Official Jessica Watson Blog

Well as I’m busy with study at the moment I shouldn’t really have a lot to tell you! I’m trying desperately to just be a boring student with a life that revolves around classes and homework, but life just doesn’t seem to work out like that. The school work is going well, nothing particularly exciting but a new challenge in a different kind of way.

So on to more exciting news. We recently had the State (QLD) and Commonwealth Governments chip in to ensure that Ella’s Pink Lady stayed here in Queensland.  Premier Anna Bligh and Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan came along to make the announcement at the launch of Queensland’s Season of Sailing. I’m an ambassador for Queensland’s Season of Sailing which is a collection of our biggest and best sailing events on the coast. So my job of was to ring the bell to officially launch it, whilst Anna Bligh and Wayne Swans were there to formally announce that Ella’s Pink Lady was going to a new home in the Queensland Maritime Museum here in Brisbane.   

There really couldn’t be a better place for Ella’s Pink Lady. It’s perfect that she’s going somewhere she’ll be so well looked after. Now everyone can come and admire her. Yes, I have to admit that it was a little hard to hand her over. But I’m lucky to have her so close to my home on the Sunshine Coast, so I can come and visit her! At the moment the guys at the Museum are doing a great job of getting her set up in time for the holidays.    

Last weekend was another distraction from study with a quick visit to New Zealand for the Trans Tasman Business leadership forum. My little sister Hannah accompanied me as my guardian and we listened to some of our top business and political leaders talk about the relationships between Australia and New Zealand, in relation to all sorts of issues, before it was my turn to speak alongside Jamie Fenton the Young New Zealander of the Year. Jamie, who is only 7 days older than me, is a serious genius. She passed her high school science certificate aged 8 and since then had gone on to achieve some amazing things academically, through charity work and she even invented a gadget that is used in exam rooms to monitor the noise levels! Both of us share very similar beliefs about the things young people particularly can achieve if we set our minds to it. So it was great to finish the conference with a strong reminder that young people can achieve great things. 

Also in New Zealand I had the chance to catch up with Bob McDavitt, my weather router who looked after Ella’s Pink Lady and I during the voyage. It was really nice to spend a bit of time sightseeing around Auckland with Bob, talking about things other than the weather for once! Hannah and I also had the chance to drop in and briefly catch up with a few of our NZ relatives.

We also have Easter coming up which means two things for me. Firstly, the Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race. One of Queensland’s biggest races held on the Easter weekend which I’ll be talking part in. I’m crewing on Big Wave Rider, a 47ft catamaran. I’m really looking forward to getting out on the water after all this study but the thing that I’m really looking forward to about Easter is chocolate! And if you buy a Chocolate Bilby, you will be helping this great cause to Save our Bilbys.   

Well I’m going to finish up and get back to work on my English assignment now!

Jess 

Pic 1: I made sure that my trusty crew stayed on Ella’s Pink Lady to keep her company in the Museum!

Pic 2: With Jamie Fenton, the Young New Zealander or the Year