Jessica Watson Latest News

40 Knot Winds and Heading East

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Overnight Jessica experienced the edge of the threatening front that has been lingering to the south of her for the past week, with the wind reaching over 4o knots. She has been sailing north to avoid this big front.

There was also another ship in close proximity overnight and Jessica made radio contact and had a pleasant conversation with the skipper.

The wind has today dropped back to 25-30 knots, with Jessica about to head due east again, before heading south east. She is making good progress and is now approximately 1,650 nautical miles (nm) from the Cape of Good Hope.

Jessica has now covered over 12,750 nm of her solo circumnavigation and based on the current proposed route, has approximately another 9,000nm to sail to reach her destination of Sydney Harbour.

For those Sydneysiders following the voyage, Jessica was today on the same Latitude as Sydney at 33° 50'S.

JESSICA PASSES 12,500 MILE MARK

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Jessica has continued to make good progress this week averaging over 120 nautical miles per day and earlier today passed the 12,500 nautical mile (nm) mark of her around the world voyage.

She has now begun heading east across the Atlantic Ocean, towards the Cape of Good Hope.

Jessica had remained on a more northerly course until today, to avoid a threatening system passing to the south.

Despite avoiding the worst of this large southern low, it is expected Jessica will still get some strong winds and heavy swell at some stage over the next 72 hours.

Jessica’s Voyage Wall Chart

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

You and all your friends can now follow Jessica’s voyage on the new wall chart, which Jessica has helped design for all her fans – it’s the perfect way to track her progress and support this amazing young Australian.

Click here for more information

Jessica’s Book – Around the World

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Many fans have made enquiries as to whether Jessica is planning to write a book.

We are pleased to confirm that Jessica will be writing a book about her amazing adventure sailing around the world.

It will be published by Hachette Australia in August 2010 and will be available wherever books are sold throughout Australia and New Zealand. We will update you on where you can purchase the book in other countries, as soon as we can.

FOLLOW JESSICA ON HER NEW SOCIAL MEDIA SITES

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

You can now follow and connect with Jessica and her team via the official Jessica Watson social media sites:

Twitter
http://twitter.com/watsonjessica

Facebook Fan Page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Watson-Official/275671364923

Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessica_watson

YouTube
http://youtube.com/jessicawatsonvideo

Half Way, 100 Days & Thank You!

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Jessica has now passed the halfway mark in her attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. She has now been sailing for 100 days and is approximately 1,500 nautical miles ahead of where we thought she'd be at this stage of her voyage.

Whilst Jessica still has another 11,000 nautical miles to cover, her parents Roger and Julie and all of her shore team are delighted to know she's officially homeward bound.

Jessica has been recovering after being hit by a raging storm on Friday in the southern Atlantic Ocean that damaged some of her equipment and left her bruised.

Another low pressure system is expected to cross Jessica’s path in the next 24 hours, with more forecasts of gale-force winds. But we are hoping she manages to avoid this one.

The good news is that Jessica has managed to catch up on some sleep and is again well-prepared.

There have been so many thousands of messages coming through in the past week, it has been impossible to reply to everyone. But Jessica and all her team would again like to extend a huge thank you to all the bloggers and supporters, especially after the big storm.

Bruce Arms of our shore team said the storm made it a tough 24 hours for everyone, but delighted with the way Jessica dealt with it.

“This was one of the hardest parts of the voyage to date for Jessica, her family and the team. The storm was a lot stronger than forecast, but Jessica and Ella’s Pink Lady (EPL) were well prepared for it,” said Bruce.

“Jessica showed incredible mental, physical strength and endurance during this tough time to bring EPL and herself through the storm. I am very proud of the way Jessica dealt with the situation and also the way the team all worked well together. It was a nervous time for everyone, but the outcome was truly wonderful and Jessica will carry on a stronger person”.

“This storm has showed Jessica to have all the seamanship skills to get through most things that the sea can throw at her and EPL”.

We can only hope that there won’t be any more storms as bad as that one, but if there is, we are all confident Jessica will handle it.

It is comforting to know that Jessica has so many fans urging her along, helping her to achieve her dream of sailing back into Sydney in May.

Jessica Rides Out Perfect Storm and Knockdowns

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Jessica Watson has faced her toughest test to date on her solo circumnavigation, having experienced a violent storm overnight with hurricane-force wind gusts of up to 70 knots and a swell of 7-10 metres, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Jessica also experienced her first knockdown and then had to endure three more during the eight hour storm. A ‘knockdown’ is when the mast goes below horizontal and into the sea. In Jessica's case, she was hit by a series of rogue waves.

During the storm, Jessica sailed past the 11,000 nautical mile mark. She was belted in to her wet-seat throughout.

Despite the horrific conditions and some minor damage, the good news is that both Jessica and Ella’s Pink Lady have fared well.

"We certainly copped a pounding out here, but we came through it all OK. It’s time like this when you realise why good preparation of the boat is so important. She handled it well," said Jessica.

The winds have now abated and the dolphins have returned. She is sailing along in more pleasant conditions with a 10 knot breeze and a 3 metre swell. Jessica is now cleaning up all the mess topside and is about to catch up on some sleep.

Jessica managed to capture some images of the rising sea just before the storm struck (refer below and also on her blog). Jessica will provide a more detailed update on her blog soon.

JESSICA CROSSES LAT & LONG 49, PREPARES FOR APPROACHING STORM

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

(11.30am AEDT)

Overnight Jessica crossed a point in the Atlantic Ocean where the latitude and longitude are the same number – 49 degrees South and 49 degrees West.

It is the only point of her voyage where the Latitude and Longitude are the same number.

Jessica and her yacht Ella’s Pink Lady continue to make good progress, but they are currently bracing for a storm with gusts of over 60 knots predicted today, which marks day 97 of her epic solo circumnavigation.

We will provide another update once the front passes and Jessica is clear of the storm.

WHAT A WEEK FOR JESSICA!

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

What a week it has been for Jessica Watson.

After experiencing the thrill of safely rounding Cape Horn, she then sailed passed the 10,000 nautical mile mark yesterday and to top off the best week of her voyage to date, her parents Julie and Roger finally got to see Jessica in Ella’s Pink Lady as they circled overhead in a small plane in what was a magic moment for them all.

We will share more details of the flyover with everyone tomorrow.

Jessica is now looking forward to the second half of the journey.

“This week has just been a dream come true. It is exciting to be at the half way point, but we still have a long way to go, so it is business as usual again,” said Jessica.

Jessica has asked us to post a special note of gratitude to everyone for their incredible support this week. She has had so much support that the website crashed briefly when we posted the announcement that she had rounded Cape Horn.

To the bloggers, you are now Jessica’s extended family with almost 1,000 comments on her last posting, setting a new record for the most comments!.

Finally, to the media, thank you for the positive coverage which has been widespread not only in Australia, but right around the globe. We appreciate it.

Mum and Dad Get To See Jessica

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Click the below link for all the information, pictures and video.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au

JESSICA CONQUERS CAPE HORN!

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

We are incredibly proud to announce that Jessica Watson has conquered the Mount Everest of the maritime world by rounding Cape Horn this evening at 8.40pm (AEDT), doing so in 40 knot winds, mist, drizzle and a bumpy 4 metre sea.

However, the miserable conditions have not dampened the spirits of this inspirational 16 year old who is having the time of her life out there!

The predicted gales hit as scheduled today and Jessica has been sailing in 30-40 knot winds for the past 24 hours, but they are expected to abate soon as she heads north east towards the Falklands.

Jessica has now sailed 9,800nm on day 88 of her solo circumnavigation as she approaches the half way mark of her journey. Whilst there is much work still to do for Jessica, this day is one she will never forget.

Fnally, a huge thank you to all the loyal bloggers for your wonderful contributions to Jessica’s journey to date. The image below is a tribute to Jessica and her team on behalf of all the bloggers, from blogger Samurai (Sam).

More detailed updates on Jessica’s rounding will be posted tomorrow (AEDT).

JESSICA PREPARING FOR MORE STRONG WINDS BEFORE ROUNDING THE CAPE

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

As Jessica prepares to round the infamous Cape Horn, she may first have to face more gale force winds over the next 24 hours, the result of a low pressure system to the south of her current position.

Jessica is currently 150 nautical miles from Cape Horn, sailing in winds of 20 knots and a 3-4 metre swell. She is well prepared for the possible and excited about rounding the Cape.

“It is only 20 knots at the moment, but it looks like we may get some stronger winds before we round the Cape. But Ella’s Pink Lady is doing fine and we are in good shape for whatever conditions we may face,” said Jessica.

Despite the forecast of strong winds during the next 24 hours, the good news is that conditions are expected to improve as she rounds the Cape.

On current predictions, it is expected Jessica will achieve one of her dreams and round the Cape at some stage on Thursday morning (AEDT). Note her currnent position is 14 hours behind AEDT.

Slowly But Surely Heading Towards the Cape

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Despite being becalmed over much of the past three days, Jessica is slowly but surely edging her way towards Cape Horn and is now less than 300 nautical miles away.

The wind is predicted to increase over the next 48 hours and Jessica will round the Cape during the week.

We would like to thank everyone for their kind messages of support and also for your patience during this exciting part of Jessica’s journey. We promise to share it all with you via the blog with pictures and video, so please remain patient. Thank you.

9,000 MILES AND TOUGH SOUTHERN OCEAN CONDITIONS

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Jessica has now passed the 9,000 mile mark of her 23,000 nautical mile solo circumnavigation, in classic Southern Ocean conditions. She is now less than 700 miles from rounding Cape Horn.

The wind tonight has dropped to 15-20 knots with a gentle 3 metre swell. This is a welcome relief for Jessica, as the past 24 hours have been tough, with winds gusting up to 42 knots with a steep 5 metre swell.

For those thousands of well-wishers anxious for the latest update, we want to assure you that Jessica is well rested and in good spirits.

“I have been catching up on some sleep over the last couple of days and the cabin temp is back up to 7 degrees, which is a little more comfortable now,”said Jessica.

Whilst enduring tough conditions, Jessica is also enjoying the challenge of the fierce Southern Ocean.

“It is incredible down here. The wind is freezing and it really packs a punch. It is not like your normal wind, it is much heavier. And the way the sea behaves here is also quite unique, so you really have to respect the Southern Ocean. But it is just an amazing experience sailing in conditions like this.”

On current predictions, Jessica should round the Cape sometime early next week and will hit the 10,000 mile mark soon after.

30 KNOT WINDS BUT PROGRESSING WELL

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Jessica is currently sailing in 30 knot winds and a 4 metre swell as she battles another storm on her way to Cape Horn.

The air temperature has dropped below 7 degrees and she has experienced sleet, rain and hail.

But the good news for her growing army of loyal fans all eagerly awaiting another update, is that Jessica has again performed admirably today in these testing conditions. Acutely aware of the importance of staying warm and keeping energy levels up, Jessica is wearing her drysuit and she has eaten well today with two large meals, including beef stroganoff for lunch.

We will update you further on Jessica's progress tomorrow, as she is unlikely to be able to post another blog until this storm passes and conditions improve.