern for being unable to get a celestial fix with her sextant because of the weather or sea state. I won't diminish Jessica's effort or accomplishment but it does have the benefit of modern tools.

Patrick17430 · Dec 6, 2009

Follow my friends on a 6 mo adventure to the Carib.

These are my friends from Texas, Mark and his new wife Leisel.They are very young. just out of collage. they've quit their jobs and are doing what we all dream of.They are now a month into the trip. They got married a week before they left on their journey. Its getting interesting, he's already lost a digit off his ring finger, the anchor, chain and his boat papers.

www.sailingwithsamson.com

Ed Schenck · Dec 6, 2009

Despite having an amazing connection with friends and family Jessica is still very much alone. When the going gets rough I don't think Mum's voice is going to be a lot of comfort. And a lot of her journey will be far removed from any kind of rescue. It is still a relatively small sailboat in a very large ocean.

Joe · Dec 6, 2009

Ed Schenck said:
Despite having an amazing connection with friends and family Jessica is still very much alone. When the going gets rough I don't think Mum's voice is going to be a lot of comfort. And a lot of her journey will be far removed from any kind of rescue. It is still a relatively small sailboat in a very large ocean.

I'll agree with you Ed....... sat phone or not... there's no rescue vessel following along behind. She is on her own. Other sailors had ssb and weather fax.... no one bitched about that. The fact is........... she's doing it ... and the rest of us aren't... Levin. And remember.. she's just turned sixteen! What were we doing at sixteen? Trying to get a drivers' license so we could ask dad's permission to borrow the car to go to the drive in......

The fact that she does have good and bad days only makes her more courageous. Think of the teens today that can't go anywhere without the cell phone or have no clue about holding a job. How many do you know that can actually express themselves as Jessica does... whether by blog or video... I think she is awesome.

Put this in perspective gentlemen. The loneliness and self reliance IS what makes this journey so difficult. Her parents don't come and set a reef or repair the generator or fix the windvane.... she can call for advice... just like you could with an ssb, except the sat phone is easier. If something breaks, she can't head for port and put the boat in the yard, she can't even order a part and have it delivered to the boat.... totally unassisted, but not unadvised. BTW, I talk to my son in Iraq, but that doesn't ease my loneliness for him, or the worrying a parent has for a child's safety.

No... this is huge... and, just as every previous solo circumnavigation has it's unique challenges and individual merit, her voyage ranks along with them.

olsalt · Dec 7, 2009

What Joe said^^^

Heck, even Slocum got some help...

Joe · Dec 7, 2009

olsalt said:
What Joe said^^^

Heck, even Slocum got some help...

The king of tonga completely refitted slocum's boat.... new sails... everything... because he thought Joshua was pretty cool.
Slocum spent a couple of years, three I think, in his circumnavigation. What made it so special is that he was the first guy to do it for the fun of it.... rather than a commercial or military venture... and he did it alone.. He's the godfather of modern "cruising"

Anyone who thinks Jessica's on a pleasure cruise because she has a Sat Phone and a gps is just plain ignorant. My god...... she's just begining a 6000 mile leg to get to the end of the world (Tahiti to Cape Horn) and it won't even be half way yet.

The kid whose record she is attempting to break for youngest circumnavigator is named Mike Perham. Here is a link to one of his web sites. http://www.solocircumnavigation.com...oloCircumnavigators/MikePerham/MikePerham.htm

Compare his high profile website that tracked the trip.. to Jessica's modest offering. Mike's http://www.totallymoney.com/sailmike/ Jessica's http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/

Now...... please compare his effort with Jesse's...... Perham's is way, way more funded and he had an extremely fast boat, an Open 50 that was chartered from "around alone" racing people, the Escoffier family. He has a huge support group. He made numerous stops to repair equipment, he went through the panama canal instead of around the capes. Please tell me Jessie is not way more courageous on her S&S 34, loaned to her by a family friend, than this rich kid. His boat's name was "totallymoney.com" for god's sake.

By the way, every sailor that crosses oceans these days uses their ssb to get weather information and recommended routings from land based resources.

So...for all of you who question Jessica's effort......... take the time to research your subject. Here is the boat Jesse is competing with....

Uhmmm.... here's Jessica's

modified with a hard dodger before the trip. Yeah... it's pink!

Stephen K · Dec 7, 2009

Levin said:
Hello all...

However what I was wondering about is how everyone else felt about the fact that she is billing this journey as the "Youngest person to sail solo and unaided around the world". Given what I've been able to read she has someone predicting weather for her, her father talking to her daily over the sat phone about any challenges she might encounter, people tracking her on GPS, and a host of other support networks just a phone call or E-mail away. Is this really sailing "unaided" around the world simply because they aren't there on the boat? Should her journey really count at the same level as the young man who currently holds the record and who didn't have these advantages?

I don't know but while I'm still hoping she makes it all the way around I have to ask the question of it she can really claim that she did this thing on her own.
-Levin

I too enjoy keeping up with her journey and am pulling for her 100%. This is an interesting question. As sailors, we are probably more "purists" and tend to wrestle with this question. Yes, she has a bunch of support behind her...but like it or not, we all have more information and more of everything vs. those before us.

Today's most successful professional golfers have a swing coach, short game coach, "mental" coach, exercise coach, nutritionist, agent, travel agent...etc. The player still has too swing the club, play the round and deal with all the conditions on their own during the match. Does this diminish their accomplishments vs. Ben Hogan because they have this support? Do they accomplish these victories unaided?

In professional football, they have coach's on the sidlines and even up in the box calling plays. They take pictures of the other teams formations and review these on the sidlines during the games. Are current quarterback's super bowl victories any less worthy than the early super bowls because of this support? Do they accompish these victories unaided?

Versus her predesessors, her trip is different, but I don't know why her "aid" is anything different from these other sports. The support team can coach and predict all they want, but she has too deal with all the elements on her voyage....like her counterparts, she is the one on the field of play and we are not.

If / when she accomplishes her circumnavigation (and I hope she does), I believe we will focus more on the difficulty and the accomplishment and not as much on the support behind her.

Rick Sylvester · Dec 7, 2009

jeez, Joe

I think what is largely being debated is just how "unassisted" this venture is.

If someone walks you through what to do when that piece of gear breaks or if hearing mom's soothing voice gets you through a scary night, well, I think it's perfectly reasonable to wonder about the whole 'assistance' thing, especially when some followers seem to breathlessly proclaim that she might be the greatest 16 year old sailor ever. I mean, how much does it matter whether that assistance is coming from someone sitting next to you rather than from a sat-phone?

Sure, she has to complete the task, but it begs the question, could she, would she, have done it without the 'assistance'?

Is her trip as well supported as Perham's? No, of course not. However, it's really only a matter of degree. You may have noticed all the advertisements plastered on her boat.

I don't think anyone here is suggesting that her excursion isn't, or shouldn't be, safer due advances in technology or that her skill set for her age isn't impressive. I didn't read anyone suggesting that this was a "pleasure cruise."

Heck, it's not even really about Jessica specifically. I think it's more about all the family, friends, advisors, sponsors, manufacturers, etc. and how and what degree they're involved during the trip.

. . . just my un-researched opinion.

Levin · Dec 7, 2009

The slippery slope...

Hello again everyone...

Ok so I agree that this is a slippery slope we are arguing about here, because really where do we draw the line about what assistance is proper and when can we claim someone has sailed "unaided"? Is unaided meaning that you need a boat with no radio, no GPS, no electronics of any sort and have to make it around the world by celestial navigation? I think most of us would say "no" to that... but on the other hand is having a SAT phone, E-mail, Skype (she does have this), a weather forecaster, a trip planner, and someone who packed every one of our meals as well as a father who is constantly monitoring the workings of the boat from afar considered "unaided"? I think that most of us would say no to this as well...

But then where do you draw the line? Yes to radio and GPS but no to SAT phone and Skype? I don't know... but it is a really interesting discussion.

I personally don't think that Jessica's journey should count as "unaided"... but I can't say what for sure I would consider appropriate for that qualification (hence the slippery slope discussion). Yes she is out there on her own but she has a huge support network, she can talk to people face-to-face via Skype... she has people navigating, predicting weather, and telling her where to go and what to do. That sounds a whole lot like having someone guide her all the way around the world to me. Sounds like any one of us with that type of support network, that well built a boat, that many sponsors, and some basic sailing lessons could make it just as easily (even at 16). Which makes me wonder where we should draw the line on the unaided thing...

I don't have a answer to this last question... but I've enjoyed hearing everyone's input.

Take care,
-Levin

Ross · Dec 7, 2009

Besides the need to deal with the boat , weather and self maintenance there is the feeling of isolation. Some people get along better with their own silence than do others. Modern communication systems make it posible to be in contact with real voices every day from any point on earth.
Someone compared the ability of a modern equiped sailor to a modern golfer versus the same fifty years ago. I wonder if today's golfer could play as well with a set of fifty year old clubs. By the same token I wonder how many of us would attempt a circumnavigation with the tools of 1956? Any circumnavigation or even an ocean crossing is a true accomplishment and not to be diminished The stress levels are much lower with all of today's navigation and communication systems.

Joe · Dec 7, 2009

First of all, Levin, it's UNASSISTED... not unaided.

You are sadly naive to think that anyone with a few sailing lessons could undertake a voyage of this magnitude. The preparation alone would overwhelm the novice sailor.
Your final statement is insulting to this brave sailor, my friend, although I know you mean well, I just don't think you have a clue.

Unassisted means no physical help in the form of emergency repairs, docking, delivering supplies, etc. Someone taking your boat in tow would be giving assistance. Having someone motor out or air drop supplies would be giving assistance.

Getting hands on medical care would be assistance..... getting advice from an online physician would not. Do you thing Josh Slocum had a medical emergency manual on board? Probably.

Asking for weather information and suggesting a change in routing would not be considered assistance. Here you would be talking about information, advice, counsel, reference. Not the same thing as assistance. She still has to complete the actual sailing of the vessel completely on her own. She still decides what course to sail and whether she wants to avoid or take advantage of an approaching weather system. She still has to keep an eye on the horizon for obstacles, like floating containers or a submerged reef. Yeah...... it ain't easy when you stand all the watches.

What's wrong with your mom helping you pack the food? What's wrong with having a yard help you prepare your boat. What's wrong with a sponsor giving you a sat phone... which uses less power than an SSB radio? I call that good preparation.

Do you know that Mike Perham's dad tagged along behind him on a support boat when he became the youngest (age 14) to cross the Atlantic solo. Maybe that's questionable... but Jessica's voyage is definitely not.

It would be irresponsible for any sailor, no matter what age, to venture offshore without proper communications and safety gear. If she just took off without telling anyone.... well then you'd get the child welfare folks hammering down on the family. And besides, you'd be unable to document the voyage. So, whether you get your advice through SSB, SatCom, VHF, laptop or volumes of repair and emergency manuals, it should not make any difference. It's a matter of budget. All passagemaking sailors avail themselves of minimum safety gear... it's just that some can afford more that others.

SSB radios, EPIRB's, rented SatPhone's, Liferafts, watermakers etc. are all standard equipment on passagemaking yachts.

Remember... it's unassisted......... not unprepared!

Sailm8 · Dec 7, 2009

OK any fathers out there with daughters? If this was my daughter she would be training an extension cord. Whatever it took to keep her safe.

Ross · Dec 7, 2009

Sailm8 said:
OK any fathers out there with daughters? If this was my daughter she would be training an extension cord. Whatever it took to keep her safe.

Girls aren't as mere as they used to be. They are pretty damn tough and resourceful and quite often far more capable than the boys their age. They have pitted high school varsity girls against high school varsity boys in softball, lacrosse, and field hockey and the outcome is always up for grabs until the final whistle.

Joe · Dec 7, 2009

Ross said:
Girls aren't as mere as they used to be. They are pretty damn tough and resourceful and quite often far more capable than the boys their age. They have pitted high school varsity girls against high school varsity boys in softball, lacrosse, and field hockey and the outcome is always up for grabs until the final whistle.

And Jesse is all of that, Ross. I'm sorry that I've become so animated in this discussion... I just bristle at anyone diminishing her quest without really understanding the challenges she faces. She still has a long way to go... I hope she holds up... but if she falls short she's still a hero in my eyes.

woodster · Dec 7, 2009

"OK any fathers out there with daughters? If this was my daughter she would be training an extension cord. Whatever it took to keep her safe."

as i have found the case to be some parents allow there offspring to do things that they wished they had done in there younger days therfore recaptuering there own child hood all over again .......i am glad that the young ozzie is doing what she is and wishing her all the best ....one thing for certian if she reaches her goal regardless of the gadgets and so forth she will emerge a much wiser young person than most and will definetly have one up on most of us....and will have earned a hell of a lot of respect from this old dude down in georgia