Jessica Watson sets off ... and runs into a bulk carrier :-O

[Sven]

This was the first 24 hours of the week-long shakedown cruise before she goes for the record currently held by Jessie Martin: Youngest solo, non-stop and unassisted.

http://youngestround.blogspot.com/2009/09/leaving-home-and-sunshine-coast.html

There are no details at all yet (that I have found) but it really is a catastrophic start to her quest. The rigging is a mess and apparently the bow is too.

I can't wait to hear the explanation and hope it will shed some light on what happened that makes it clear that she didn't blow it but that there were truly extenuating circumstances. I don't see how a bulk carrier could make sudden unexpected moves, but I hope there is an explanation.

:crying:


-Sven

 

[u079721]

The details that are available so far are that she was below in her cabin at 2:30 AM when she struck the carrier, though she won't say whether she was asleep at the time. The carrier reports that they saw her before the collision (her navigation lights were all running) which raises the issue of why they didn't take evasive action.

The legality of the issue probably doesn't really matter here, but since she wasn't topside keeping a watch (or using a radar alarm), an admiralty court would find her partly at fault. Sort of unfortunate publicity too, since there is a growing appreciation that long distance singlehanding is not safe since you can't keep a constant watch - and this incident would seem to support that.

At least she wasn't hurt.

 

[Guy Stevens]

Single Handing

Yeah more than the issue of how old she is, the issue is one of single handing in my mind.

Single handing for long distances is absolutely illegal under international law.

Doing this alone is the things that I find dubious in value. Then again I don't like single handing.

The idea of kids sailing this young, or the 13 year old girl sailing for long distances, and visiting the places of the world accessible by water is a good one in my opinion. I think that it is a better education, and is in fact statistically much safer than them attending school, or even walking across a normal city street.

Missing the entire high school years for most of these kids would be a good thing if they were doing something that they genuinely loved, and were learning while they did it. Less exposure to drugs, peer pressure, bad teachers, the like. Expanding their world view instead of the constriction of world view that high school presents would be an education enough. The math, mechanics, social skills, physics, chemistry that they are going to learn are going to be with them for the rest of their lives, they will learn it, by really doing it. Most importantly they will have enthusiasm for learning and doing that most kids completely miss in school.

I have been around kids that are public schooled and kids that have been cruising. I have been around kids that have been cruising with home schooling, and kids that have not been schooled at all while cruising.

Painting with a broad brush, the kids that have been "stable" and well cared for while schooled in the public school, don't hold a candle to the kids that have been cruising with out schooling. I used to believe that this was native intelligence, until I had the opportunity to see one of the "normal" kids have a change in life where they became cruising kids.

The kids that have been home-schooled while cruising have in all cases been amazing people that I have on all occasions enjoyed interfacing with. They have been people that I have trusted my life to. I can't say that for the kids that had a "stable" upbringing in "normal" life.

The cruising kids without good parental home schooling are still better problem solvers, and better thinkers. They suffer a bit from a lack of reading and as teenagers fail to round out their learning as well as the home schooled cruising kids do. However along the way they have learned how to learn, and generally correct this later in life when they realize it has happened.

This seems like a ramble any thoughts?

 

[Sven]

Guy, it isn't quite that simple.

It is actually like the tree in the forest problem. You can't be detained and convicted for not being on watch on the high seas (forget the idiot cop who arrested the deaf man outside MDR a couple of years ago for not listening).

However, if you are involved in an accident that could have been prevented by you keeping better watch, then you are definitely liable. So, singlehanded sailing is not a crime but being involved in an accident which you could have prevented by keeping watch leaves you quite liable.

I agree with the rest of your post regarding the benefits of growing up self-reliant and mentally active on a boat. Correspondence course teaching and a cruising life can do wonders for a person's development even if it might not lead to a high-salary job later on.



-Sven

 

[Sven]

She should stay home

I've been following the story pretty closely. I've had a Goggle news alert on her name since before her incident that first day and have read or at least scanned every story that Google snagged.

At this point I'm convinced that she is not ready and I'm appalled by her parents. None of them seem to have a clue and they are discrediting any qualified future attempts to the point where I'd be surprised if any others will ever get sponsors.

I had really been looking forward to following an 8-month adventure and was really cheering her on. Now I'm expecting nothing but a fiasco which can only end well through pure luck.

:hoppingmad:


-Sven