When Jessica sets off, she will be just one of qiute a few thousand people sailing around the world, at any one time. It's no big deal.

I have known dozens of yachties, who have sailed from the UK, & the USA, to Oz. For a very large percentage of them, up arounf 70%, the roughest conditions they have had, was in the Tasman.

Jessica will start by crossing the Tasman, probably to pass south of NZ. This could take from 10 to 20 days. With any luck, she will get a thrashing, on that passage, most do.

AS she passes NZ she should have enough experience of what she is in for, to be able to make a choice to go on or not.

I agree it would have been best to go quitely, & return noisily, but there are probably sponsers requiring publicity. I always made a piont if telling no one where or when I was going somewhere. I still suffered from officious people wanting to control me, from time to time.

On one occasion, I was anchored at Store Beach, Sydney harbour, waiting for a southerly, to set off for the Solomon Islands. A harbour patrol bloke came up, asking what I was doing. Thinking he was being friendly, I told him.

He then demanded, to know where my dan bouy, & life ring were. These are safty gear to throw to someone who falls overboard. I told him they were stowed up forward, for the passage.

I pointed out that I was single handed, with no one to throw them to me, should I fall overboard, & they were actually a hazard, when I accessed the self steering, particularly at night.

He demanded I get them out, & install them, or he would prevent me leaving. I pointed out that mine was a British registered ship, & I would charge him with piracy, if he touched it. He left.

This peanut wanted to throw his weight around, for no better reason than to prove he was a twit. People, don't be one of those.

Brony,

Damn I was going to say that...just not as clearly and concisely.

Fractelle

What she said (cheesy grin)
I would add Proportion fraccy baby ( :-) ) proportion.....compare the actuary tables of risk between the two.

Bronwyn and Examinator

I understand your concerns, BUT I wonder how much is due to the fact Jessica is young and female. There have already been successful voyages made by teenage boys.

I agree that the issue of the cost incurred rescuing people is a problem, perhaps there should be a mandatory insurance policy before anyone sets out.

But I wouldn't stop anyone whose dream is to sail single handed and I get sea sick after just 5 minutes on a boat! But then I have motorcycled from Adelaide to Sydney (on my own) along the coast. Run down the side of Uluru - and not even stumbled. And, erm, discovered just how fast a Mazda rotary could go without getting caught (BTW the speedo hand went to 200 and the car was still accelerating... sigh) These are things I will never do again. But I am glad to know I have tested myself. There are other dangerous things I have done, but I think I have made my point. Yes, I do (did) enjoy the adrenalin.

We will have to agree to disagree. I admire Jessica and wish her and all the other crazy mountain climbers, building abseilers, hang gliders, kite surfers, racing car drivers every bit of luck - they'll need it.

Fractelle,
It has little to do with her being female per se.
Her age and female isn't an interest to me but I can't say the same for pirates, those with axes to grind (terrorists). Girls/females always engender more sympathy especially pretty (blond++) ones. Therefore a better splash in the media or larger ransom.
Consider the males in Asian jails and their limited media attention a pretty convicted drug dill still gets attention why?
Fractelle this is reality is it right? probably not.

Do I sanction your breaking the speed limits No are you/anybody a role model for having done this? No, Not because of any delusions of superiority of any anal sense either. Simply a wider focus on the co-victims and others who have to clean up individual selfishness. Sure everybody does it but is it right should we encourage it by normalizing it? I can't change my past but I can influence my future.

Again there is a difference between sky diving and the extreme of sailing around the watzis.

By the way the boys did it when the increased risk of terrorists making a point and high tech over armed pirates were such a problem.

And yes I think the same applies for boys/young men too. IMO any such extreme thrill seeking says more about the failings in/of the lifestyle and the individual than the 'courage' (role model status) involved.
It's their choice But I don't have to agree with it.

Some here have said that Jessica is inexperienced.
She is not, as she has been sailing since she could walk.
I understand she sailed with her parents around the Pacific.

The ship that hit her, I was sure that ship's radars have proximity
alarms. Was it turned off ? Was it it set to too great a distance so
it didn't disturb the crew ?

I remember a story about a yachtsman who was grazed by a big ship,
he fired a flare which landed on the bridge and burned brightly.
It still didn't wake them up.

CJ, I don't have a clue why my opinion or anybodies else's on this matters in the slightest. Whether she goes or not it her and her families decision. I am not about to cast judgement either way.

For those of you saying she could not possibly do it: I disagree. I was a keen sailor myself at that age. Travelling around the world in a small boat it certainly a challenge, but there is no reason any fit skilled sailor could not do it. The principle challenge is not sailing the boat. If she has been sailing since she could walk, this will easy for her. If she has helped out for maintenance and repair her boats, keeping the boat seaworthy will be natural to her. If her family has let her go camping and exploring with her mates, looking after herself won't be anything new either.

In fact, from the comments it appears you lot seem to think she is about to go out in a big wide, metropolitan world full of lots nasty people, on her own. That would be a problem if it were so. But she is not, she is doing the reverse in fact. It is unlikely she will see too many people during her travels. My guess is the biggest challenge will be putting up with her own company for a few months. I'd bet she hasn't done that before, and only she and her parents will know if she is up for it.