>Young Jessica Watson from Australia survived a storm two days ago in the South Atlantic where she was knocked down a total of four times, once where her mast went to 180 degrees. Aside from some bumps and bruises, she came through just fine. As you can imagine, there was also some damage on deck as this picture that she posted shows. I think it’s amazing that her boat came through in such great shape, Jessica too. Check out her blog post, it’s amazing to read. Equally impressive is that after 100 days at sea Jessica’s blog continues to get a lot of traffic. As of 8am on Sunday morning EST he had 400 comments on her post. That’s a powerful demonstration of her following. Actually she is a good writer and recall, that she is only 16 years old. After a day with winds at hurricane force, Jessica is now sailing along with very calm conditions. The change in weather does certainly bring the phrase “what a difference a day makes” into sharp focus. Happily, Jessica can continue on her voyage as planned.
You can also see where she is now, (this link is best viewed with Google Earth installed on your computer) just north east of the Falklands where the Indian Sailor Dilip Donde is refitting prior to setting out on the next leg of his around the world voyage as well. He’s sailing from Mumbai India.
This video is from a BBC segment that provides some context to the power of waves, and rogue waves in particular. Jessica experienced conditions that were probably less severe than the biggest ones shown here but devastating, none the less. The power of water is must immense. As I look at this and Jessica’s photo, it is clear to me that my dodger and bimini would definately not survive this sort of punishment.
While Jessica is making her way, Abby Sunderland left on Saturday from Marina Del Ray in California on her boat Wild Eyes with the hope of becoming yet another, and perhaps the youngest, to make it around unassisted. Abby’s blog post from yesterday also notes that there will be a segment on Good Morning America on Monday morning about her voyage and departure. Well, another journey for me to follow. Lot’s going on in the world of solo sailing these days.