Jessica Watson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jessica Watson
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Watson in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2011
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Jessica Watson
18 May 1993 Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
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| Citizenship |
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| Occupation | Sailor |
| Awards | Australian Sailing Hall of Fame |
Jessica Watson (born 18 May 1993) is an Australian sailor. She became famous for trying to sail around the world alone when she was just 16 years old. Even though her trip didn't meet all the official rules for distance, she still sailed all the way around the planet.
Jessica was named the 2011 Young Australian of the Year. She also received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2012. This award was for her amazing solo sailing trip and for being a great role model for young Australians. As of November 2022, she lives in Melbourne. A movie about her journey, called True Spirit, was released by Netflix in 2023.
Contents
Early Life and Big Dreams
Jessica Watson was born in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. She is the second of four children. Her parents, Roger and Julie Watson, moved to Australia from New Zealand in 1987. Jessica has dual citizenship for both Australia and New Zealand.
Her family loved the water. All four children took sailing lessons. For five years, the family even lived on a 16-meter boat! The children were homeschooled during this time. Later, they lived in a special double-decker bus.
When Jessica was 11, her mom read a book to them at bedtime. It was about another young sailor, Jesse Martin, who sailed around the world. This book inspired Jessica greatly. By the time she was 12, she had a big dream: to sail around the world herself! She started sailing seriously when she was 14.
Planning Her Amazing Voyage
Jessica's journey was officially announced in May 2009. She planned for the trip to take about eight months. The total distance she expected to sail was around 23,000 kilometers (12,400 nautical miles).
Her goal was to sail non-stop and without any help. This meant no one could give her anything during the trip. She also couldn't stop at any port or tie up to another boat. However, she was allowed to get advice over the radio.
Jessica's planned route started and ended in Sydney, Australia. She would sail past New Zealand, Fiji, and Kiribati. Then she would go around famous capes like Cape Horn in South America, Cape of Good Hope in Africa, and Cape Leeuwin in Australia. To officially sail around the world, she also needed to cross the equator. She did this near Kiritimati.
Jessica arrived back in Sydney Harbour on 15 May 2010. She was met by thousands of cheering people.
Why Jessica Sailed
The Los Angeles Times newspaper asked Jessica why she wanted to sail around the world. She said she wanted to challenge herself. She also wanted to achieve something she could be proud of. Jessica hoped to inspire other people too. She didn't like being judged by how she looked. She wanted to show what a "little girl" was truly capable of.
Sharing Her Story
Jessica wrote a book about her adventure called True Spirit. It was published in July 2010. She also filmed a documentary about her solo trip. This film showed her journey before, during, and after she finished. Sir Richard Branson narrated the documentary.
Getting Ready for the Trip
Jessica trained a lot for her voyage. She sailed on many different boats. She even acted as a skipper (the person in charge of the boat) during a crossing of the Tasman Sea. When she started her trip, Jessica had many important sailing qualifications. These included safety courses, first aid, and a radio operator's license. She had also sailed about 22,000 kilometers (12,000 nautical miles) in total.
Her Special Boat
Ella's Pink Lady at the Australian National Maritime Museum, following the completion of her voyage
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| History | |
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 Australia |
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| Name | Ella's Pink Lady |
| Namesake | Ella Baché |
| Owner | Jessica Watson |
| Route | Sydney – Kiritimati – Cape Horn – Cape of Good Hope – Cape Leeuwin – Sydney |
| Launched | 1984 |
| Renamed | Original name Shanty |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | S&S 34 yacht |
| Length | 34 ft (10 m) |
| Beam | 10.1 ft (3.1 m) |
| Draught | 6 ft (1.8 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Crew | 1 |
Jessica's boat was a 10.23-meter (34-foot) Sparkman & Stephens yacht. This type of boat, an S&S 34, has been used by other famous sailors for their trips around the world.
Her boat was bought and fixed up with new equipment. Experienced sailors Don McIntyre and Bruce Arms helped supervise this work. The boat got a new kitchen, fixed diesel and water tanks, and a completely new electrical system. Jessica herself was very involved in getting the boat ready. She named her boat Ella's Pink Lady.
Most of the time, a special self-steering system guided the boat. Jessica named this system Parker, after a character from the TV show Thunderbirds.
Test Run and an Accident
Before her big trip, Jessica took Ella's Pink Lady on a test run. She was sailing from Brisbane to Sydney. On her first night, on 9 September 2009, her boat crashed into a large cargo ship. This happened near Point Lookout.
Jessica's boat lost its mast in the collision. But she was able to keep control and motor the boat back to Southport. An investigation found that Jessica had been taking a short nap. She had checked her radar, but didn't see the big ship. The cargo ship also knew she was there and tried to change course, but it wasn't enough to avoid the crash.
Her Amazing Journey Around the World
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Jessica sailed out of Sydney Harbour on 18 October 2009. Her boat, Ella's Pink Lady, had a bright pink hull. Eighteen days later, on 5 November, she sailed past Tonga.
On 19 November 2009, she crossed the equator. This was an important step for a full circumnavigation. She then sailed around Kiritimati on 22 November. By Christmas, she was near Point Nemo, which is the furthest place from any land on Earth.
On 13 January 2010, Jessica passed Cape Horn. This is a very dangerous and famous point at the bottom of South America. She had sailed about 18,150 kilometers (9,800 nautical miles) in 87 days. This was faster than she had planned! Soon after, her parents flew over her in a small plane to see her pass this milestone.
Just over a week later, on 23 January 2010, she faced a severe storm. The waves were 10 meters (33 feet) high, and winds blew at 130 kilometers per hour (70 knots). Her boat was knocked down four times. This caused some minor damage.
On 25 January 2010, Jessica reached the halfway point of her journey. This was her 100th day at sea. On 15 February, she crossed the Prime Meridian, moving from the Western to the Eastern Hemisphere. She passed the Cape of Good Hope in Africa on 24 February. This meant she was sailing from the Atlantic Ocean into the Indian Ocean.
From southern Africa, Jessica sailed more than 9,260 kilometers (5,000 nautical miles) towards Western Australia. She arrived in Australia's waters on 10 April 2010. Her parents and the media flew over her to welcome her home. Two days later, she passed Cape Leeuwin in south-western Australia. Only about 4,630 kilometers (2,500 nautical miles) were left.
While south of Australia, Jessica faced a lot of bad weather. Her boat was knocked down at least three times, with the mast hitting the water. One time, the mast went deep into the sea. But she and the boat escaped serious damage. The waves in the Great Australian Bight were up to 12 meters (39 feet) high. These were the biggest waves she had seen.
On 3 May, Jessica rounded the South East Cape of Tasmania. She then turned north towards Sydney, her final destination. She completed her incredible journey on day 210 of her voyage. She arrived in Sydney Harbour at 1:53 pm on 15 May 2010. Her 17th birthday was just three days later.
During her trip, Jessica had to fix her boat and equipment many times. She repaired things like the battery monitor, the stove, the toilet, and the main sail. She even replaced wind generator blades and the fuel pump for the engine.
Ella's Pink Lady Finds a Home
After Jessica finished her journey, people wondered what would happen to her boat. In April 2011, the Australian government bought Ella's Pink Lady for $300,000. It was announced that the boat would be permanently displayed at the Queensland Maritime Museum in Brisbane.
Praise for Jessica
Jessica received a lot of support, even before she started her trip. Adventurer Don McIntyre strongly supported her. He even helped her get her boat ready. Tony Mowbray, another sailor who had sailed around the world, also supported her. He believed she was doing it for the right reasons. Richard Branson, a famous company owner, also cheered her on.
During her journey, many people expressed their support. The Australian Prime Minister at the time, Kevin Rudd, called her an "extraordinary young Australian." Another young sailor, Abby Sunderland, congratulated Jessica when she rounded Cape Horn.
When Jessica arrived back in Sydney, thousands of spectators were there. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was also there. He told her, "Jess, welcome back to dry land. Welcome back home to Australia. You know something, you may feel a little wobbly on your feet just now, but in the eyes of all Australians you now stand tall as our newest Australian hero." The crowd then sang Australia's national anthem to celebrate her achievement.
Awards and Recognition
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Since her amazing voyage, Jessica Watson has received many awards. These include the "Spirit of Sport" award from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. She was also named "Young Performer of the Year" in 2010. This award was voted on by the Australian public.
In 2010, the Australian Geographic Society named her their Young Adventurer of the Year. The National Geographic Society also chose her as one of the top ten international "2010 Adventurers of the Year." She was the only sailor on that list.
Jessica was named the Young Australian of the Year on 25 January 2011. In 2012, she was included in the Who's Who in Australia book.
She was the first female skipper to finish the 2011 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. For this, she won the Jane Tate trophy.
In January 2012, Jessica received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM). This was for her service to sailing and to young people. In November 2022, she was added to the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame. In 2015, she received the Leif Erikson Young Explorer Award in Iceland.
What's Next for Jessica?
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Jessica continued her sailing adventures after her solo trip. In June 2011, she took part in the Mini Fastnet race in Europe. She also sailed in the Round the Island Race in the United Kingdom.
In August 2011, she sailed in the Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race. She used a boat called Another Challenge. Her team won their class!
In December 2011, Jessica skippered Another Challenge in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Her crew was the youngest ever to compete in the race. All ten crew members were under 22, and Jessica was 18. They finished second in their class, which was a great success. All the other boats in their class had much older skippers.
Jessica has studied marketing and communications at university. In 2015, she started working as a communications manager for Deckee. This is an online community for people who love boating.
See also
- List of youth solo sailing circumnavigations
- List of female adventurers
