Jessica Watson - A dream come true

At approximately 1500hrs (AEST) on Saturday 15th May 2010, Jessica Watson and Ella's Pink Lady came to a halt alongside the Man 'O Wars Steps at the Sydney Opera House, ending their epic voyage of adventure around the world which took them 210 days and 23,000nm to complete.

Upon disembarking her trusted vessel of the past 7 months, Jessica reported that although she was overjoyed to finally immerse herself in the loving embrace of her parents, she found it very difficult to let go of Ella's Pink Lady at the same time.

After celebrating her 17th birthday with family & close friends and indulging in some well deserved R&R in Manly, Jessica has graciously faced a lot of media attention and is currently in Brisbane on a "meet & greet" tour. She has the same engagement in Melbourne and is due there on 27th May.

It is reported that after her meet and greet tour, Jessica will sail Ella's Pink Lady back to QLD, after which she will work on finishing her documentary as well as her book "True Spirit" which is due to be launched in August. She will then do a "book launch" tour around the country which will hopefully include Perth.

By way of ending my "Voyage Art" experience I sincerely wish Jessica Watson and Ella's Pink Lady a long and peaceful life with an abundance of love, health and happiness.

So long and thanks for the inspiration.

Very sincerely yours...........samurai (Aunty Sam)

And to everyone who's supported me throughout this journey.......My sincere thanks for all your kind, inspirational words. I've enjoyed telling the story of Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady through this blog and was very humbled by all the comments I received.

Jessica Watson - Milestones under her belt

Jessica and Ella’s Pink Lady can be considered “soul sisters” as they reflect on their epic voyage around the world as being one with an abundance of adventures shared in almost seven months at sea together.


On 18th October 2009, 16 year old Jessica Watson from Buderim, Qld, Australia set off to live her childhood dream and ultimately fulfil her ambition to be the youngest to sail around the world alone, non-stop and unassisted.

Little did she know that in the process of following her dream she would accomplish so much more than the significant milestones that fall within the criteria of claiming such a title.

It is without doubt that Jessica has been an inspiration to so many people all over the world as she has captured their hearts and imaginations, all the while sharing the technical as well as the more intimate details of her daily life on board Ella’s Pink Lady through the regular entries to her blog.

Doubtless also that Jessica would not have accomplished all of these very impressive milestones, as depicted in the picture above, had she not been supported by her family as well as her incredible support team in the most loving, caring, responsible and professional manner.

As for the concept of “blogging”, it is indeed a cyber phenomenon that clearly demonstrates the willingness of the world masses to open their hearts to such an incredible story of a young lady conquering her fears and fulfilling a dream.

Congratulations Jessica!!! Happy belated 17th birthday and very best wishes for your future. I will never forget you. Lots of love.....samurai

Jessica Watson - Welcome home ladies!

Today, Saturday 15th May 2010, Jessica Watson and Ella’s Pink Lady sailed into Sydney Harbour and across the finish line ending their epic voyage of adventure to claim the title of “Youngest, solo, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation” of the world..... Welcome home ladies!


The final month of Jessica’s and Ella’s Pink Lady’s voyage proved to be their most challenging as they left the Indian Ocean in their wake and sailed back into Australian waters below Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia. Their original plans to endeavour to sail a straight course to the bottom of Tasmania to round their fourth cape, South East Cape on the south eastern most point of Tasmania were averted several times as Mother Nature dictated less than ideal weather conditions.

Through a series of low pressure systems across the Great Australian Bight Jessica and Ella’s Pink Lady found themselves having to head further north towards the mainland on several occasions in order to avoid the low pressure cells to their south.

Once across the expanse of the Great Australian Bight and very near the western end of Bass Straight, Jessica and Ella’s Pink Lady experienced another two (more) knockdowns, totalling six knockdowns for their entire voyage around the world. They experienced their first four in succession shortly after they rounded Cape Horn on the southernmost point of South America.

And now, as Jessica and Ella’s Pink Lady sail into the pages of our history books, having endured extreme weather conditions, they reflect on their journey together with immense pride and an incredible sense of accomplishment.

Jessica Watson - EPL the Dancing Queen

As the momentum of excitement accelerates in anticipation of Jessica's homecoming, Ella's Pink Lady has infected people all over the world with a craze by dancing gracefully through the water as she sails her intrepid captain safely home.


Setting sail from Sydney on 18 October 2009 Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady have so far overcome every challenge that Mother Nature has thrown at them to achieve their goal.

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady are expected to complete their epic voyage of adventure around the world, arriving back in Sydney on Saturday 15th May 2010. They need to cross the finish line at Sydney Heads to officially complete their voyage. They will then cruise down Sydney Harbour before docking at the Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Harbour organisers are anticipating that Jessica will cross the finish line at approximately 11:30am and arrive at the Sydney Opera House around 12.30pm, the first time she will have set foot on land in almost seven months.

Organisers are urging Sydneysiders to arrive early to secure the best vantage point and show Jessica a true hero’s welcome. Spectators are encouraged to line the shores or take to the waters of Sydney Harbour to help celebrate the remarkable achievements of this courageous teenager.

There are still an incredible number of people choosing to keep their heads buried in the sand about Jessica's achievements but as far as I'm concerned Jessica, at the age of 16, spent the best part of the last 7 months at sea sailing solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady set sail from Sydney Harbour and crossed the equator into the northern hemisphere, passed all lines of longitude and rounded 4 southern capes namely Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Tasmania's South East Cape before ending their circumnavigation at the same port where they started, 3 days shy of Jessica's 17th birthday.

Jessica successfully achieved what she set out to do in fulfilling her ambition and ultimately realising her childhood dream! There is nothing any naysayer can say or do to diminish such an incredible accomplishment nor dampen her pride and sense of achievement.

Jessica Watson - Friends underway

With unfavourable weather conditions continuing for Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady well into the weekend, I was inspired to try and cheer them up a little with the help of all the friends and companions they had made along their way.


Two days ago Jessica headed north again to avoid a low pressure system to the south and deployed her drogue successfully to stall the boat while waiting out the storm. Unfortunately the lashing on the tiller came undone and consequently knocked Ella's Pink Lady down while Jessica had been catching up on some sleep. This was their second knockdown in the space of a week and their sixth in the 6+ months they have been out at sea. The four previous knockdowns happened in the Atlantic Ocean a few days after they rounded Cape Horn.

At dawn yesterday, 30th April 2010, Jessica reported that she'd winched the drogue back on board and said she was pleased to discover it was not as difficult a task as she'd anticipated. Since then Ella's Pink Lady had been underway once again and flying freely across the waves with only a little sail up.

Unfortunately the synopsis for the next few days is not very promising as another low pressure system heads their way and Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady will continue to endure strong winds and big seas over most of this weekend.

Overall, Jessica reported that she's feeling pretty drained after having endured such extreme conditions of late and adds that she is sporting a number of bruises and aching muscles. However, true to form she is well prepared and therefore has resigned herself to toughen up some more, deal with it and take it as it comes!

Jessica Watson - Abeam Kangaroo Island

ANZAC Day, 25 April 2010 saw Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady abeam Kangaroo Island, albeit a long distance from the South Australian Coast. They are over halfway across the bottom of Australia, inching their way across and down under Tasmania before heading north towards Sydney.


Despite the day starting with a knockdown and huge seas, Jessica is in very good spirits after sailing through the night under just a storm jib in 35 knot winds with gusts of up to 40knots, describing the swells as "liquid mountains rolling past with tumbling white tops."

Jessica had quite a rude awakening as Ella's Pink Lady was knocked down and consequently dumped a whole lot of water on top of her captain as she lay asleep in her bunk. Fortunately EPL's mast only just touched the water before righting herself again and overall sustained no serious damage. However, the spread of bilge water throughout the cabin left a lot to be desired for Jessica and her scallywag crew.

The most unfortunate turn of events at this point in time is discovering that Jessica came within half an hour of recording the knockdown had she not diligently and responsibly turned her camera off as the weather turned seriously nasty. As I read that part of her post, I imagined all her loyal followers throughout the world reading the same passage and simultaneously exclaiming, "What a shame!" That would have made for some incredibly good footage indeed!

Having said that, I'll take a pass on any second chances and wish Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady a safe and enjoyable passage under Tasmania then north onto their homeward stretch.

Sail on home Jessica. Bring her on home Ella's Pink Lady. See you in Sydney.

Jessica Watson - 6 Months at Sea

Jessica expressed her sorrow upon hearing that one of her favourite bands, Powderfinger decided to break up. Their song, which is aptly named "Sailing the Wildest Stretch" may well have been inspired by Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady as they head across the wild expanse of the Great Australian Bight.


Today, 18th April 2010 marks another milestone for Jessica as she completes 6 months at sea sailing solo, non-stop and unassisted since departing Sydney on 18th October 2009.

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady have recently weathered some very unfavourable conditions upon entering the Great Australian Bight, including lightning storms, strong headwinds, rain, fog, erratic shifts in wind direction and strong gusts. At one point extreme wind gusts caused Ella's Pink Lady to lay right over on her side pinning her down.

Consequently the boat's angle in that lay-over resulted in seawater gushing in through the sink drain and flooding the galley before washing down into the bilges, at which point EPL's bilge pump made quick work of getting it out again.

However, that was not as much the source of Jessica's annoyance as the mainsail tearing badly in two places. Needless to say, as soon as the weather abated, Jessica went straight to work on sewing it up and reported later that she was satisfied it would all hold together.

Jessica made the most of the more favourable weather conditions and got stuck into some serious housekeeping and maintenance. She's sorted out her galley and shifted things around Ella's Pink Lady in an effort to distribute her weight more evenly to keep her well trimmed and sailing nicely.

She also changed the headsail over to the spare and is currently enjoying sailing a steady 6 knots heading in an ESE'rly direction with the "Code 0" sail up, as in the picture above.

Jessica Watson - Cape Leeuwin

Earlier today Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady sailed back into Australian waters. After thousands of miles at sea, the feeling of being almost home would undoubtedly be one of sheer excitement for Jessica, her family and friends, her entire support team as well as her adopted family around the world.


While fully aware of the challenge before her Jessica stated, "Given Australia is the largest island in the world it will take some time to get from Western Australia to my home port of Sydney. I know I will never be able to prepare myself for the feeling of returning home to family and friends and I am sure that part of my voyage will feel like the longest".

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady are expected to pass under Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia, Longitude 115deg_08'10"E sometime tomorrow morning, at which point they will accomplish another significant milestone in their circumnavigation and will have sailed 20,000nm since setting off on 18th October 2009.

With only 2,500nm to go before reaching their finish line in
Sydney Harbour Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady are well prepared for what lies ahead and are very much looking forward to enjoying every moment of the remainder of their epic voyage of adventure together.

I doubt there will be a dry eye in sight the moment Jessica steps foot off her Pink Lady to walk away and into the arms of her family and friends. A foreign body has just taken up residence in my eye as I type this closing line. :-))

Jessica Watson - Forever Young

Jessica was singing her current favourite song, "Forever Young" at the top of her voice while out on deck in the rain with Ella's Pink Lady rolling along in the dark.


The rough patch of weather Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady were prepared to pass through last week did not intensify as was originally predicted but was compensated by a short and lumpy sea caused by some erratic shifts in wind directions as the low pressure system passed over them.

Consequently, Ella's Pink Lady's motion in such a sea state gave Jessica a pretty uncomfortable ride and, combined with a damp bunk, is it any wonder she got a little moody, homesick and grouchy? But after a proper mean and some good progress she was soon back to her normal self again.

Also in Jessica's latest update, she reported having spend most of yesterday reefing in and out the mainsail due to a number of squalls that passed through, including strong wind gusts and periods of rain interspersed with moments of sunshine.

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady are slowly creeping up on Australia and currently have less than 400nm to go before passing below Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia, the south western most point of our great continent.

It is indeed most unfortunate that Ella's Pink Lady will not be visible from any vantage point along our southern shores. Jessica is expected to sail a long distance south of the coast as she makes her way to the south east cape of Tasmania, from where she'll hang a left, or should I say, turn to port to make her final sprint home.

Needless to say, the excitement among Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady's loyal followers is picking up momentum, as is evidenced in their blog comments with each passing nautical mile.

Sail on home Jessica and nail that dream!

Jessica Watson - Australia, here we come!

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady have sailed 19,000nm to date, marking the 170th day of their circumnavigation and have less than 700nm to go before reaching the longitude of Cape Leeuwin, the south western most point of Australia.


This Easter weekend has undoubtedly meant more to Jessica than just indulging in her well known love of chocolates. Significantly, she and Ella's Pink Lady have made good "Easter"ly progress crossing the longitude of 100deg_E as they edge closer to Australia. I'm sure this is one Easter Jessica will never forget.

However, as her hard working support team back home have reported, Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady are currently preparing for a strong southerly gale which is forecast to arrive later today with winds expected to reach 40 knots+. Beyond this, there is also a Southern Ocean low expected to form over the next week but Jessica expects to be well north of this low.

True to form, Jessica has made good use of the calm conditions of the past few days and went about maintaining the integrity of all the equipment on board Ella's Pink Lady and is, as always, well prepared for any change in weather conditions.

Any day now and Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady will be back in Australian waters and the excitement around the world is picking up momentum with each passing nautical mile.

Sail on home Jessica, with the love and support of everyone around the world who have followed your journey since the start and best wishes for the remainder of you voyage.

Three cheers from one and all!

Jessica Watson - Amsterdam and St Paul Islands

The weather stayed windy and squally with the sea building up to 5 meters as Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady approached Amsterdam Island so they ended up passing well clear to the north during the night of 23rd March 2010.


Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady have now been at sea for 158 days and have put almost 18,000nm in their wake since heading off from Sydney 5 months and 6 days ago. They are now over halfway across the Indian Ocean and one can almost sense real excitement building among all on-board and around the world as Ella's Pink Lady makes good progress towards Australia.

For the moment however, as much as Jessica was hoping to sail within sight of the islands of Amsterdam and St Paul, ultimately the weather dictated their impending course of events which saw her and Ella's Pink Lady focusing instead on the priority of dealing with increasing winds, icy rain and a building sea.

Jessica also reported that at one point the wind unexpectedly changed direction which caused Ella's Pink Lady to heal right over and head in the wrong direction which, after a quick gybe over, was back under control again. Personally, I prefer to fantasise that Ella's Pink Lady had sighted land at that point and healing over as she did was her attempt at a "Land Ho!" call to her captain.

Of course, whenever a boat heals over suddenly the way Ella's Pink Lady did, it can almost always be expected that something down below would fly across the cabin or be tossed around inside a locker somewhere....or at the very least, cause a hand-held vacuum packer to turn itself on! Whatever, it's sure to always cause momentary panic while searching for the culprit all the while imagining, as Jessica stated "all sorts of critical damage".

Such is a life afloat in a little pink boat across the vastness of the Indian Ocean... :-))

Jessica Watson - Queen Mary 2

Yesterday, 18th March 2010 marked Jessica's 5th month at sea since departing Sydney on 18th October 2009. While getting very close to being halfway over the Indian Ocean, Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady have just crossed the 17,250nm mark of their voyage.


To help celebrate her 5 month milestone, Jessica enjoyed a brief conversation via satellite phone with the Master of the Queen Mary 2, Captain Nick Bates. Whilst en-route to Mauritius, having left the Port of Fremantle, Western Australia a few days ago, the passengers and crew of the QM-2, most of whom are Australians, passed on their message of support to Jessica.

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady are currently experiencing an uncomfortable 4-metre "leftover" swell after a gale that passed through yesterday with 40knot winds. Conditions have improved today however, but they are still rolling along on a 4-metre swell.

According to the EPL Team's current estimates, Jessica is hoping to pass under Cape Leeuwin in about three weeks time. From Cape Leeuwin they are expecting that Jessica would take a further month to reach Sydney.

Team EPL further stated that unfortunately for all the West Australian supporters hoping to catch a glimpse of Jessica as she passes under Cape Leewuin, she is expected to be sailing a long distance south of the Coast, making any visual contact impossible.

I'm sure many Western Australians will have a light on for you Jessica and will be there with you in spirit as you pass under our great state.

I'll leave a Tilley lamp burning for you on the shore at Cape Leeuwin.

Jessica Watson - Broken Head and the Book Title

While Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady are presently enjoying perfect conditions outside, sadly the state of affairs down below are less than perfect as Jessica continues her efforts to resolve the on-going saga of her broken head (toilet/dunny).


Jessica reported yesterday that. "The dunny (toilet/head) is giving me a bit of grief. Despite spending yesterday afternoon pulling off and replacing various pipes, it's still refusing to work, which really has me stumped as it's not exactly the most complicated or high-tech piece of equipment. Definitely not the most glamorous or pleasant job, but I can only keep trying!"

Meanwhile, the search for an appropriate book title has begun and Jessica has graciously requested suggestions from her extensive fan base of world-wide bloggers for "a title that really fits and we all like". Needless to say, her blogsite is well on it's way to a record breaking number of comments once again as ideas are pouring in thick and fast from very enthusiastic and loyal fans everywhere.

Addit: Last count as of 11th March - 1070 comments! That's 12 comments more than when Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady rounded Cape Horn and a total of 1058 congratulatory comments came pouring in from all corners of the globe.

My personal preferences are:

• Bring on the Empty Ocean (as in David Niven's auto-biography,
  "Bring on the Empty Horses")
• Sail of the Century

Today marks Jessica's and Ella's Pink Lady's 144th day at sea as they cross the 16,500nm mark of their circumnavigation.

Congratulations everyone on a job well done!

Jessica Watson - Homesick & Landsick

Jessica reported in her latest blog that she was feeling homesick and landsick, so I was inspired to create this picture in an effort to capture this moment in her voyage. While feeling homesick is perfectly normal, she has every reason to feel landsick for her homeland, Australia - A Sunburnt County.


As Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady progress across the Indian Ocean, they have been experiencing remarkable variables in weather conditions. They're now making good headway in a more easterly direction after previously having to alter course to head a little further north in order to avoid some low pressure cells to the south.

After reaching uncomfortably in a pretty big sea over the past 24-36hours, conditions have now abated and they are making slow but steady progress and enjoying the calm, sunny weather while catching up on the housekeeping and maintenance chores that are every sailors "routine" activities of daily living.

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady are flying along east now and have just passed their 16,000nm mark. Exactly one week ago on the 28th February, they passed the 15,ooonm mark which means they covered 1,000nm in 7 days, averaging 142nm (+/-) per day. That is truly remarkable!

Congratulations!!! Sail on home Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady

Jessica Watson - Passing the 15,000nm mark

Jessica has just sailed past the 15,000nm mark of her solo circumnavigation to add another significant milestone under her belt.


Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady are currently sailing in light winds but, whilst the weather conditions on their patch of the Indian Ocean are calm at present, Jessica is very much aware of the potential challenges in this sector of her voyage of adventure around the globe.

Jessica is to be commended for the discipline she has demonstrated in carrying out all the running maintenance on board Ella's Pink Lady which she has executed with meticulous attention to detail, all the while enjoying every moment of what has become part of her daily routine.

We can all rest assured that Jessica is well prepared for any change in conditions out there and remains alert and focused as she realises how rapidly weather patterns can change in this region.

We wish her a smooth run across the Indian Ocean and that she manages to avoid the worst of any foreseeable weather predictions until her safe return home to Sydney.

Jessica Watson - Another milestone

Farewell Atlantic Ocean..... Hello Indian Ocean....... Jessica Watson and Ella's Pink Lady are well on their way home.


Today Jessica rounded the Cape of Good Hope under the African Continent to put another milestone under her belt and bring her closer to home.

The Cape of Good Hope is at Longitude 28deg_18E. After sailing a further 8deg_E (+/-) Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady crossed the "imaginary" line that separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Indian Ocean. As is explained by Andrew on the Latest News section of Jessica's website, "The Indian Ocean is delineated from the Atlantic Ocean by the 20° east meridian running south from Cape Agulhas".

As Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady bid farewell to the Atlantic Ocean, they greet the Indian Ocean with excited but nervous anticipation. They are back in the roaring 40's and are presently enjoying very favourable weather conditions.

Jessica wrote in her latest post, "As a high pressure system passed over us, we've had perfect clear skies, warm sunshine, gentle seas, plenty of birds and the odd albatross for company". This is certainly a far cry from the roaring conditions she experienced after rounding Cape Horn, a distant memory ago.

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady have now sailed over 14,750 nm and are expected to pass the 15,000 nm mark of their voyage later this week.

The next sector of this epic voyage will last more than 4,000 nm in a direct path to Western Australia.

Jessica Watson - Leftovers after 4 months

"The pile of leftovers normally include crackers, banana chips, dried peas and tinned beans"..... Jessica Watson on likes and dislikes about the contents of her food bags. The challenge for Jessica now is what to do with all these, if in fact she can bring herself to eating them, albeit well disguised.


After four months at sea, Jessica reported yesterday that it still feels like only yesterday she departed Sydney on her voyage of adventure around the globe. She has done exceptionally well in settling into daily life afloat and is currently enjoying some good sailing conditions and making excellent progress, running with 25knots of wind behind her.

Julie, Jess' mum had the enormous task of provisioning Ella's Pink Lady with all the food Jessica took with her to sustain her through an anticipated 8 month voyage. Julie did remarkably well in providing Jessica with a wide variety of foods and meant well in including what are now leftovers, it seems, but with a little imagination I'm sure Jess will make good use of some of them.

I personally can't think of a better recipe than to crush and mix all the ingredients together and incorporate the whole lot into a dough of bread, scones, muffins or whatever in an effort to disguise what Jessica finds so unpalatable about them. If nothing else, it's a good lesson in making the most of what we have inboard. I mean, we can't very well nip down to the corner deli now can we? :-))

Jessica Watson - East/West Hemis

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady have now sailed across the Prime Meridian into the Eastern Hemisphere. They are approximately 800 nautical miles from rounding the Cape of Good Hope, another milestone which puts them that much closer to home.


Tomorrow, Thursday 18th February will be Jessica's and Ella's Pink Lady's 4th month at sea since departing Sydney on 18 October, 2009. Jessica is also expected to pass the 14,000 nautical mile mark of her solo circumnavigation.

After a few frustrating days without much wind, the conditions have improved for Jessica. The wind has picked up with gusts of up to 30 knots for most of yesterday and so Ella's Pink Lady has been flying along, peeling off the miles south then east on her way towards the Cape of Good Hope.

Congratulations Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady as well as all the EPL support team back home on a job well done!

Jessica Watson - Wall to Wall Blue

"Along with the flying fish I've been seeing quite a bit of plastic and rubbish floating past recently, it looks so out of place and ugly drifting by on the swell. So I've resolved to put a lot more effort into refusing plastic bags and using less plastic when I get home."...Jessica Watson.


Jessica posted the most beautiful picture of wall-to-wall blue the other day. Sadly, she also expressed her disgust at the amount of rubbish she has been sailing past lately and declared that she will be more mindful of her use of plastic when she gets home.

I hope all those who read Jessica's post and also take the time to visit me here will be inspired to think about how they can contribute to the conservation of our planet.

Every little bit helps and, at the end of the day, it starts with the choices that we make.

Who knows, maybe some day in the future we may even see mermaids again. Some may even surface to share pampering sessions with the Jessica Watsons of the future. :-))

Jessica Watson - Protect our Oceans

Jessica has revealed yet another of her very endearing qualities. Whether she realised it or not, as she penned her latest post, she is in a position of advocacy and has sent out a strong message on the importance of thinking before throwing in order to protect our oceans.


Most of our waste today is comprised of plastic. Made from petroleum, plastic is a material that our planet cannot digest. Every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists, except for a small amount that has been incinerated, releasing toxic chemicals.

In the ocean, plastic waste accumulates in swirling seas of debris. Plastic to sea life ratios now stand at 6:1. Birds and mammals are dying of starvation and dehydration with bellies full of plastics. Fish are ingesting toxins at such a rate that soon they will no longer be safe to eat.

What can we do about it? First, we need to understand and comprehend the size of the problem. Then together we need to find the solutions. Every little bit helps and it has to start with each and every one of us making a conscious effort to simply think before we throw.

Jessica Watson - Orange Buoys

Orange buoys or Orange boys? One things for sure, Parker now has his job cut out for him in making sure he doesn't trip over any of them.


Jessica today reported that while she was sitting at the chart table staring out the port hole, she got a huge fright as a great big orange object floated past less than a meter away from Ella's Pink Lady. It turned out to be some sort of fishing buoy complete with aerial and just avoided getting into a tangle with Parker!

It all sounds a bit sus to me 'though, because when the fish are not biting, fishing boys can get pretty creative about how to pass the time away... I reckon they sent one of their buoys out to see what all the fuss is about this little pink boat. :-))

Jessica Watson - Voyage Wall Chart

The latest addition to the Jessica Watson experience is a wall chart available for purchase at Jessica's website store.

Albert Ross has summoned all the Scallywag crew ashore to promote the beaut new wall chart.


You and all your friends can now follow Jessica’s voyage on this new wall chart, which Jessica has helped design for all her fans.

The Voyage Wall Chart is a high quality, coated, poster measuring 990mm x 680mm and shows Jessica's voyage around the world.

Each chart comes with Jessica Watson stickers so you can plot her journey by checking the website and placing the stickers on the map.

This is the perfect way for classrooms, workplaces and families to follow Jessica on her travels.

30 stickers are included with each map.

Jessica Watson - The Scallywags on watch

When the Scallywags are on watch, you never know what mischief they can get up to. I guess they're pretty desperate to catch some fish and put the powdered eggs away for a while.

Jessica Watson's latest report puts her in some pretty fine sailing conditions, making very good progress and averaging 7knots over the past 24 hours. She says Bob's altered her course to a more northerly direction in anticipation of some "nasties" approaching further south.

Let's hope Ella's Pink Lady manages to get far enough away from any nasties so Jessica can enjoy her crew's little peace offering after their lack of excitement about her new t-shirt.

Sail on Jessica with fair winds, calm seas and tight lines.

Jessica Watson - Tumble then Dry

Catching up with some washing and hanging them out to dry along the lifelines and rigging.


Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady have reported to be far enough north to be able to start making progress eastward. They're not too far north however to miss the the prevailing tradewinds but far enough away from the nasty lows they encountered down south a few days ago. Sounds like a good plan to me.

They are enjoying some quiet sailing conditions at the moment and what better way to recover and seek out some respite than the relief and comfort you get from listening to your washing flapping in the breeze while reading a book on the foredeck. Perfectly, heavenly...you wouldn't wanna be dead for quids!

Enjoy every moment and stay safe. You and Ella's Pink Lady are champions and very tough cookies indeed!

Jessica Watson - After the Storm

This is a picture Jessica took of herself as she was rounding Cape Horn and I thought it showed her in a very reflective mood.

On Thursday 21st January 2010, Jessica Watson experienced a violent storm overnight with wind gusts of up to 70 knots and a swell of 7-10 metres, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Jessica also experienced her first knockdown and then had to endure three more during the eight hour storm. She was belted in to her wet-seat throughout.

Despite the horrific conditions and some minor damage, the good news is that both Jessica and Ella’s Pink Lady have fared well.

The winds have now abated and the dolphins have returned. She is sailing along in more pleasant conditions with a 10 knot breeze and a 3 metre swell.

Jessica is now cleaning up all the mess topside and is about to catch up on some sleep.

Jessica Watson - 11,000nm in her wake

This sign was erected in Jessica's honour on behalf of all bloggers from around the world who are so very proud of her.

Keep up the good work, Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady & Team.


Congratulations Jessica, Ella's Pink Lady and the entire Support Team on passing the 11,000nm mark of your circumnavigation. Well done also on weathering the storm you encountered in the process.

With wind gusts of up to 70-knots and up to 10-metre seas, not to mention 4 knockdowns, you rose to the challenge and passed with flying colour.

Your meticulous preparations and attention to detail paid off and you should be extremely proud of yourselves.

As the storm abates and you are once again able to relax a little, I wish you fair winds, calm seas and tight lines.

Jessica Watson - Lat 'n Long same number

My original picture had 50/50 on it and was meant to represent Jessica being halfway through her voyage as well as my guesstimation of her position at the time.

I wasn't far wrong but here's the final draft...49/49.


Jessica has just crossed a point in the Atlantic Ocean where the latitude and longitude are the same number – 49 degrees South and 49 degrees West. It is the only point of her voyage where the Latitude and Longitude are the same number.

Jessica and her Ella’s Pink Lady continue to make good progress, but they are currently bracing for a storm with gusts of over 60 knots predicted today, which marks day 97 of her epic solo circumnavigation.

Jessica Watson - Homeward bound

Ella's Pink Lady was indeed a sight to behold when she was photographed here seemingly dancing on the water while holding her skirt up to reveal her squeaky clean bottom. Such grace and beauty is what inspired the content of this particular image.


The latest update from Jessica has her out in the empty ocean again, away from land and shipping traffic, much to her and Ella's Pink Lady's relief.

As much as the past week has been extremely exciting for this young 16 year old, not to mention her entire support team and the rest of the world, Jessica is looking forward to the next leg of her voyage of adventure and to peeling off the miles of the second half of her circumnavigation.

Fair winds and calm seas, Jess. A few fish would be delish as well so good luck with that too.

Jessica Watson - Breathtaking achievement.

This is an expression of joyous elation... the feeling shared by everyone around the world but most especially by Jessica herself, having achieved such a monumental milestone. It takes your breath away!


Jessica Watson and Ella's Pink Lady have not only conquered Cape Horn and carved their names into our history books but they have achieved another milestone and broken two other records in the process.

They have sailed in excess of 10,000nm since departing Sydney on 18th October 2010. Another milestone done and dusted! Well done and congratulations also to Bob, Andrew and the rest of the EPL team.

Jessica is now the record holder for the youngest ever solo sailor to have rounded Cape Horn.

And.......drum roll please.....smashed the record with 1,000+ comments for a single post on her blog!

CONGRATULATIONS Jessica, Ella's Pink Lady and the entire support team on a job well done!

Jessica Watson - Rounds Cape Horn

This graphic is a tribute to Jessica, Ella's Pink Lady and the entire support team on behalf of all the bloggers following her voyage of adventure from all corners of the globe. We are all so very proud of her.


At 2040hrs (AEDT) today, 13th January 2010, Jessica Watson rounded Cape Horn. Hooray and congratulations on a job well done!

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady have been sailing in 40 knot winds, mist, drizzle and a bumpy 4 metre sea over the last 24 hours and have risen to the challenge remarkably well.

The uncomfortable weather conditions are predicted to abate tomorrow as they progress in a more north easterly course towards the Falkland Islands.

Jessica Watson - Land Ho!

I dedicate this one to Jessica Watson's blog family. That Jessica has managed to inspire so many all over the world is simply amazing!

Today is a very exciting day for everyone as Jessica prepares to round Cape Horn. She has just reported that she is in sight of land and is looking forward to her parents' flyover plus a visit (sail-by) from both the Chilean and Argentinean navy. Then, as she nears within 100nm off the Falkland Islands, the Airforce may also treat her to a fly-over.

So, all-in-all a very exciting time for Jessica & EPL, not to mention her super support team and all the bloggers following her voyage from every corner of the globe.

Jessica Watson - Significant others

These may not be in chronological order because I posted them all at the same time.

I hope you enjoy what I have so far. Watch this space as I shall endeavour to capture moments of what Jessica experiences through her entire voyage of adventure around the world.

The third one above with the captions was a photo from Jess when she was becalmed at about 500nm (+/-) from Cape Horn. And yes, those are South American Espanalbatrosses. :-))

Jessica Watson - A Voyage of Adventure

This blog is intended to share a collection of graphics that I post on Jessica Watson's blog to commemorate her sailing voyage of adventure around the world.

Jessica is sailing an S&S-34 called "Ella's Pink Lady" in an attempt to break the record of being the youngest to circumnavigate the globe, solo, non-stop and unassisted. She started her voyage of adventure from Sydney Australia on 18th October 2009 and hopes to be safely back on terra firma at her point of departure before she turns 17 in May 2010.
Jess is a very dedicated and capable young sailor determined to fulfill her ambition, achieve her goal and ultimately realise her dream. With the encouragement and support of her amazing and very hard working shore team, Jessica is destined to succeed and smash her way into the record books.

I wish you fair winds and calm seas, Jess.

Love and best wishes... "samurai" Sam (Pictured below)