NEWS AND NOTES
Blue Water Sailing
May 18, 2010
Just What Defines A Circumnavigation?
In the wake of young Jessica Watson's completion of her circumnavigation, Abby Sunderland, also in the running, offered an excellent post on her website: Circumnavigation Facts includes all the possible definitions (yes, there are more than one!) as well as a terrific list of current attempts, completed circumnavigations and the record holders.
Sixteen-year-old Jessica Watson sails past the finish line at the
entrance to Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia, Saturday,
capping off a nearly 23,000 nautical miles voyage.
Watson crossed the finish line of her round-the-world journey
Saturday, becoming the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop
and unassisted around the world.' / Rob Griffith/AP.
But the big news this week is by Jessica, now the youngest person to sail around the globe solo, nonstop and unassisted. The 16-year-old Australian, braved multiple knockdowns and seven months of solitude on a sail around the world, has finally set foot on dry land outside the Sydney Opera House on Saturday.
"Amazingly, I just enjoyed it much, much more than I ever thought I would and handled the challenges better than I thought," Watson said. "You don't actually have a choice – you're in the middle of a storm, you're being knocked down – you can't fall apart."
After standing on land for the first time in 210 days, the teen said she's eager to learn how to drive a car, to eat fresh fruit and salad after months of packaged meals, get a full night's sleep instead of catnaps and shake off her sea legs with a long walk on the beach.
Some sailing enthusiasts argue Watson didn't travel far enough north of the equator for her journey to count as a true round-the-world sail as defined by the record council's rules. Watson's managers have dismissed those claims and argued she doesn't need to adhere to the council's rules anyway, since they won't be recognizing her voyage. The organization that logs world circumnavigation attempts, the World Speed Sailing Record Council, no longer recognizes attempts by people under the age of 18, because of safety concerns. But it if did, it still requires the sailor to cover a minimum distance of 21,600 nautical miles.
One of the previous record holders is Mike Perham, a British teen who completed a circumnavigation of the globe last year at age 17, though he had to stop along the way for repairs to his boat. He was there to greet Watson today in Sydney.
"If I was the previous youngest person, I can happily say that Jessica is now the youngest person to do it," Perham told Sky News. "Is it an official record? I don't think anyone cares at this moment." From: AP.
Watch her lovely homecoming video:
Watch more Los Angeles Times videos on AOL Video
.
