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Old May 14th, 2010 #1
Darius Appleby
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Arrow 16-year-old White Australian girl returns to Sydney sailing solo around the world

http://www.smh.com.au/national/crowd...ml?autostart=1

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...15/2900249.htm

Sydney gets ready to welcome Watson home

VIDEO: Jessica Watson almost home (ABC News)
MAP: Sydney 2000
RELATED STORY: Watson befitting of young Australian award: MP
RELATED STORY: Manager to shadow Watson on final stretch

Jessica Watson is nearing the finish line in her quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.

A flotilla has gathered at Sydney Heads and thousands of spectators are on the harbour foreshore to herald the arrival of the 16-year-old from Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Watson was expected to arrive at the Opera House about 11:30am (AEST) but has been delayed, battling six metre swells and rough conditions for the final leg of her journey.

The main sail on her yacht, Ella's Pink Lady, has been ripped so she is now making her way without it.

Her mentor and project manager Bruce Arms says this should not affect the rest of her journey.

"I think it's one she stitched up before," he said.

"It just looks a little bit see through but it all looks to be holding at the moment so it should be pretty good to the finish."

Mr Arms sailed beside Watson overnight and says she is going through her last preparations.

"She's very, very nervous at the moment and she's very, very excited," he said.

"We came across her about 8:00pm last night we had all our lights on and she had all her lights on and her face was just lit up with a big glow on it - it was just fantastic to see."

The latest news is that she will round the heads and cross the finish line within the hour but those details have been changing by the minute.

One spectator says reports Watson's attempt will not break official records do not matter to her.

"I don't think it puts a dampener on it from an Australian point of view," she said.

"I don't think any of us care about that."

Maritime authorities have created an exclusion zone around Watson's yacht as it approaches Sydney Heads, the finish line for her journey.

Customs will then board and stamp her passport and a helmsman will steer her boat through the harbour to a jetty at the Opera House where her family and manager waiting.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally will then welcome her home officially.

Epic journey

Watson set off on her round the world trip on October 17, 2009.

She was hoping to become the youngest person to ever sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.

However, it is unlikely Watson will hold the record after the officials from the UK-based World Speed Sailing Racing Council said she had not sailed far enough north of the equator.

The council says she will also not be recognised as the youngest person to sail around the world because it has discontinued the category.

But Watson has made it clear she is unfazed by the record debate.

"Call me immature but I've actually been having a bit of a giggle over the whole thing," she wrote in her blog.

"If I haven't been sailing around the world, then it beats me what I've been doing out here all this time!

"Yes it's a shame that my voyage won't be recognised by a few organisations because I'm under 18, but it really doesn't worry me."

Watson's journey has seen her sail almost 23,000 nautical miles, crossing the equator twice and rounding Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope.

Some of the most challenging conditions came when Watson was closer to home however, when wild storms plagued her during the final weeks of the trip in the Southern Ocean.

Wind gusts of up to 50 knots, 10-metre swells and lightning storms tested the young sailor and Watson said she could not relax despite being so close to the finish line.

"The last few days have been a bit tough (yes that's an upgrade from the usual interesting!), with strong headwinds, messy seas, lots of lightning and a few high drama moments," Watson wrote on her blog.

"With this weather keeping me on my toes, there's no way I'm relaxing in the slightest."

Watson's last three days at sea have seen less challenging conditions, but it has not been all smooth sailing.

The mainsail tear was caused earlier today by 30-knot winds as she sailed up the New South Wales south coast.

- ABC/AAP


http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/

Jessica_Watson Jessica_Watson


Teen sailor Jessica Watson has spent seven months alone at sea aboard her yacht, Ella's Pink Lady. (AAP: Dean Lewins)

Last edited by Darius Appleby; May 27th, 2010 at 06:00 PM.
 
Old May 14th, 2010 #2
Mr. Bowmont
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OMG that boat is so cute.
 
Old May 15th, 2010 #3
Darius Appleby
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Arrow I'm no hero, says humble Jessica

http://www.smh.com.au/national/im-no...0515-v54u.html

I'm no hero, says humble Jessica
GLENDA KWEK AND AAP
May 15, 2010 - 4:59PM
Click for more photos
JESSICA WATSON RETURNS

Jessica Watson coming through Sydney Heads after crossing the finish line. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

Solo teen sailor Jessica Watson says she's not a hero, but just "an ordinary girl who had a dream".

The 16-year-old was welcomed by thousands of cheering people at the Opera House and on a flotilla of boats crowding Sydney Harbour just before 3pm this afternoon after a 210-day round-the-world voyage.

"I'm completely overwhelmed. I just don't know what to think at the moment," she told Channel Ten as her yacht sailed into the harbour.

Jessica Watson coming through Sydney Heads. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

Wearing a broad grin and looking none the worse for her epic voyage, Jessica battled to answer questions from the Channel Ten commentators.

The Sydney Harbour was turned into a spectacular reception area, as hundreds of boats crammed into the narrow waters to greet the young adventurer on her small, pink yacht.

Fears that Watson would struggle to walk after such a long time at sea were unfounded, as she made her way up a pink carpet to the Opera House forecourt.

Greeted by the Prime Minister

She was greeted by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who hailed her as "Australia's newest hero".

"You do our nation proud," he said.

"You are a hero for young Australians ... and young Australian women."

But Watson said she had to disagree with Mr Rudd as "I don't consider myself a hero".

"I'm an ordinary girl who had a dream.

"You just have to have a dream and set your mind to it."

The Queenslander squealed, cried and waved as she saw her family for the first time in seven months on an adjacent boat.

"It's all a bit much but absolutely amazing," Watson said. "It's going to be strange to step off the boat."

Watson reflected on times when, as a girl growing up and learning about sailing, she had been overlooked because of her gender.

"As a little girl ... people don't think you're capable of these things. They don't realise what young people, what 16-year-olds, and what girls are capable of.

"It is amazing when you take away those expectations what you can do and what you can achieve.

Praise for overcoming knockers

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally has praised teenage sailor Jessica Watson for taking on risks and winning.

"There's so many of us who wonder if we can risk to do what we dream ... we get afraid of risks," Ms Keneally told the crowd at Sydney Harbour, welcoming the sailor home on Saturday.

"Jessica, you have won, you have won against fear and doubt."

Overcoming the "knockers and the doomsayers" showed dreams could come true, the premier said.

"You've truly captured the hearts of all Australians, and you've inspired them."

- with agencies

http://www.smh.com.au/national/im-no...0515-v54u.html

Last edited by Darius Appleby; May 27th, 2010 at 06:00 PM.
 
Old May 15th, 2010 #4
Frank Toliver
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This is a great accomplishment.
__________________
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Old May 15th, 2010 #5
White Winger
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And already totally ignored by 99% of our "media", as it was not a non-White. Soon to be re-written out of history........

And as usual, while Whitey is doing something dangerous,daring,exciting,requiring total use of their brain,something substantive and useful,the average 16 year old shitskinned,niggababbling,excuse-making,Whitey-blaming,backward,3rd "world" sub-animal is shitting out more backward,excuse-making,Whitey-blaming,shit-skinned sub-animals to leech off Our system( No,niggorillas,Whitey DID NOT leech off your "hard work" in the "slavery" days........)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
No,niggers don't have a thin skin - they have no skin

INTEGRATION ALWAYS LEADS TO DISINTEGRATION
 
Old May 15th, 2010 #6
Karl LaForce
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Default Welcome home Jessica!

Welcome home Jessica! This is a big deal. I hope she writes a book; I remember reading the book “Dove” twice as a boy and it was a big influence on me. It is important for our young people to read about typical Aryan behavior.
 
Old May 15th, 2010 #7
Darius Appleby
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Default essica Watson and the image of a hardy sailor

http://www.sail-world.com/Asia/pda.c...estTimeOut=180

Sail-World.com Sunday 16 May 2010

Jessica Watson and the image of a hardy sailor

Sun, 16 May 2010

She looks too slender to put on a winch, not strong enough to pull in a spinnaker, not old enough to put on the wheel, and too frail for an ocean journey.

If Jessica Watson walked down the wharf at any yacht club looking for a sail in a Saturday afternoon race, it's likely that most skippers would smile indulgently and tell her to come back next year.

The sixteen-year-old teenager has just destroyed forever the image of what makes a hardy sailor.

While the sailing fraternity have been overwhelmingly in admiration of her sailing skills, the non-sailing population of Australia were incredulous first at the very idea of what she planned, and flabbergasted when she actually carried it out. As she slowly picked off the southern capes that she had to pass to sail herself round the globe and back to Sydney, the wonder, and the attention grew.

When the tiny figure emerged from her 34ft boat on Sunday, hugged her parents and then began her long walk around Sydney's Opera House on her pink welcome mat to meet the Prime Minister, her slenderness – she's lost several kilos during the voyage – and simplicity were a stunning contrast against the lavishness of the welcome.

The small teenager who emerged from her seven months at sea to a hero's welcome has simply done what she announced she would do when she was fourteen, get into a sailing boat and sail herself around the world.

It's to be hoped, for the sake of Australia's sailing mothers, that there won't be dozens of fourteen-year-olds planning the same thing. There only needed to be one, to inspire a nation with the idea, as Jessica put it, that 'you don't have to be special, you just have to have a dream, and work hard to achieve it.'

Universal advice, the kind of advice that can make a nation great - from a slip of a girl who still doesn't look as though she could get a sail on a Saturday afternoon in a yacht club.

by Nancy Knudsen

http://www.sail-world.com/Asia/pda.c...estTimeOut=180

Last edited by Darius Appleby; May 27th, 2010 at 06:00 PM.
 
Old May 15th, 2010 #8
white_phosphorous
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I have to disagree with you all; I find this just plain stupid. Now whay\t, we get what we had in the US, where a 14 yr old girl was trying to fly across the country by herself until she flew right into a hill? So next we get a 15 yr old trying it? Let her sail with her dad, get her friggen degree, sail around the world when she's 21. If she's doing it for fun and not a media stunt, won't matter. Last thing we need is more young White girls in danger, as if the multicult assault isn't enough.
 
Old May 16th, 2010 #9
Darius Appleby
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Arrow Bad start, but made it...

Quote:
Originally Posted by white_phosphorous View Post
I have to disagree with you all; I find this just plain stupid. Now whay\t, we get what we had in the US, where a 14 yr old girl was trying to fly across the country by herself until she flew right into a hill? So next we get a 15 yr old trying it? Let her sail with her dad, get her friggen degree, sail around the world when she's 21. If she's doing it for fun and not a media stunt, won't matter. Last thing we need is more young White girls in danger, as if the multicult assault isn't enough.
At the start of her trip 7 months ago I thought the same thing. On her first day she hit a container ship while she was asleep, damaging the boat forcing her to shore for repairs. If this is how it started, the end was not going to be pretty.

Although she has been blogging on her site I didn't follow this, and the first time people heard about her again was a couple of weeks ago when she approached Western Australia. By the time she approached the East Coast of Australia it seemed she was going to make it, and public sentiment changed to one of supportive welcome home.

Sky news and 2 of the 3 commercial television networks in Australia carried the entrance to Sydney Harbour live, and there has been widespread media coverage on all formats. I did see a brief mention of it on UK Sky, but I wouldn't be surprised if it received only a brief mention in the US. The US media tends to treat the US as being the only country on the planet, so Americans get a very distorted sense of their own importance in the world.

Jessica_Watson Jessica_Watson
There is a 15 year old US girl who has started the trip from Mexico and a 14 year old girl from the Netherlands who started the trip from Spain and these are underway right now. As all three girls are under the age of 18 they will not be recognised by the sailing body that makes the rules for these attempts.
 
Old May 16th, 2010 #10
white_phosphorous
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Darius Appleby View Post
At the start of her trip 7 months ago I thought the same thing. On her first day she hit a container ship while she was asleep, damaging the boat forcing her to shore for repairs. If this is how it started, the end was not going to be pretty.

Although she has been blogging on her site I didn't follow this, and the first time people heard about her again was a couple of weeks ago when she approached Western Australia. By the time she approached the East Coast of Australia it seemed she was going to make it, and public sentiment changed to one of supportive welcome home.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Watson
There is a 15 year old US girl who has started the trip from Mexico and a 14 year old girl from the Netherlands who started the trip from Spain and these are underway right now. As all three girls are under the age of 18 they will not be recognised by the sailing body that makes the rules for these attempts.
wow, see I didn't even know about her having hit the ship. From one angle, I would certainly rather have my daughter doing this than dating negroes and listening to "rap," but at a time when OZ only has 20 million Whites, I feel like starting a race among rich aussie country clubbers for who has the youngest daughter to circumnavigate the globe isn't the best idea. She'd do better to have herself 7 nice, White kids who look like her.

btw- I'll bet you the three other girls trying it now are all White girls from good families pressured by their dads, and at least one ends up as shark food. Plus, isn't hurricane season soon upon us? What are these parents thinking?
 
Old May 16th, 2010 #11
white_phosphorous
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also, do these girls have an escort vessel when they sail? Why do I get the feeling at least one of them is going to get lost and we're going to end up paying our Navy to search the ocean for a capsized boat for a week? I mean, I guess it's good for the race in a way, but the precedent it sets for other girls to follow who might not have her luck or skill is cary.

edit- lol, yep, the US girl trying it is named Abby Sunderland and could be jessica's sister; White, blonde, good family. Dutch girl was stopped by authorities in the Caribbean bc she was too young. Yep, so race is a "social construct," race does not exist and does not matter they tell us; but both girls to sail around the world (the american girl is about 3/4 there) happen to be blonde, blue-eyed.
 
Old May 16th, 2010 #12
Darius Appleby
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Arrow No escort vessels, they are on their own.

Quote:
Originally Posted by white_phosphorous View Post
also, do these girls have an escort vessel when they sail? Why do I get the feeling at least one of them is going to get lost and we're going to end up paying our Navy to search the ocean for a capsized boat for a week? I mean, I guess it's good for the race in a way, but the precedent it sets for other girls to follow who might not have her luck or skill is cary.
No escort vessels, they are on their own.

Jessica has been interviewed on television tonight talking about how during storms the boat was turned upside down. The design of the boat with a lead filled keel means that it returns upright quickly. There is some visible damage to the hull of the pink boat and also some damage to the solar panels.

The parents certainly have to be supportive of the plan, mortgaging their houses to fund the trip in the case of Jesse Martin, the Australian who was 18 when he achieved the record for his attempt.
Jesse_Martin Jesse_Martin
He and Jessica will have enough media and sponsorship opportunities to repay their parents for the financial cost. If this becomes a common occurrence these opportunities for financial returns would be fewer.

Although the parents were supportive, and insisted that everything be well prepared in advance, I don't think they were pushing Jessica to do this. Arguing with the Prime Minister yesterday that she is not a hero, but an ordinary girl who had a dream, shows that Jessica is someone who knows what she wanted.

The weather conditions for the trip are never going to be good for a journey like this, so anyone attempting it needs to be prepared to weather the storms.
 
Old May 16th, 2010 #13
white_phosphorous
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Darius Appleby View Post
No escort vessels, they are on their own.

Jessica has been interviewed on television tonight talking about how during storms the boat was turned upside down. The design of the boat with a lead filled keel means that it returns upright quickly. There is some visible damage to the hull of the pink boat and also some damage to the solar panels.

The parents certainly have to be supportive of the plan, mortgaging their houses to fund the trip in the case of Jesse Martin, the Australian who was 18 when he achieved the record for his attempt. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Martin
He and Jessica will have enough media and sponsorship opportunities to repay their parents for the financial cost. If this becomes a common occurrence these opportunities for financial returns would be fewer.

Although the parents were supportive, and insisted that everything be well prepared in advance, I don't think they were pushing Jessica to do this. Arguing with the Prime Minister yesterday that she is not a hero, but an ordinary girl who had a dream, shows that Jessica is someone who knows what she wanted.

The weather conditions for the trip are never going to be good for a journey like this, so anyone attempting it needs to be prepared to weather the storms.
Yeah, I kinda agree. I watched an interview with her on her website and I must say she seems really charming and down-to-earth and seems to really know her stuff. The American girl comes off as arrogant, has a brother who made the same trip last year and was clearly pushed into it. American girl seems to want something good to put on her Yale application; Jessica seems to truly love the sea. I'd still be terrified to have my daughter doing anything like that though. Also, American girl's boat is REALLY computerized and has a huge corporate sponsor logo on the side. Tacky.
 
Old May 17th, 2010 #14
Darius Appleby
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Arrow Family's perfect conditions for smooth sailing

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/societ...0517-v9bv.html

Family's perfect conditions for smooth sailing

TIM HAWKES
May 18, 2010

Did you see the damage? Did you see the brown scabs on the side of Jessica Watson's yacht? The scars on Ella's Pink Lady tell the story of hardship more eloquently than any blog.

No one should doubt the courage of this 16-year-old girl who sailed solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.

Living with the possibility of catastrophe for that long would have crushed most people. This girl is tough - not so much physically as mentally.

Colliding with a 63,000-tonne cargo ship in sea trials a few weeks before setting sail around the world, contending with critics then and now, bobbing back up after being knocked flat four times in 12 hours by huge waves, surviving 210 days in a 10-metre yacht, coping with 75-knot winds and 12-metre seas - that's gritty stuff.

Reflecting on these challenges, Jessica told reporters that she had been pleased with her mental performance. This comment is interesting and suggests where most battles have to be fought - in the mind.

Now the adulation, the publicity, the fame. Jessica is being heralded as the embodiment of positive thinking. This claim has serious credentials to support it. While her positive message has made a big impression around the world, it is possible the message would have been even more potent if things had gone wrong.

What if Ella's Pink Lady had collided with an unknown object or met some other disaster just short of Jessica completing her trip?

Imagine the impact if, after such a disaster, Jessica was able to say: "I don't know what to feel at the moment - stepping off was hard because I've spent the past seven months doing everything to stay on board - I've shown people that it is sometimes not possible to reach your goals despite your very best efforts . . ."

To succeed sometimes requires mental toughness. To fail always requires mental toughness. It is not only success that defines us, it is our failures.

If Jessica's yacht had sunk a few days before completing her odyssey, and if she had still said ''Go out and live your dreams'', it might not have been a prime minister who wanted to be there to hear her say these words - it might only have been a depressed child struggling with their own failures - and it may have transformed them.

About 5 per cent of teenagers are currently experiencing depressive symptoms. Some 20 per cent of teenagers will experience depression to the extent that they require medication prior to reaching adulthood. Would they be more encouraged by heroic success or by heroic failure?

For those parents who wish to build resilience in their offspring, attention could be paid to two initiatives undertaken by Jessica's parents; home schooling and no television.

Lest an exodus of enrolments in schools and a collapse in the sale of flat-screen plasma TVs occur, some elaboration is needed.

What is suggested by these two parenting initiatives is that success in life is rarely available to the child who is allowed to squander significant time on the trivial, the shallow or the soporific.

In an age that witnesses ever higher aspirations in the young, but a lower inclination to work for them, it is as well to be reminded that achievement is seldom won without sacrifice. In Jessica's case, it is undeniable that her parents were a great help.

However, she had to train hard for her voyage and work jobs to help pay for its expenses. It's no good feeling sorry for yourself if you have not done the work to deserve success.

The home-schooling of Jessica hints at another timeless truth. Success in the life of a child is made more likely by a parent who remains actively engaged in their education.

So - well done Jessica. You have delighted a nation, but know that even if you had failed, a few would still have cheered you on your return. And well done Mr and Mrs Watson.

Dr Tim Hawkes is the headmaster of The King's School.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/societ...0517-v9bv.html
 
Old May 17th, 2010 #15
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Quote:
home schooling and no television.
Perish the thought.
 
Old June 11th, 2010 #16
Darius Appleby
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Arrow Jessica Watson tells of joy at hearing Abby Sunderland is safe

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/jes...-1225878666634

Jessica Watson tells of joy at hearing Abby Sunderland is safe

Aaron Langmaid From: Herald Sun June 12, 2010 12:00AM

Jessica Watson. Picture: AFP Source: Herald Sun

JESSICA Watson has told of her joy at the news fellow ocean adventurer Abby Sunderland had been found alive.

She said Abby's ordeal made her realise how her own family would have felt during her epic round-the-world voyage, which she completed just four weeks ago.

"It's a huge relief for everyone, especially her family and team, who must have endured a horrible 24 hours whilst Abby was missing," said the darling of Australian sailing.

Jessica became friends with Abby over the internet as she sailed the world herself.

"This actually gave me a real perspective on what my team experienced over the last seven months while I was out there," Jessica said.

"So I now understand what it is like to be on the other side.

"But the important thing is that Abby is safe and well. That's all that matters."

Related Coverage
High-seas dash to rescue Abby
Herald Sun, 4 hours ago
Desperate wait for rescue
Herald Sun, 4 hours ago
Too young to be safe, says old man of the sea
Herald Sun, 4 hours ago
Lost at sea and help's far away
Daily Telegraph, 4 hours ago
Abby sitting tight and waiting for rescue
The Australian, 4 hours ago


Melbourne solo sailor Jesse Martin, who in 1999 became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop and unassisted, said he never gave up hope Abby would be found alive.

While the search was in full swing yesterday, Martin said he believed the determined adventurer would be OK.

"It's hard to know what might have happened out there," he said.

"It might just be that she got into a position where she lost communication, and then the yacht was broken in such a way that she just couldn't sail and she just needed help to get back."

But he conceded the hours of lost communication, when she was completely on her own, would have been tough on the 16-year-old.

"If I were in that position, you would just want to believe in humanity," he said.

Martin said conditions in that part of the Indian Ocean were never easy, with rough seas and bitterly cold winds.

"It's cold, really cold. But she has made it such a long way already. She hasn't given in. She's a champion.

"She's had opportunities to pull in to the coast, but she's shown strength and carried on."

Martin said he had met the teenage sailor with her brother in Los Angeles last year, and said she showed all the qualities anyone would need to conquer the globe.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/jes...-1225878666634
 
Old June 11th, 2010 #17
Justin Igger
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Glad they found her and know her position
 
Old June 11th, 2010 #18
Brad Jones
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Here is Spike Lee, complaining in alt.politics about the government rescuing a white girl.


http://groups.google.com/group/alt.p...4f1b87fcc8dde#

Quote:
Another rich white person doing something of no benefit to anyone
needs help. Spare no expense, send rescue planes and boats, whatever
it takes. Pathetic....

Australian authorities on Friday made contact with a 16-year-old
American girl who triggered a distress signal while attempting to sail
solo around the world.


But it could be a day before a French fishing vessel pulls Abby
Sunderland and her boat, Wild Eyes, to shore, the Australian Maritime
Safety Authority said.


"She's in the boat. The boat's seaworthy. It's not taking on water,
and she's equipped for the conditions down there, we believe," said
Mick Kinley of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.



 
Old June 11th, 2010 #19
Dale VanderMeer
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Gave that nog something for his noggin.

Another double digit IQ nog.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Jones View Post
Here is Spike Lee, complaining in alt.politics about the government rescuing a white girl.

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.p...4f1b87fcc8dde#
 
Old June 11th, 2010 #20
Darius Appleby
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Arrow Why the fearlessness of 'baby' sailors works to their advantage

http://www.theage.com.au/national/wh...0611-y3oh.html

Why the fearlessness of 'baby' sailors works to their advantage

FRANK ROBSON
June 12, 2010

Their own expertise and mental discipline is their salvation, writes Frank Robson.

THE worst thing about sailing alone is that there is no one to share the fear.

No one to argue with, reassure, scream at, or cling to. Just you.

If something goes horribly wrong, and you can't decide what to do about it - if panic shuts down your ability to function - you'll probably die.

Forget what silly landlubbers say about solo sailors like Jessica Watson and Abby Sunderland needing only to call up their shore-based experts for advice.

When you're alone in the middle of the Indian Ocean, facing the fury of 60-knot winds and 15-metre seas (as Sunderland was before losing satellite phone contact with her support group in California), the only salvation lies in your own expertise and mental discipline.

Which raises the question: how much of these lifesaving qualities can a 16-year-old kid possess? A hell of a lot, if Jessica Watson is any guide. It may well be that the fearlessness of "baby" sailors works to their advantage, because the older yachties get, the more wary they become of the ocean's penchant for turning on them when they least expect it.

For example, if Abby Sunderland's father was right in his supposition that her yacht had been flipped upside down, and that she huddled in an air pocket within the hull (unaware whether potential rescuers even knew of her whereabouts), then her youthful optimism might have been the best thing going for her. Staying positive and not thinking yourself into a state of panic enhances the chances of survival. Which is easy for dilettantes like me to say.

If I were upside down in icy darkness I'm pretty sure I'd be howling like a baby. And I'm a grizzled salt of 58, which suggests there is no ideal age to sail solo around the world … only those who have what it takes, and those who don't.

Personally, I can't imagine anything worse. I'm not opposed to teenagers doing it (or octogenarians or amputees or anyone else), because - unlike those drones who want to save us all from ourselves - I believe overcoming challenges enhances life.

But one sailor's challenge is another's ordeal.

For me, the pleasure of sailing is in exploration, idyllic anchorages, and freedom from predictability. I don't mind a good scare, but only if there's somebody around to share it with.

Frank Robson, his partner and fellow journalist Leisa Scott and their dog Lucky have just returned from a three-year cruise of the Queensland coast in their 38-foot trimaran, Tradewind.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/wh...0611-y3oh.html
 
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australia, jesse martin, jessica watson, sailing, solo

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