Jessica Watson has started...and stopped

fishermantwo said:
I think a reality check is definitely in order. Ships steaming north at probably 22 knots, she is heading roughly South at 0230. Has time to try and radio ship but not alter course/stop or whatever. I encounter these ships all the time as a professional fisherman. I never try to call them, I have regularly altered course and often stop to let them pass. These ships use the same bit of water all the time, we call them shipping lanes. I switch on mercury vapour deck lights, even in daylight when I am stationary in the lanes and the ships alter course slightly to pass clear. I noticed a couple of years ago when I was working the same bit of water daily that the Tasmanian ferry ship from Sydney to Tasmania kept passing me closer each time. I reckon I was being used as entertainment as the number of people hanging on the rail seemed to increase.

The upshot of all the TV coverage of this incident is the number of sponsors that have come out of the woodwork with offers of a new mast etc.
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Good post ... appreciated, but just one point .... ships of this order are built to steam at approx. 15kts. It's generally only Reefers, Container and Passenger Ships that are designed for higher speeds (Naval is another matter !! )
 
boyfromaus said:
Alot of people are saying she used the VHF to avoid the Collision.
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According to the Australian equivalent of the MAIB, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) she only contacted the ship Silver Yang AFTER the collision which suggests to me that she was asleep below decks at the time!

"There was reported radio contact between the ship and yacht after the incident but details of the communication are not known," ATSB said.

Jesica Watson has been quoted as saying, just before her departure from Mooloolaba QLD that she was "going to turn on the radar and navigation lights, set sail and go below for 'cat-naps'.

'OK, I better go and fire the radar up, turn the navigation lights on and have one last check of everything on deck before it gets dark,'' the Queensland schoolgirl signed off as she passed whales and fishing boats off Cape Moreton. ''Then I might think about some dinner before grabbing some catnaps of sleep.''

Hours later she was phoning her mum, explaining she had been demasted by a massive Chinese bulk transporter.

" . . . Mike Squires, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's acting director of surface safety, said investigators would ask Jessica about her skills, knowledge and qualifications to establish whether they were factors.

Jessica said she had been below deck when the collision occurred at 2.30am. She would not say whether she was asleep, adding that maritime safety officials had asked her not to discuss specifics. . . . . "

Apparently, the "Silver Yang" had seen the yacht before the incident!

An interesting comment by an Australian Adolescent Child Psychologist says:

Professor Dianna Kenny, a specialist in adolescent psychology development at the University of Sydney, says: ''To be plucked away from their family and peer group to undertake something that is extremely gruelling, physically, emotionally and mentally, places [young teenagers] in great danger. They don't have the maturity nor the experience to cope with untoward events.

''Before we put astronauts into space they undergo the most vigorous psychological and physical evaluation. What sort of evaluation have these young girls got apart from their sheer feeling of omnipotence and their emotional excitement? We don't let a 13 or 16 year-old get behind the wheel of a car. I would suggest driving a motor vehicle on a sealed road is a much less challenging task than taking the helm of a sailing boat.''

The chief executive of Yachting Australia, Phil Jones, points out competitors in the Sydney to Hobart race have to be at least 18, and they are part of a crew. There are no international regulations restricting solo yachtsmen.

''There is significant risk associated with oceanic sailing,'' Jones says. ''Equally there is the question of … emotional development. It is difficult to see how a 16-year-old could have that maturity. The trouble with trying to be the youngest is that, by definition, it can only get younger and younger.''
 
It will be very interesting when the final report comes out.

With this one - BOTH parties are still alive to tell the story from BOTH sides. No conjecture, no stupid write-ups padding out supposition as Ouzo report was.

There is no doubt about either boats identity, the time of incident ... etc. etc.

Wonder how well 'facts' as reported so far will hold up to real investigation with material facts available to investigators !

I would expect Aussie Board to be hard-masters in getting to bottom of this ... not taking any rubbish or side-lining.
 
snooks said:
The 16 year old aussie school girl has set off on her attempt to be the youngest woman to sail around the world, non stop unassisted...and has been hit by a ship :(
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:eek:
She is back in the water again and intends to start out for Sydney tomorrow (1 OCT 2009) for the second time!

She is getting a bad press in Australia and the official reports mention that she did not have 'all' her navigational equipment turned on and that she probably 'dozed off' which caused her to be hit by the coaster.

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2009/09/27/experts-say-jess-lacks-experience/

I wish her well and hope she has a safe journey. :rolleyes:
 
s/v moondancer said:
In the US the younger/younger competition in cross country flying caused 3 deaths including that of the 7, yes seven, yr old trying to break the record. Attemting to meet a media deadline was found to be contributory. This almost caused a death but ultimately one of these children will die.
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As far as I know all of the 'children' doing round the world sailing attempts are actually young adults over 16.

Sailing's pretty safe but yes, there is a risk. There's a much greater risk on the road than sailing - in the back of Dad's car/walking/riding a 50cc moped/horse riding/cycling on the road. Should 16 year olds be allowed on the road?
 
toad_oftoadhall said:
As far as I know all of the 'children' doing round the world sailing attempts are actually young adults over 16.
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Not all.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8226196.stm

But I'm against more rules and regulations to restrict the freedom we have on the seas, good luck to anyone who wants to try a round-the-world, just get the skills to do it before you set off.....
 
Apprehensive...

So, Jessica is off again. Here's my thoughts on her adventure (in which I wish her well, applaud her bravery, am scared by her naivety and fear the worst).

I've posted before about my belief that youngsters should be challenged and stretched - even placed in some risk - but that the risk should be managed and anticipated. I fear that the MSQ report, which was somewhat critical of her, and the outcry of professional/expeienced comentators has been roundly ignored by her and her team in their urgency for her to be 'The Youngest" to sail round.

Whilst I'm sure she's had lots of sailing experience, I wonder how many Southern Ocean storms she's endured. What kind of training has she had in yacht maintenance - can she faultfind and repair busted electronics after a knockdown has allowed something to be flooded. Has she ever been truly frightened for hours on end? The photograph of the alleged "handwritten checklist" which ws "covered in doodles" that has been erased from the news sites that were reporting it hasn't inspired confidence either. There is lots of heresay about Jessica's skills (or lack of them) and maybe pundits like us are splitting hairs but the fact that the Queensland deputy premier has asked them to think again is also worrying.

Jessica's manager has re-assured us that the hull has been repainted and all signwriting restored - oh that's OK then. And, for me the most worrying, the update on her website (not working as I write)

... [Jessica and her team] “wish to advise all of her supporters that she remains on track to achieve her goal of being the youngest to sail solo around the world”.

No time for additional training - she's getting older by the day.

I don't like heavy handed regulations, and perhaps the authorities ought not to stop her, but her sponsors, parents and support team bear a heavy responsibilty if it all goes wrong. I'd like to see "the youngest to" records removed from he record books...
 
She's an adult

I've posted before about my belief that youngsters should be challenged and stretched - even placed in some risk - but that the risk should be managed and anticipated.
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She is 16 years old - she is an adult.

I wonder how many Southern Ocean storms she's endured. What kind of training has she had in yacht maintenance . . .
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Well, that cuts out most of the adventurous sailors out there on the oceans today.

What a load of patronising twaddle.

- W
 
The photograph of the alleged "handwritten checklist" which was "covered in doodles" .....

Hardly an argument for not allowing someone to sail around the World. Doodling !!! What next eh?

I am sceptical about the "driving forces" behind some of these 'youngest' attempts and have doubts at the sentiments involved.
However, I know none of those involved, my knowledge of them is merely what the press want me to know. Therefore, I am in no position to be judge and jury - anyway, it is absolutely none of my business.......

I suggest those posters who have strong views on the subject of youngsters setting sail on record attempts pay a little more attention to what the younsters are doing in their OWN country before condemning what is happening in other countries.
 
Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) inspectors have now issued a statement which concludes that Jessica is not competent to undertake the journey that she is planning.

Among their assessments, it seems they found that Jessica...

• Most probably dozed off before her vessel hit and was dragged alongside the 63,000-tonne cargo ship.

• Did not turn on a device that would have warned her of a potential collision.

• Could not produce a clear, plotted plan for her journey.

• Had not developed a fatigue management plan.

• Kept a log with 'irregular latitude and longitude entries'.

The report by MSQ was compiled after detailed discussions with Jessica.

The MSQ report found Jessica had set her vessel on autopilot and checked her radar about 2am, noting 'a target at about six nautical miles' and 'determined the vessel was passing to starboard well clear and not in a crossing situation' before going below deck.

'Satisfied there were no immediate dangers, Jessica put her head down for 10 minutes,' the report says.

'The master (Jessica) . . . may have dozed off. The master recollects the roar of a close vessel and went topside as the boat scraped port side to port side.'

According to the Daily Telegraph the report says that after the vessels separated, with Jessica's yacht dismasted, she contacted the skipper of the Silver Yang by radio and received an apology and a pledge to pay for the damages.

It also found Jessica could not produce 'course plots on paper charts or waypoints on the plotter' or a 'fatigue management plan for single-handed conning'.

Pretty damming report! :confused:
 
puddock said:
I suggest those posters who have strong views on the subject of youngsters setting sail on record attempts pay a little more attention to what the younsters are doing in their OWN country before condemning what is happening in other countries.
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Well said!

Some people may not like this young lady going sailing, I wonder what she thinks of people her own age in the UK literally hounding a woman to suicide & murder?


Thanks for the correction Tommyrot, completely forgot her.
 
puddock said:
The photograph of the alleged "handwritten checklist" which was "covered in doodles" .....

Hardly an argument for not allowing someone to sail around the World. Doodling !!! What next eh?
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I doodle all the time - nothing wrong with that. The implication behind the report I read was that it was the _only_ checklist. If so, that would concern me.

puddock said:
I am sceptical about the "driving forces" behind some of these 'youngest' attempts and have doubts at the sentiments involved.
However, I know none of those involved, my knowledge of them is merely what the press want me to know. Therefore, I am in no position to be judge and jury - anyway, it is absolutely none of my business.......

I suggest those posters who have strong views on the subject of youngsters setting sail on record attempts pay a little more attention to what the younsters are doing in their OWN country before condemning what is happening in other countries.
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Hey, re-read my post (and earlier posts). I have no objection to youngsters setting records. I run D of E expeditions at all levels in mountains and on water - it can go pear shaped in those environments too. My objection isn't anything to do with Jessica herself - far from it, she's got more balls than most. My objection is with her team, the way that the record is about her youth rather than the achievement itself - and that could be clouding judgements.

You're right about not knowing the facts - and the team haven't gone out of their way to disseminate information so we have to work with what is reported. It is none your business - nor mine - but that won't stop me from having an opinion.
 
webcraft said:
She is 16 years old - she is an adult.



Well, that cuts out most of the adventurous sailors out there on the oceans today.

What a load of patronising twaddle.

- W
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Re-reading, you may be right (patronising twaddle). However, most adventurous sailors aren't 16 and under significant pressure to finish their challenge before their birthday.
 
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most adventurous sailors aren't 16 and under significant pressure to finish their challenge before their birthday
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No, but many are under pressures or constraints of various other kinds, or have strange motivations.



I don't think supporting Jessica's trip should be seen as condoning an oncoming tsunami of babes in boats setting off round the world with nappy and toy manufacturers as their sponsors . . . and let's remember Mike Pelham made it back OK, and we heard the same doom and gloom about him.

Jessica's website seems to be down at the moment, but there is a good account of her side of the collision incident HERE. The article lists her qualifications at the bottom:


~ About 6000 coastal and 6000 ocean miles experience
~ Yachtmaster Ocean theory
~ Radio operator’s licence and 'all of the other required certificates'
~ RYA/ISAF Offshore Safety course (ISAF SR 6.01) Cat zero
~ RYA Diesel Engine course
~ RYA Radar course
~ YAs Safety and Sea Survival certificate
~ First Aid certificate

So - not totally unprepared. In fact, not too shabby at all.

I see the Australian Yachting Federation is lobbying for 'an end to age-related records'. How pray tell are they going to achieve this? Will they make it illegal for anyone to say that they were/are the youngest to do something? A record is a record, whether or not you choose to sanction it or disregard it is up to you.

- W
 
~ About 6000 coastal and 6000 ocean miles experience
~ Yachtmaster Ocean theory
~ Radio operator’s licence and 'all of the other required certificates'
~ RYA/ISAF Offshore Safety course (ISAF SR 6.01) Cat zero
~ RYA Diesel Engine course
~ RYA Radar course
~ YAs Safety and Sea Survival certificate
~ First Aid certificate

Seems from what we know about this, that despite al of this 'experience' she may have dozed off when a ship was around 6 miles off.
What CPA alarms had she set? etc... etc...
Even without an AIS transmission from the ship, my little kitchen alarm, set to remind me to take a look in a few minutes time, would have been preferable to whatever systems, she was or was not using, that were onboard.
 
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