Hasbeen, "I was criticising those who were trying to have her stopped. Those calling for government action to stop her were the worst. What business it was of theirs I don't know, but they wanted her stopped."

It is not the time to be going back to the past. It is a time to celebrate her homecoming safe.

However, for a man who says he has the sea in his blood it should be quite obvious why others might object to what always was a risky proposition:

first, her safety and solo circumnavigation has high risks and anyone reading the cruising logs online can easily verify that;

secondly, the frequency and cost of rescues of people taking ill-advised risks. Karin Thorndike (Amelia), a woman much more mature than Jessica nearly died and was rescued by the navy. She later continued her voyage taking two years to be the first American woman to sail solo around the world (1998). I think that seven women have solo circumnavigated, including Jessica;

thirdly, we like others have towed or otherwise rescued numerous boats over the years, none of whom realised that Murphy's Law always applies at sea and with changes in the elements a minor fault can put lives at risk;

finally, what goes wrong for the (unnecessary) risk takers can and often does bring in a whole new set of nanny regulations for the rest of us. There are many examples on land, in the air and at sea where that has happened and those who enthusiastically cheer the risk taker on are those who demand to know why government didn't act when things go wrong. However, referring to inland and open water, have you happened to notice the police presence that has grown exponentially over the past decade and the increased regulations?

The critics were and remain seasoned sailors and the maritime regulator. Of course people are welcome to risk themselves, but would most do it without the air/sea rescue safety line?

Jessica did well and she was lucky. May others even younger not follow.

Dear Hasbeen,

I watched the 60 minutes interview with
Jessica last night and my heart went out
to her. What a brave determined young
girl she is - and I wish her All The
Best for her future.

However, I must admit that Cornflower is
a voice of reason. There are so many
"what ifs..." that could have happened.
When they showed those skyscraper type
waves - and storms at sea - you realize
just how fortunate Jess was to have made
it back safely.

Accolades to her, but I have to ask myself
if she had been my daughter would I have
agreed with the trip? I'd have to be honest
and say, "No! I would Not!"

Ah, but would you have stopped her, Foxy?

>>if she had been my daughter would I have agreed with the trip? I'd have to be honest and say, "No! I would Not!"<<

Setting boundaries is not always an exact science, as you would well be aware.

I take my hat off to the young girl .. and her magnificent achievement ...

but ...

I can't help feeling the whole 'late arrival was staged to maximise TV exposure and allow crowds to gather around the harbour ...

I am no media / PR boffin .. but an extra 3 hours of TV exposure can't have harmed the advertising revenue of any of the TV channels ... even if Kevin and Kristina had to wait ...

I had to endure a year of B Sc, [engineering] before my mother would agree to sign my application for Royal Australian Navy flying training.

I love engineering, but that love was almost killed, when what I wanted, more than life, was to be a navy fighter pilot.

After a year she relented, & I got my dream. Later an accident rendered me medically unfit for defence force flying, & I went back to uni, paing my own way this time, with no scholarship. It was 4 or 5 years before I stopped gazing up longingly up at every aircraft that flew over, but I'd had that experience to help resist the frustration. Without it I probably would have failed engineering.

I don't know who are the lucky ones, those who desperately want to do something, or those lives are not driven by such unreasonable passions, but if you haven't experienced it, it's hard to understand.

I have raced cars, & yachts, sailed the Pacific, & bread & ridden show jumpers. I loved all these things, but none were like the desire to fly carrier based aircraft. Irrational? yes. Resistable no.

As a parent I can understand the desire to protect our kids, but we must resist. Stopping them is like cutting the wings off butterflies. It will protect them from flying into the path of a speeding car, but they wont find a mate, & there will be no more butterflys.

I think you'll find the entire "arrival" was staged, traveloz, she seemed to me to be dawdling all the way up the coast in order to arrive on Saturday - but hey, I'm no sailor.

From the little I've seen, she is a pretty level-headed lass. She will need to be. It won't be the book, or the motivational circuit, or the Order of Australia (or whatever) that gets to her. It will be the "celebrity" driven magazines, who will no doubt be taking a prurient interest in the minutiae of her daily life for many months to come.

That is going to be tough.