Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Jessie Watson a young Australian sailor with big dreams.
An avid sailor since the age of 8, Jessie Watson, who turned 15 in May, has set her sights on becoming the youngest person to sail solo unassisted around the world. Jessie’s dream has been inspired by Kay Cottee, the first woman to make an unassisted solo sail around the world, and Jesse Martin, who currently holds the record for the youngest person to do so.
Jessie readily admits she has quite a task ahead of her just to set off on her quest and sees this as more of a challenge than the voyage itself. She has yet to do a solo sailing trip but is building her offshore experience having just returned from delivering boats from New Zealand to Vanuatu and Vanuatu to Australia. Jessie is also working towards her Yachtmaster qualifications.
She still needs a boat and has an S and S 34 or something equally suitable in mind, an ocean proven vessel that won’t cost the earth. Jessie is looking for a major sponsor to underwrite the voyage. Given the enthusiasm with which Australians supported Kay Cottee and Jesse Martin, this would almost certainly pay off for anyone who put their hand up.
To beat the current record Jessie has 3 years to prepare for and complete the voyage. It is a journey of approximately 27,000 nautical miles and can take 7 to 10 months to complete. This is a long time to spend on your own, especially when the going is tough. Jessie seems unfazed by this prospect and thinks the physical challenge of sailing and looking after the boat will outweigh the mental challenges.
Setting off from the east coast of Australia her route would take her eastwards and south of New Zealand. Crossing the Southern Ocean she would then round the notorious Cape Horn before heading north to a waypoint in the north Atlantic. Heading South again she will pass the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa then head east again towards Australia and her port of origin
Jessie has already experienced some critism about her objective along the lines of she is too young and inexperienced. However by the time she actually gets on the water she will most likely be 17 years old or close to it and will have spent that time preparing for the voyage.
Her parents are very supportive whilst admitting it wouldn’t be their first choice of all the challenges that are available. Given Jessie’s determination, their attitude is to make sure she is well prepared and completes the voyage as safely as possible. Jessie herself gives off an air of quiet determination. At no time when I was speaking with her did she even give the slightest hint that she wasn’t more than capable of becoming the youngest person to sail alone around the world.
If anyone is interested in sponsorship they can get in touch through our contact form on this website. Jessie also has a blog.
The first time you take your boat out at night it can seem quite daunting but if you do everything right it’s a very enjoyable experience.
It’s still common to see a barometer on many boats along with the ship’s clock although how many people rely on them these days is debatable.
Despite the increase in the use of electronic navigation devices, the magnetic compass is still an essential navigation instrument. It’s cheap, simple and reliable.
Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t venture out to sea these days without a GPS. However I also really like my paper charts and low-tech navigation tools. My favourite and, I would claim, indispensable navigation tool is the Portland speed-time-distance calculator. It’s just a simple, cheap, plastic slide rule with no batteries or buttons. It’s also impervious to saltwater, tea, coffee or rum for that matter.
Our activities as sailors are governed by the tides to a greater or lesser extent depending on where we are sailing. So what causes tides?
