Aussie Teen Girl Completes Solo Round-The-World Sail
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By The Associated Press
National Public Radio
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Teen sailor Jessica Watson arrives back home in Sydney following her world record attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world, in Sydney Harbour on Saturday in Sydney, Australia.(Mark Kolbe)
A 16-year-old Australian who spent seven months at sea in her pink
yacht sailed across the finish line of her round-the-world journey
Saturday, becoming the youngest sailor to circle the globe solo,
nonstop and unassisted.
Thousands of
spectators erupted into cheers as Jessica Watson sailed into Sydney
Harbour, the finale to an epic adventure in which she battled 40-foot
(12-meter) waves, homesickness and critics who said she'd never make it
home alive.
"She said she'd
sail around the world, and she has," a tearful Julie Watson said as she
watched her grinning daughter cruise past the finish line from a nearby
boat. "She's home."
Watson docked at
Sydney's iconic Opera House. The teenager burst into tears and gasped
in relief as she stepped off the yacht and into the arms of her
parents, whose decision to let their daughter attempt the feat was
called an act of insanity by critics.
She hung onto her
father and brother as she walked slowly and tentatively along a pink
carpet rolled out in her honor — her first steps on land in 210 days.
Fans screamed and waved as she walked by, many wearing pink clothes and
holding pink flags in a nod to her 34-foot (10-meter) yacht, Ella's
Pink Lady.
"People don't
think you're capable of these things — they don't realize what young
people, what 16-year-olds and girls are capable of," Watson told the
raucous crowd. "It's amazing when you take away those expectations what
you can do."
Watson, from
Buderim, north of Brisbane in Queensland state, sailed out of Sydney on
Oct. 18 despite protests by critics that she was too immature and
inexperienced for the treacherous journey. Her parents maintained that
she was well-prepared and noted she has been sailing since the age of
8.
"I don't think
any of us would ever doubt Jessica Watson again," said New South Wales
state Premier Kristina Keneally, who greeted Watson at the Opera House.
Watson's journey
took her northeast through the South Pacific and across the equator,
south to Cape Horn at the tip of South America, across the Atlantic
Ocean to South Africa, through the Indian Ocean and around southern
Australia.
Australian Jesse
Martin holds the current record for the youngest person to sail around
the world solo, nonstop and unassisted, after he completed the journey
in 1999 at the age of 18.
Martin boarded
Watson's boat to take over during her cruise toward the Opera House, so
she could relax and wave to fans. Watson was given a goodie bag that
included a can of whipped cream, which she partially injected into her
mouth before laughing and turning away from the cameras.
She was also
joined on board by Britain's Mike Perham, who completed a solo
circumnavigation at the age of 17 in 2009, though technical problems
forced him to stop for assistance.
Watson's feat,
however, will not be considered an official world record, because the
World Speed Sailing Record Council discontinued its "youngest"
category.
And though she
sailed nearly 23,000 nautical miles, some sailing enthusiasts have also
argued that Watson didn't travel far enough north of the equator for
her journey to count as a true round-the-world sail as defined by the
record council's rules. Watson's managers have dismissed those claims
and argued she doesn't need to adhere to the council's rules anyway,
since they won't be recognizing her voyage.
The route took
Watson through some of the world's most treacherous waters, and the
teen battled through monstrous storms, suffering seven knockdowns.
Watson said she had moments of doubt during those times, but generally kept her spirits up.
"Amazingly, I just enjoyed it much, much more than I ever thought I
would and handled the challenges better than I thought," she told
journalists. "You don't actually have a choice — you're in the middle
of a storm, you're being knocked down — you can't fall apart."
But her journey
was also peppered with moments of beauty. On her blog, she described
stunning sunrises over glassy seas, the excitement of spotting a blue
whale and the dazzling, eerie sight of a shooting star racing across
the night sky above her boat.
She also had fun,
chatting about boys and fashion with "Silly," a little brown seabird
that landed on her yacht and hung around for awhile.
She sang at the
top of her lungs with no audience to critique her and indulged her
sweet tooth with chocolate cupcakes she baked in her tiny kitchen. A
video she shot shows her giggling while dumping a ceremonial bucket of
saltwater over her head after crossing the equator.
Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd greeted Watson at the Opera House with a grin and a hug,
dubbing her "Australia's newest hero" — a description Watson dismissed.
"I'm actually
going to disagree with the Prime Minister," she said, as the crowd
laughed. "I don't consider myself a hero. I'm an ordinary girl who
believed in her dream."
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