After good conditions during the last two days, the wind has gradually picked up as I head south down the NSW coast. Wind is gusting to over 30 kts with similar conditions forecast for Saturday, so it’s certainly a good workout for Ella’s Pink Lady.
Just a quick update tonight. More news tomorrow.
Jessica
Profile
- Jessica Watson
- Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia
- Ambition: Become the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world
37 comments:
Jess, I read in the media that your website is getting 114,000 hits a day. I figure only about 10%of these would be those critics or gossip media and the rest are your fans. If my theory is right you have 100,000 fans a day supporting you. Go and live your dream girl and as you get closer to achieving it, your fan base will be in the millions!
Good luck with the southerlies Jessica. Do you know what time you are coming into Sydney Harbour on Monday afternoon? My children want to welcome you and Pink Lady to Sydney.
Go Jessica! Forget all those mindless complainers and go and achieve your dreams, you are doing what many of us only dream of doing!
Marco
keep the dream alive
You are living the dream! Good for you! Be safe out there. Your fans here in the US wish you all the best.
Rich Johnson
A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.
~English proverb
When you are tired and feeling a little down...just think of all the positive vibes from back home and I have no doubt that you will have an incredibly safe and successful adventure! You are doing what we all wish we had the determination and ability to do!
Kick some Southern Ocean butt and stay safe!
Love from Glenn, Steph, Jaimee & Brodie. Noosa Heads.
Go girl! Hope to see you in Sydney as my wife and I will be down there for a couple of weeks.
Best wishes and Good luck!!!
Hi Jessica, As a Dutch girl studying in Sydney I heard your story on the news. A remarkable goal you got there girl, go for it! I'll be following your blog. I'm really interested on how you'll manage to pull this off.
As you might know, I'm sure you do, a 13 year old Dutch girl, Laura Dekker, would like to do the same thing; it's a bit of an issue in the Netherlands as she is so young.
Anyways, take care, be safe, ENJOY!
Liefs, Marlaine
Good Luck Jessica and take it easy on the way down the rain is here till at least Tuesday is Sydney, Hope all is well
great to hear all is going well at sea
i`lle hope you feel better soon;p
don`t pay attention to all the "bad media" and focuss forward
then i hope te read your next blog soon!
Following your adventure with Joy and Happy to read your optimistic words! Its' great to know you are underway again. We are excited with each report.
Gary & Jan
Savannah,Ga
Jessica,
Chloe is right, there are many, many thousands of people out there that are excited about what you are doing and are praying for you and believe in you and your dreams. Just keep on going and be safe!
-Tony
Orlando, FL
Jess, seize the day! What a great inspiration you are. I am following you all the way on your quest. May God watch over you and keep you safe and give you wisdom in your every decision. Go girl!!
Mother Nature has some interesting weather to the south of where Jessica is and now the possibility of a gale wind warning and a couple of interesting lows. The media's attention has been fascinating and there's a great more to unfold re this epic voyage.
Live your dream and ignore the negativity.I envy you the peace and solitude u will have on your journey. Please write a book! I would love to read it.
Enjoy every day of your voyage. Most of your knockers are those who would not have your courage and spirit of adventure. You certainly have the support of all our sailing friends! Live the dream!!
Hi Jessica, wondering how you're going out there. The weather chart looks good for a beam run down the coast, hope you're making the most of it. You might ask your weather router to tell you when you come across that trough line, it would pay to point more SW when you do. Hi from us all at Berrys Bay, Sydney.
Good luck miss,Stay safe and remember...one hand for you and one hand for your voyage....
All the best steele and ness,
NEWCASTLE,NSW.
Hey anon@8am, interesting weather indeed. Hopefully Jessica's far enough off shore in which case 3m sea/swell shouldn't be a problem for her boat, and if the wind turns more E than S then she can ride it in to Sydney. The big question will be Monday -- with almost no wind at all forecast. Anyone can sail in 15 - 20 knot winds but the test of true sailing skill is how well you go when the wind dies down to 5 or even 2 knots! Good luck Jessica.
Jessica,
Best wishes for the rest of your trip to Sydney. With conditions your encountering it will be big confidence boost. I recall Sir Francis Chichester saying in his book (Gypsy Moth Circles the World), amongst the hardest things was dealing with people dissuading him from continuing due to his age. I think he was in his late 60’s or early 70’s.
Stay safe.
Mike (NZ)
Hi Jessica,
Your plan of travelling solo round the world is greatly inspiring to a large number of Vietnamese youths in Vietnam, I am told.
I am a freelance journalist and write regularly for a number of newspapers in Vietnam (in Vietnamese). I have added your site and blog on my blog at http://leminhs.wordpress.com/, in which I update major points in your progress to my Vietnamese readers. What ever you do keep your head straight, stay focus, and you will make it. Your family and friends (me included) are behind you.
Best,
Minh Le (could call me Uncle Minh like in Vietnamese culture :-) if you like)
Good luck Jessica :))
Good on you Jess> live the dream, stay safe
good luck. follow your dreams.
don't listen to the naysayers or the media - they only tear you down to make themselves feel better.
the world is made better by people like you who attempt difficult things, not the lazy ones who revel in their mediocrity.
stavros
Hey Jessica, all the best and fair winds on your way ti live your dream. Forget all the stupid comments behind you, look forward and believe me we all are with you. Many regards from Germany,yours Marcus
Things can get a bit wobbly out there, especially when you are on your own. Most people have no grasp of what you are undertaking to do and it all seems like a wonderful fantasy. Just a quick tip from an old sea dog to avoid injury to your most important sailing assets, feet and hands; when ever you are on deck wear rubber toe capped shoes like Keens, wear gloves when ever you have to do any rope work. I always have a little stack, LED headlight, Keen shoes and gloves at the companionway. Checking your route, SE trades around Fiji and further east are often ESE, potentially lots of slow very uncomfortable windward work especially if you are non stop. That may be the worst part of the trip. Good luck and when the going gets tough the tough get going…
be safe and be lucky
Jess, you will find three major groups of people in this world. 1. Those who do. Without these types of people mankind would still be in the stone age. 2. Those who don't. Don't knock these people. They are who they are, and often live their dreams through the actions of the "doers" 3. The knockers. These are the bad type. Not only do they not accomplish much themselves, but they do all they can to bring down the doers. You can't ignore them Jess, because they can make so much mischief, but you can pity them, because win or lose you can say you "had a go", where as at the end of their life the knockers can only look back at a life of negative actions. Give it your best shot Jess, and good luck.
John McK
On reading through various comments on this site and taking into consideration, the interesting weather patterns that we've seen along the Southern coastline of Australia across to New Zealand - in recent months; would it be possible to find out whether Jessica's lifejacket is fitted out with other items which could be valuable if needed?
Good on you, Jess. You have some support here: http://www.essentialmadness.com/articles/Miscellaneous/Why_Rain_on_Jess%27_Parade?
Queen Bee,
I followed that link and wished that I'd had the time and patience to write that article. Your SPOT ON! Why all the knockers and nay sayers can't just shut up is beyond me.
Here we have a young girl. She obviously doesn't take drugs or she would'nt be where she is. She's not out getting into fights and making a menace of herself. Why are so many of her fellow Australians so keen to belittle her??? It's got me beat.
I can't wait until Jessica completes this voyage and then listen to all the knockers change their tune.
Good luck Jess.
We're all here for you. These blabber-mouths who call themselves people are just jerks who don't know how to dream.
Go on,
do it, and let them see.
Bee Algeria, Boumerdes.
P.S There's this book about a girl just like you who does the same thing. alone on a wide, wide sea, by michael Murpurgo.
Jessica I am so proud of you,
I lost my eightneen year old son to cancer last year, his name was David Long he was the bravest kid I will ever know. He fought for five years and never once felt sorry for himself. He is my hero.
Life is so short and and we are all
here for such a short time. I am so proud of you for your bravery
and determanation you are living life to its fullest. My thoughts and Davids spirit are with you
stay (LONGSTRONG).
Jim Long St Louis Missouri USA
Parabéns! Que coragem. Muito boa sorte prá voce. Invejo a sua coragem! Vá com cuidado. Respeite o mar e ouça seus pensamentos. Estarei com voce em pensamento. Boa sorte. Charles de Curitiba Paraná Brasil. stambukdrago@bol.com.br
Big fan here in Philly USA....
I'm wishing you all the best......Make smart decisions when things get dicey...
I'll be watching closely!!
You go Girl!
Jessica, I am a 55y/o North Carolinian here to say that Cloe (Oct.2, 9:35pm) is right. Since your goal is "unassisted," moral support is all we may offer. So when you are tested, hear our tears and cheers to see it through, one moment, one breath at a time. And when your tests subside to crystalline blue calm, we will share your smile. Godspeed.
i love what you are doing! i like double trouble!
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