Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Back On The Water

It’s been a crazy few days here on the Gold Coast with all the media hype, so sorry about the delay on the updates. Ella’s Pink Lady finally hit the water again yesterday and what a relief to get back out sailing again. We did some testing for a few hours and everything appears to be in perfect working order. So I'm almost set to depart the Gold Coast and head south down to Sydney. The weather conditions are looking good with northerly winds predicted for the next few days. All going well, the plan is to head off tomorrow and aiming to arrive in Sydney early next week. A big thank you to mum and dad and all the team for their support over the past few weeks.

Jessica

43 comments:

Nev and Brittaney Murray, Brisbane (who love sailing at Mooloolaba) said...

Jess,
We have been watching with interest, what's been happening over the past few weeks. Now that you are ready to set sail, God keep you and fair winds.
Go girl, we admire you.

David said...

Good on you Jess, youre a tough one all right. A lesser person would have given up after all that and I am sure it crossed your mind. The main thing is to learn from your mistakes and move on.Being able to control yourself is probably the key to succes in a challenge like this because youve got a boat we know is up to it, and youve enough experience and knowledge to be able to do it, so all that remains is for you to put it all together. If the people who know you the best - your mum and dad - believe you are up to it then who am I to doubt? Good Luck Jess.

Russell Hopkins said...

Good luck Jess. Keep believing in yourself and you can achieve. Ignore the knockers and doubters. You can and will succeed. :-)
Keep the updates coming when you get a chance!
Best wishes
Russ

Alek said...

Jessica, Your story is truly inspiring. I wish you the best of luck for your incredible adventure, and any other challange that may present its self. I look forward to following you in your travels, Alek, S.A.
mobius_1@live.com.au

Unknown said...

Finally the fun begins again! Very excited to follow your progress on the water - all the way from landlocked Vermont in the USA. You are amazing, Jessica! I'd love to know how your mum is handling this - I don't know if I could have slept at night if my kids had done something like you are doing.
Be well,
Lee

Unknown said...

nice to heur you`re out on the water again
hope all is going wel untill sydney

and i`ll look out to read you`re next blog

bey bey
doeg doeg
daan Werdekker
Netherlands

Unknown said...

Fair winds and calm seas.

Kim said...

you go, girl! here's to smooth sailing!

kim
greenville, in
usa

Unknown said...

if there were more young people with your spirit the world would be a better place,
I look forward to being there at the finish to welcome you back

God speed and good luck!

Albert said...

Jessica,
So glad to hear you are back on track.
Now you will finally be able to prove to your detractors that the Earth is NOT flat.
The only negative thing about your journey is that you can not stop to enjoy the fabulous places that you will pass.

trentgs said...

Its' Thursday 7:59 am where you are at this moment in time, so I pray you God Speed and fair winds as you set your course for Sydney today. Bless Your Passage Jessica!.

Unknown said...

Hi Jess,
Good to see you have finally set sail again best of luck, have a safe journey.
Luv Taylor & Hannah xx

Jeff said...

I have been following Jessica and in particular via AIS which is a navigation aid on board that lets other ships know where she is.

I followered her out through the Southport Seaway this morning but after only an hour her icon was no longer appearing on the screen (www.marinetraffic.com).

Perhaps her parents could comment.

Thanks
jeffthewalker (and yachtie)

Anonymous said...

gday jess,watched u leaving the seayway this morning,gave you a whistle and a wave from the end of the south wall lol.the pink lady looked awesome and i wish you all the best.

jaman said...

Well done mate,
I wish you the best!!!

Anonymous said...

I wish you all the luck. It's aboout time young people aim for something, instead of whingeing there is nothing to do. You have the guts to do what you have aimed for. It should be encouraged and fostered. Never listen to the detractors Jessica. If you want to do it, then do it. Best of luck.
Ken

autoshine1damien said...

Hey Jess
Safe travels... We are sailing North heading from the Central Coast on saturday. We might pass your pink boat!
All the best

Damien & Hilary
SV Ushuaia

super mario tidings said...

it shows what great character you have ,i'm sure early explorers encountered problems.. just go ....and good luck.enjoy it...you have shown such spirit

Dan said...

Must be comforting to have the likes of Sir Richard Branson, Mick Doohan and John Bertram giving u their best, even if u didn't know who they were ;)
We're all behind you Jess, forget the rubbish in the media, get out there and prove them wrong.
Dan
Brisbane

Andrew said...

Gr8 to hear that ur back on ur way
good luck have fun and i will c u when u get down here!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Jess,WHOO HOO Glad to hear that Pink Lady is ready to sail again.With the dust storms and wind about hopefully will be a nice sail down to Sydney.Ive heard the whales are migrating north, maybe you'll see some.Cool hey.
Take Care
Deanna
Yeppoon Qld

OutdoorGaz said...

May the real adventure begin. Be safe out there and enjoy. :-)

Harry Burr said...

Best wishes and fair winds Jess.
Until 1894 the 'experts' asserted that No-one could sail alone around the world.
Joshua Slocum wrote
"I was aware that no other vessel had sailed in this manner around the globe, but would have been loathe to say that another could not do it ... I was greatly amused, therefore, by the flat assertions of an expert that it could not be done."
And so, in 1894, "resolved on a voyage around the world; and as the wind in the morning of April 24 1895, was fair, at noon ... weighed anchor, set sail, and filled away from Boston ..."
A few storms a few calms and some days of excellent weather later, he was back in Boston having done what the experts said could not be done.
The spirits of all the great sailors go with you.
Cheers Jess.

Lobes said...

Watch out for ships and dont ever go to sleep

Anonymous said...

hello Jessica, I just read about your dream to sail solo non-stop around the world. Go for it! Live your dreams and enjoy every day! Know that you're not alone wherever you are and Someone is really proud of who you are.

God bless you on your journey


Niels
Netherlands

Dutchnomad said...

Hi Jess, bon voyage from the Netherlands. I am proud as a sailor and a human being that we remain adventurous.

Jan

Weide said...

YEAH!!! Go, Ella's Pink Lady!

Anonymous said...

Go Jessy Go
Im very happy for you.
You going to make it, good luky, and God bless!
Cheers
Pa

Anonymous said...

Great to hear you are out on the water again Jess. I hope you succeed in your quest. It must be a challenge to stay positive with the knockers at you and your parents. Just remember the knockers are the noisy minority (and sensationalism sells papers)- the quiet majority support you and your parents and wish you every success.

Go Girl, Fair Winds and Smooth Sailing -

All the best Jess - we do admire you

Bruce said...

Well done Jess. Good to see you've got the Pink Lady back out in open water again. Must have been a trying few days for you and your team. Anyway you are back on the water and heading on towards the official start of your quest. Its so good to see young people (particularly young women)setting goals and going for them.

Go Girl, we wish you Fair Weather and Smooth Sailing

Unknown said...

Jessica
Pleased you are on your way - I admire your determination - YOU GO GIRL !!!! All the best - may fair winds fill your sails. xx

Rikki said...

Hi Jess Here's to your success and now that you are on your way, enjoy every moment and write about your adventures for those of us in armchairs. Love and best wishes xxx

Russell said...

Jess,

Originally I was againt your voyage. I felt you were too young.

Over the past month I've very much changed my opinion. You've shown more guts and determination than any young lady of your age. You've stood up to your critics and gotten on with the job you set out to do. Thats proof enough for me that your more than capable of completing this voyage.

My wife and I wish you all the very best of luck. I know you'll be very busy but please upload photos if you get time ok?

Kindest regards,
Russ.

Marc Jackson said...

I have tried to follow your progress using many of the live ais tracking sites. Lots of big vessels but no Pink Lady. Does this mean your AIS is not transmitting. nb: their are lots of AIS receivers on the coast and some vessels contribute what their AIS receives and send it to these sites. I use these sites in developing my own marine sailing system.

Stan said...

Hi Jessica,

You should be very proud of yourself for having the courage to chase your goals at such an age.
I am behind you all the way and trust you shall succeed and return home triumphant. Don't for one one minute listen to the knockers who sit on their couches and will never know the feeling of ever challenging life and the euphoria it can bring when it is only you against the odds. Go for it girl your Mum Dad and thousands of others are with you. Stay safe and I wish you a fair wind.
Keep up the blogs we are following.

Stan

Mike said...

A Prayer for Jessica.

Heavenly Father we thank you for Jessica and her ambition. We praise you for providing the resources necessary for her to attempt this voyage around the oceans you created. We thank You God for what You have done, and what You will do through the voyage of Jessica. People have come together to assist her team and connections have been made around the world by making strangers friends. We know God that you are using Jessica’s voyage as a vehicle to bring people in this world closer together, united by the vision and determination of this young adventurer. Through her You will inspire many to trust You, and many will come to the understanding that nothing is impossible without You. We praise You for all that You have done before Jessica’s boat has left the dock. We praise You and thank You that through the collision You have provided the opportunity to sharpen Jessica’s awareness and skills, and allowed the team to make additional improvements.
Father God, we ask as Jessica prepares to set sail again that your Angels of protection will cover her. We pray that You will provide the team with wisdom and confidence that no detail has been unattended, and that all the repairs are completed with the best of their ability.

Daily prayer:
Father God we pray that Jessica will trust in You for guidance and strength as she sails the open waters. We pray that she seeks you out in her times of loneliness, and that she feels Your presence always, especially in the difficult times. Lord we pray that the equipment functions perfectly and all the systems provide everything she needs without failure. Heavenly Father, we pray that Jessica sails with confidence knowing that You have provided the training and the ability to complete this test. We ask you Lord Jesus to keep her physically strong and healthy. Jesus please look after her spiritually, and surround her with Your presence through the Holy Spirit. We confidently pray all these requests in Your Son Jesus’ precious and Holy name. Amen!

You will be in our daily prayers Jessica! We look forward to following along with you through your website!

God be with you!
Mike and the entire youth group at Grace Fellowship Church.
North Stonington, CT. USA

The Artful Dodger said...

Well we are both wishing you the best, and to have yourself a great time. Will be watching you whole trip and be there with you in spirit. God Bless

Myrtle said...

G'day Mate, I was down your way a couple of weeks ago, wish I could of seen your S&S 34, what a beautiful seaworthy design!, I am very proud that you still have the courage to set sail after the setback, and negative response from media and Gumby TV watchers that are too lazy to ever have much more adventure than changing the channel on the TV during an add break!. I will pray to the ocean Gods when I’m out in the yak on the weekend for your safe return should you continue to undertake this amazing journey. My family and I will be following your adventures closely, best wishes and happy sailing.

Anonymous said...

Jess, I have been following your story with nothing but admiration for you as you set out to achieve your goal. Goals are placed in front of us for a reason and that is to achieve them. I have raised my 3 children with the following saying and that is "Nothing is Impossible". I have a daughter who has also overcome obstacles in her life, and I like your mother is so proud of her. May the music of the winds keep you in peace and harmony on your journey

Martin Johannesson said...

Hurra hurra hurra! Whish u good luck Jessica! we admire you. mvh Martin from Sweden

n6yvy said...

Hi Jess. My Uncle did this in 1900's. I know he'd be proud to sail in your wake. So from the family of Cap Harry Pidgeon. Go for it take lots of pictures.

West Indian Indian said...

Attn Jess,
you are an inspiration to the youths of the world ,good luck and god bless on your adventure

Anonymous said...

jessica people in this world have dreams and in their life we all have to have a atleast one experiance just have faith in your self and you will accomplish anything you put ur mind to good Luck be safe you will make it home safe