I have just spent a few minutes watching Jessica bash her way up wind, back south to the Sydney heads, having allowed herself to be carried past Sydney, in the night. Poor Kid, & she is not used to having to bash to windward during the trip she has done.

The east coast current must have let her down, as it should have stopped her getting so far north. Sydney would be one of the worst places to do it, too. All that shipping to watch for, so little rest. She's probably exhausted, & working only on adreline.

It is bad enough having to stand off your destination all night, when the palce is too dangerous to enter in the dark, but Jessica has done it to fit in with a welcome home bash, much harder to do. I have been feeling sorry for her, sailing so slowly up the coast, in rough weather, for days, to fit in with the reception. A yacht is much more uncomfortable doing that, than sailing faster.

I am so pleased for her, that she has overcome all the criticism aimed at her, & her family. I hope these people think of her, next time they want to stop a real person, doing what they want. After all, we can't all be wimps.

Hasbeen,you have missed the most important detail of this adventure.Kevin Rudd proclaimed Jessica as a hero to be idolised.Jessica rebuked him,saying that she was no hero and ordinary folk can achieve her success.

Kevin Rudd is an illusionist,clinging to the last bastions of Labor hypocracy.

She initially made it is far as the Gold Coast, before she made a basic error and hit a freighter. It really looked like she had bitten off more than she could chew. Sometimes adults need to say "no." If she had ended up in deep trouble, somewhere near Antarctica, would we still be so critical of those who attempted to stop her?

Hasbeen

Big seas and winds at the end, as if she needed any reminder of how tough solo can be.

Full credit to her and I wish her every success for the future. I am really looking forward to some stories when she has recovered and the book.

I was very concerned when she set sail and would rather she had tried a shorter voyage. As one who was fearful that things could have gone against her more because of her youth, I am even more impressed by her skills, courage, judgement, perseverance and humility. She knew her own ability and backed herself - a very big call for a sixteen year old. Rudd was right, she is a heroine, but she is far too modest to admit that.

Sparkman and Stevens, fantastic!

Benk, for some people it is better to be lost at sea, [or in some other way], than to spend their entire life knowimg the could have done it, & wishing they had. Anyone else, enforcing their will on these people is just being selfish.

One thing so many don't understand is that people like Jussica are not being brave. The thing they want to do is not frightening to them. You don't go skydiving, racing cars or motor bikes, climbing mountains, or sailing around the world, because you want to concur fear, there is no fear involved. When you are involved in a "dangerous" sport, many of the people you know are also involved in that sport. To you, & them, it's nothing special.

So many are frightened of what they don't know. The kid riding a horse at pony club, or a motor bike, in the forrest is in more danger, than a long distance sailor.

I caught a little of Jessica's speach on the news. She really is a very mature young lady, isn't she? I wonder how much of that she owes to this trip, or if she was like that before going. If she was, no wonder her family trusted her to go sailing, even if it was a long trip. I don't think we need to wish her good luck, that young lady will make her own "luck", with no help required. Great stuff.

Dear HB,

I, like Cornflower, and many other people, was
quite unsure of Jessica's trip at the beginning,
I must confess. I too thought she was too young
to make such a journey on her own. However,
she was a very determined young lady, and she
followed her dream, and survived. Proving I guess
that we need to dream; souring imagination is the
glue that keeps our soul from shattering under the
impact of a prosaic world. She put her dream into
reality, and made it work.

She dreamt the impossible dream and started sailing
towards it. It couldn't have been easy. But it's
what's called "experience" and it's very, very, valuable
in life, because what she's learned from it is probably
that we are more afraid of what "might" happen than
what "did" happen. Most successful ourcomes are achieved
by calling a series of coventional bluffs.

All we can now say to her is - "Bravo!"
She deserves all the accolades and I'm looking forward
to seeing her interview on "60 Minutes" Sunday evening.
Her parents must be very proud of their daughter, as
we all are!