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
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Still Going Well
There's not a huge amount to report apart from the fact that everything's still going really well. All the work to the hull is finished up, and the rig will be in any day.
Ella's Pink Lady is only a wash away from looking totally cute again, but right now there's not much point in getting the soap out because the Gold Coast is covered in a haze of orange dust! With the dust storm getting thicker and the weather feeling so eerie, maybe it isn't such a bad thing to be tucked safely out of the way in a shed.
I'm looking forward to getting out on the water for a few quick sea trials over the weekend before setting off to Sydney again. Everyone's still in good spirits, working away at all sorts of little bits and pieces that will make my life more comfortable. It's great to be able to get a few things done while we've got the time. Dad's built me a little set of steps to make getting in and out of the companionway just a little easier, particularly for my more inflexible guests! Chris deserves a medal for tackling what had to be the world's most uncomfortable job: fitting one-way valves to the cockpit drains while lying upside down in a very tight spot. And another project has been setting up a system of pumps for transferring fuel and water from jerry cans into the tanks. I've been writing up checklists and studying charts and weather for the pacific.
That's it from me for now,
Jessica
Ella's Pink Lady is only a wash away from looking totally cute again, but right now there's not much point in getting the soap out because the Gold Coast is covered in a haze of orange dust! With the dust storm getting thicker and the weather feeling so eerie, maybe it isn't such a bad thing to be tucked safely out of the way in a shed.
I'm looking forward to getting out on the water for a few quick sea trials over the weekend before setting off to Sydney again. Everyone's still in good spirits, working away at all sorts of little bits and pieces that will make my life more comfortable. It's great to be able to get a few things done while we've got the time. Dad's built me a little set of steps to make getting in and out of the companionway just a little easier, particularly for my more inflexible guests! Chris deserves a medal for tackling what had to be the world's most uncomfortable job: fitting one-way valves to the cockpit drains while lying upside down in a very tight spot. And another project has been setting up a system of pumps for transferring fuel and water from jerry cans into the tanks. I've been writing up checklists and studying charts and weather for the pacific.
That's it from me for now,
Jessica
Monday, September 21, 2009
Weekend Off
The repairs and work on Ella's Pink Lady are almost completely finished up. So it will be out of the shed and into the water early next week before the rig goes in some days later. Watching Ella's Pink Lady slowly come back together again has been great and everyone at the yard is so keen to help and fun to spend time with.
On Friday, we had a lunch to thank some of the people who've put so much effort into getting us back on the water, particularly Joe from AME who's been a huge part of getting up this far. Everyone stood up and said their part, and I gave Joe a framed copy of a cartoon that one of the papers printed showing the lighter side of the collision.
Even though most people's reaction has been positive and supportive, I've been a bit disappointed in some of the completely un-factual articles being printed. It's a little sad when even the basic facts become completely twisted! But it's all part of the fun and the only thing that's important right now is getting back on the water safely.
With not much left to do on Ella's Pink Lady, I've been dragged home for the weekend. I'll admit I was a bit hesitant because I'd left without cleaning my room! It's been nice and a bit strange to have the weekend off. I've been mucking round with friends, spending time with family and working away at a few different projects. There's always something to do, and having the time to put a little extra effort into a few things has been a bonus - as well a having the chance to recharge, ready for all the next challenges!
Jessica
On Friday, we had a lunch to thank some of the people who've put so much effort into getting us back on the water, particularly Joe from AME who's been a huge part of getting up this far. Everyone stood up and said their part, and I gave Joe a framed copy of a cartoon that one of the papers printed showing the lighter side of the collision.
Even though most people's reaction has been positive and supportive, I've been a bit disappointed in some of the completely un-factual articles being printed. It's a little sad when even the basic facts become completely twisted! But it's all part of the fun and the only thing that's important right now is getting back on the water safely.
With not much left to do on Ella's Pink Lady, I've been dragged home for the weekend. I'll admit I was a bit hesitant because I'd left without cleaning my room! It's been nice and a bit strange to have the weekend off. I've been mucking round with friends, spending time with family and working away at a few different projects. There's always something to do, and having the time to put a little extra effort into a few things has been a bonus - as well a having the chance to recharge, ready for all the next challenges!
Jessica
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Finally, an update on repairs!
Things are going well in the shed. The hull and deck damage has been patched, and the damaged fittings are being replaced. The new rig is well underway. The guys have been powering away. So, I've been spending my time keeping up with everything that's happening, getting my hands dirty and being part of all the decisions.
I just can't say how great everyone here has been. AME boat building have been completely fantastic! It's not hard to stay positive surrounded by such great people.
At this point we're aiming to have Ella's Pink Lady back in the water and ready to go again towards the end of next week.
I've just realised that I've never posted a picture of Ella's Pink Lady completely finished. So, here goes . . .
Looking totally stunning the day we sailed out of Mooloolaba!
And also, here's a picture taken after the collision.
I just can't say how great everyone here has been. AME boat building have been completely fantastic! It's not hard to stay positive surrounded by such great people.
At this point we're aiming to have Ella's Pink Lady back in the water and ready to go again towards the end of next week.
I've just realised that I've never posted a picture of Ella's Pink Lady completely finished. So, here goes . . .
Looking totally stunning the day we sailed out of Mooloolaba!And also, here's a picture taken after the collision.
Motoring into the Southport seaway, not looking too pretty but holding our heads high.
Jesse
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Getting Back on Track
Things are back on track already and that’s mostly thanks to Dean and the team at Gold Coast City Marina and also Joe at Australian Marine Enterprises (AME). Immediately after hearing the news of the accident, Gold Coast City Marina and AME stepped forward and offered to repair the damage and see that Ella’s Pink Lady gets back on the water as soon as possible. Ella’s Pink Lady has been treated like royalty and we’ve all been made to feel completely at home at such a fantastic facility.
After coming out of the water and into a shed on Thursday, work is already well underway. The damaged rigging, lifelines and bow fitting have been removed and the first layers of fiberglass have been laid on over the damaged areas. All things considered I’m still marveling at how well we did come off. Talk about a tough little boat. As we’ve been going over Ella's Pink Lady we’ve been discovering all sorts of unexpected things that did survive like the Hella navigation lights that worked perfectly despite a direct hit! I’ve also been thinking about how nice it was to be able to turn on my trusty Yanmar engine to get us home and to be able to use my Wichard knife to cutt away tangled lines. What a good job it did!
The guys have estimated that it’ll take 10 days to get Ella’s Pink Lady looking her best again and the rigging should’t be much longer. Luckily we’re still got some leftover pink paint handy! It's such a relief to have an enthusiastic team hard at work because I have to say, although I’m still completely positive, it might have taken me and the team a little while to have the energy to restore Ella's Pink Lady.
I’ll finish up with another thank you to all my sponsors who’ve made it clear that they're here through thick and thin.
Jessica
After coming out of the water and into a shed on Thursday, work is already well underway. The damaged rigging, lifelines and bow fitting have been removed and the first layers of fiberglass have been laid on over the damaged areas. All things considered I’m still marveling at how well we did come off. Talk about a tough little boat. As we’ve been going over Ella's Pink Lady we’ve been discovering all sorts of unexpected things that did survive like the Hella navigation lights that worked perfectly despite a direct hit! I’ve also been thinking about how nice it was to be able to turn on my trusty Yanmar engine to get us home and to be able to use my Wichard knife to cutt away tangled lines. What a good job it did!
The guys have estimated that it’ll take 10 days to get Ella’s Pink Lady looking her best again and the rigging should’t be much longer. Luckily we’re still got some leftover pink paint handy! It's such a relief to have an enthusiastic team hard at work because I have to say, although I’m still completely positive, it might have taken me and the team a little while to have the energy to restore Ella's Pink Lady.
I’ll finish up with another thank you to all my sponsors who’ve made it clear that they're here through thick and thin.
Jessica
Friday, September 11, 2009
What a week. From the highs of departing Mooloolaba, my home port, with family, friends and media waving me off, to the incredible turn of events soon after.
I think it's fair to say that there aren't many people left that haven't heard about the incident on Tuesday night. Basically, Ella’s Pink Lady was hit by a 225 meter long bulk carrier just before 2:00am causing damage to the hull, breaking the mast in two and destroying the rigging. Ella’s Pink Lady was running navigation lights and collision avoidance equipment, but I can't go into further details as we currently have three different departments investigating the collision.
The big thing is that I’m safe and well and that although Ella’s Pink Lady has suffered some pretty bad damage, it’s all repairable.
I won’t play it down. It was a pretty scary and dangerous incident. The sound of Ella’s Pink Lady being scraped along the hull of a 63,000 tonne ship isn’t something that I’m likely to ever forget. But at the same time I’m proud of the way the whole team handled the situation. From my first call back to base everything was under control, and looking back it was amazing to see years of planning for such an emergency click into place.
Up to this point I had only ever been able to read about and discuss what to do in such a situation. So in many ways it was really comforting to know that I was able to keep a completely cool head and instinctively know what needed to be done.
After we separated, there was quite a bit of work clearing the deck, which looked a lot like war zone, before starting up the engine and motoring into the nearest port, Southport.
Has it put me off? Well no, I’m as determined as ever, and to be honest if an incident like this had put me off I can’t have been very serious about it to begin with. More than anything it taught us all an amazing amount about how tight the team is and just how prepared I am.
The media and public interest over the collision has been overwhelming. When the news got out (very quickly) I had choppers following me all day, a fleet of boats to escort me in and hundreds of people standing on the break waters. Thank you to everyone who came out to support me.
Although I did not require assistance, the Rescue Coordination Centre (in Canberra) was very supportive and the Gold Coast Water Police did an amazing job of helping me through the mayhem of media and spectator boats to the marina.
Now, it’s all about looking forward. Things are already underway to get Ella’s Pink Lady restored to her original beauty. The support we’ve had here on the Gold Coast and everywhere has been overwhelming, but more on that soon.
It seems that this has only set us back a couple of weeks. We will know for sure over the weekend. Stay tuned.
You can find information from the press conference on the news section of my website www.jessicawatson.com.au
Thanks again to everyone for their interest and support.
I think it's fair to say that there aren't many people left that haven't heard about the incident on Tuesday night. Basically, Ella’s Pink Lady was hit by a 225 meter long bulk carrier just before 2:00am causing damage to the hull, breaking the mast in two and destroying the rigging. Ella’s Pink Lady was running navigation lights and collision avoidance equipment, but I can't go into further details as we currently have three different departments investigating the collision.
The big thing is that I’m safe and well and that although Ella’s Pink Lady has suffered some pretty bad damage, it’s all repairable.
I won’t play it down. It was a pretty scary and dangerous incident. The sound of Ella’s Pink Lady being scraped along the hull of a 63,000 tonne ship isn’t something that I’m likely to ever forget. But at the same time I’m proud of the way the whole team handled the situation. From my first call back to base everything was under control, and looking back it was amazing to see years of planning for such an emergency click into place.
Up to this point I had only ever been able to read about and discuss what to do in such a situation. So in many ways it was really comforting to know that I was able to keep a completely cool head and instinctively know what needed to be done.
After we separated, there was quite a bit of work clearing the deck, which looked a lot like war zone, before starting up the engine and motoring into the nearest port, Southport.
Has it put me off? Well no, I’m as determined as ever, and to be honest if an incident like this had put me off I can’t have been very serious about it to begin with. More than anything it taught us all an amazing amount about how tight the team is and just how prepared I am.
The media and public interest over the collision has been overwhelming. When the news got out (very quickly) I had choppers following me all day, a fleet of boats to escort me in and hundreds of people standing on the break waters. Thank you to everyone who came out to support me.
Although I did not require assistance, the Rescue Coordination Centre (in Canberra) was very supportive and the Gold Coast Water Police did an amazing job of helping me through the mayhem of media and spectator boats to the marina.
Now, it’s all about looking forward. Things are already underway to get Ella’s Pink Lady restored to her original beauty. The support we’ve had here on the Gold Coast and everywhere has been overwhelming, but more on that soon.
It seems that this has only set us back a couple of weeks. We will know for sure over the weekend. Stay tuned.
You can find information from the press conference on the news section of my website www.jessicawatson.com.au
Thanks again to everyone for their interest and support.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Leaving Home and the Sunshine Coast
The last few days have been pretty busy in the lead up to departure from the Sunshine Coast this morning. After feeling like I’d never get away for so long, the last few days have been a bit of a blur!
It was so nice to set off knowing that Ella’s Pink Lady was completely ready with everything neatly packed, and what a send off I got! I wasn’t at all prepared for all people lining the river to wave or the small fleet of boats that saw me out the harbour, not to mention the two helicopters buzzing around over head. It was amazing to have all that support from the Sunshine Coast, I have to admit it was all a bit of fun and I couldn’t help feeling so proud of Ella’s Pink Lady looking so sturdy and with all the pretty new signage.
Of course I couldn’t leave without my brother Tom and sister Hannah having the last say, when I came below for the first time after setting sail, I found that they’d left messages and jokes all over my walls!
Even when the last boats had left me to head back into the river I still wasn’t going anywhere too fast, with hardly any wind right on the nose I didn’t lose sight of Mooloolaba for quite a while. But luckily the wind picked up and we covered a few miles this afternoon. I had fun just enjoying the sunshine and cracked open my first can of potatoes to fry up into chips for afternoon tea.
So right now I’m sailing along at 6 knots off Cape Moreton, there are a few fishing boats around and I’ve been spotting a few whales. It’s nice and flat with perfect sailing conditions but I’m still being a bit careful to ensure my food stays down till I get my sea legs in a few days.
Ok, I better go and fire the radar up, turn the navigation lights on and have one last check of everything on deck before it gets dark. Then I might think about some dinner before grabbing some cat naps of sleep.
Till tomorrow,
Jessica
It was so nice to set off knowing that Ella’s Pink Lady was completely ready with everything neatly packed, and what a send off I got! I wasn’t at all prepared for all people lining the river to wave or the small fleet of boats that saw me out the harbour, not to mention the two helicopters buzzing around over head. It was amazing to have all that support from the Sunshine Coast, I have to admit it was all a bit of fun and I couldn’t help feeling so proud of Ella’s Pink Lady looking so sturdy and with all the pretty new signage.
Of course I couldn’t leave without my brother Tom and sister Hannah having the last say, when I came below for the first time after setting sail, I found that they’d left messages and jokes all over my walls!
Even when the last boats had left me to head back into the river I still wasn’t going anywhere too fast, with hardly any wind right on the nose I didn’t lose sight of Mooloolaba for quite a while. But luckily the wind picked up and we covered a few miles this afternoon. I had fun just enjoying the sunshine and cracked open my first can of potatoes to fry up into chips for afternoon tea.
So right now I’m sailing along at 6 knots off Cape Moreton, there are a few fishing boats around and I’ve been spotting a few whales. It’s nice and flat with perfect sailing conditions but I’m still being a bit careful to ensure my food stays down till I get my sea legs in a few days.
Ok, I better go and fire the radar up, turn the navigation lights on and have one last check of everything on deck before it gets dark. Then I might think about some dinner before grabbing some cat naps of sleep.
Till tomorrow,
Jessica
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Packing
Amazingly, packing all the food into Ella's Pink Lady has been going well, after all that initial panicking, everything's actually fitting in so well. The mounds of food piled up in the spare room have somehow fitted neatly into the bow. With Mum putting the hard work in to ensure that everything's packed in the right order hopefully there aren't too many phone calls starting along the lines of 'Mum where's the...?'
So far its looks like there'll still be room for me on board too! but there is still a lot more gear to be stowed. Everything has to be carefully tied in place and anything that might get damaged has to be wrapped up and stored in a dry bag. Luckily packing my personal things has been really simple, there's not room for much! But thanks to everyone who has given me small good luck charms and cards to take along.
When I do finally set sail, I plan on taking around 10 days to sail down to Sydney so that I get plenty of time on the water the test all the systems and give Ella's Pink Lady a good run in. Then there'll be time in Sydney to make any last minute changes before departing and heading out into the Tasman Sea.
I still can't say exactly when I'll be sailing out of Mooloolaba and saying goodbye to the Sunshine Coast but I can say how much I'm looking forward to it! Everyone's been asking whether I'm feeling nervous but to be honest, I just cant wait to leave.
Make sure you keep an eye out in the Sunshine Coast Daily who have been running regular articles lately, some of them are below.
http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2009/sep/05/weather-keeps-jess-waiting/
http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2009/sep/04/yacht-blessed-solo-voyage-looms/
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Ella Bache!
Wow, some exciting news! You may have seen by now that Ella Bache have stepped on board as our major sponsor. I feel really proud to be representing such a great brand. Ella Bache have a long history in sailing and were heavily involved in the 18 foot skiffs in the 90s, that was all before my time but it was a pretty big thing back then.
Ella Baché’s mission is to inspire you to be the best you can be, something that I also strongly believe in, so I can see this being a great partnership! Pink Lady is now proudly named Ella’s Pink Lady. Wait till you see the new branding - it is very cool and totally cute but I wont say anymore or I’ll spoil the surprise. I’d like to say a huge thank you to John, Pippa, Kit and all the team at Ella Bache for their support and vision. I’m really looking forward to working with Ella Bache and also the media launch down in Sydney in a few weeks time.
While I’m on a roll I’d also like to thank Andrew and Scott from our management team at 5 Oceans Media, they’ve become an essential part of the team, securing and looking after our commercial deals. For me it’s a whole new world, often a big and scary one, so having these guys to help out is totally amazing!
They’ve certainly been hard at work firstly working on our broadcast partnership with ONE HD who will be following the voyage and be keeping everyone back on land updated. Then with Satcom who provided me with equipment that I can see myself becoming very attached to, the satellite communication gear! With Hachette, who are going to publish a book on the voyage and lately with Panasonic who recently came on board as our technology partner.
Its only with this amazing support from all my sponsors that we’ve got this far and I cant say how proud I’m going to be sailing out the heads in September with all their backing and belief behind me.
Thanks all for making it possible!
Ella Baché’s mission is to inspire you to be the best you can be, something that I also strongly believe in, so I can see this being a great partnership! Pink Lady is now proudly named Ella’s Pink Lady. Wait till you see the new branding - it is very cool and totally cute but I wont say anymore or I’ll spoil the surprise. I’d like to say a huge thank you to John, Pippa, Kit and all the team at Ella Bache for their support and vision. I’m really looking forward to working with Ella Bache and also the media launch down in Sydney in a few weeks time.
While I’m on a roll I’d also like to thank Andrew and Scott from our management team at 5 Oceans Media, they’ve become an essential part of the team, securing and looking after our commercial deals. For me it’s a whole new world, often a big and scary one, so having these guys to help out is totally amazing!
They’ve certainly been hard at work firstly working on our broadcast partnership with ONE HD who will be following the voyage and be keeping everyone back on land updated. Then with Satcom who provided me with equipment that I can see myself becoming very attached to, the satellite communication gear! With Hachette, who are going to publish a book on the voyage and lately with Panasonic who recently came on board as our technology partner.
Its only with this amazing support from all my sponsors that we’ve got this far and I cant say how proud I’m going to be sailing out the heads in September with all their backing and belief behind me.
Thanks all for making it possible!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Real Solo Sailing
This weekend I got the chance to do some proper solo sailing, without cameras and microphones!
I set off on Saturday afternoon into 25-30 knots of wind and a nice wet chop. Apparently Mum wasn’t too impressed when a big set of breaking waves rolled across the river entrance just after me, but Pink Lady and I were doing just fine. Pulling the sails up and settling onto a reach out to sea was all straight forward.
I’m really happy with how confident and easy everything feels. I have to admit, after everything was in order, it was a pretty special feeling sitting in the cockpit watching the boat sail along with the sun setting, land sinking off the horizon, and me working my way through a punnet of strawberries.
Saturday night was good fun too. Surfing along at up to 8 knots, blasting a mix of music that Emily, my sister, put together for me! And I wasn’t about to get bored with plenty of fishing boats and shipping to keep an eye out for.
Catching a bit of sleep in ten and fifteen minute catnaps kept me going. I can describe it as a lot like hitting snooze over and over in the morning! After the sun came up, I cooked breakfast on my little stove, enjoyed a cup of coffee in the sunshine, and spent the morning playing around with different sail combinations. Before coming in on Sunday, I took a leaf out of Jesse Martin's book and brushed my hair with a fork (I forgot a hairbrush!). Then, I finished up by checking my work with a mirror from my tool kit.
Next time I’m out on the water, I'll be heading down to Sydney. I’ll even be able to blog from out on the water, but before any of that we’ve got one big last challenge in front of us… somehow we have to fit the food in! It's hard to imagine how it's going to be possible when you see it all spread out in the spare room at home.
The following link is to an article in the local paper about the food:
http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2009/aug/28/spam-and-lollies-jessicas-voyage/
Thanks to everyone for leaving comments, its nice to know that someone out there is reading all this. And to answer a very common question: Yes I will have a tracker set up so that you’ll be able to follow my progress. So check out http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/ for the latest details on what's happening.
Jessica
I set off on Saturday afternoon into 25-30 knots of wind and a nice wet chop. Apparently Mum wasn’t too impressed when a big set of breaking waves rolled across the river entrance just after me, but Pink Lady and I were doing just fine. Pulling the sails up and settling onto a reach out to sea was all straight forward.
I’m really happy with how confident and easy everything feels. I have to admit, after everything was in order, it was a pretty special feeling sitting in the cockpit watching the boat sail along with the sun setting, land sinking off the horizon, and me working my way through a punnet of strawberries.
Saturday night was good fun too. Surfing along at up to 8 knots, blasting a mix of music that Emily, my sister, put together for me! And I wasn’t about to get bored with plenty of fishing boats and shipping to keep an eye out for.
Catching a bit of sleep in ten and fifteen minute catnaps kept me going. I can describe it as a lot like hitting snooze over and over in the morning! After the sun came up, I cooked breakfast on my little stove, enjoyed a cup of coffee in the sunshine, and spent the morning playing around with different sail combinations. Before coming in on Sunday, I took a leaf out of Jesse Martin's book and brushed my hair with a fork (I forgot a hairbrush!). Then, I finished up by checking my work with a mirror from my tool kit.
Next time I’m out on the water, I'll be heading down to Sydney. I’ll even be able to blog from out on the water, but before any of that we’ve got one big last challenge in front of us… somehow we have to fit the food in! It's hard to imagine how it's going to be possible when you see it all spread out in the spare room at home.
The following link is to an article in the local paper about the food:
http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2009/aug/28/spam-and-lollies-jessicas-voyage/
Thanks to everyone for leaving comments, its nice to know that someone out there is reading all this. And to answer a very common question: Yes I will have a tracker set up so that you’ll be able to follow my progress. So check out http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/ for the latest details on what's happening.
Jessica
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