Jessica Watson's Solo Sail: Hero or Reality TV Star?

[Evo]

Doubtful? Employers will inevitably bias toward a name they recognise, and her fame provides new avenues of employment (and potential high incomes) in industries that most have no access to.

Her website says she's still continuing and intending to finish school. After that if she chooses to go to uni, there's no way she'll be worse off than the common entrant who first works minimum wage for one year after school (this is done to declare independence and thereby secure government study assistance). But like I pointed out, there's no requirement here for her to have been at school at her age in the first place, so that whole point is moot.

A week from now no one will remember her. Do you remember the kid, Jesse, who's record she was trying to beat? He's famous for being the youngest to circumnavigate the world alone. You do remember him, right? He's FAMOUS.

 

[rewebster]

A week from now no one will remember her. Do you remember the kid, Jesse, who's record she was trying to beat? He's famous for being the youngest to circumnavigate the world alone. You do remember him, right? He's FAMOUS.

people who like sailing may-----


its like who knows who is presently the youngest player to pitch a perfect game in baseball?

who was the youngest person to walk on the moon?

who was the youngest person to win a Nobel prize?


or the second youngest?

 

[Evo]

people who like sailing may-----


its like who knows who is presently the youngest player to pitch a perfect game in baseball?

who was the youngest person to walk on the moon?

who was the youngest person to win a Nobel prize?


or the second youngest?

Exactly, no one is going to remember her.

 

[rewebster]

Exactly, no one is going to remember her.

well, what I was implying was those who are really interested in sailing, etc. will always remember..


"I remember the exact day and time that Jessica (what's her name) finished!"

 

[Evo]

well, what I was implying was those who are really interested in sailing, etc. will always remember..


"I remember the exact day and time that Jessica (what's her name) finished!"

Actually, she might be remembered for failing, if she's remebered at all. She didn't set a record.

 

[rewebster]

Actually, she might be remembered for failing, if she's remebered at all. She didn't set a record.

I get the (slightest) inkling/feeling from your posts that she doesn't deserve the attention

 

[Evo]

I get the (slightest) inkling/feeling from your posts that she doesn't deserve the attention

I think there are a lot more important things that kids do that deserve attention. Of course we rarely hear of them because they don't get attention.

 

[rewebster]

'Records' are transitory and are meant to be broken. I'm sure that some 15 year old girl will want to do it sometime.


We have a local TV station that has a segment called 'Kids to Know' for youngsters doing things that strive and do some things.

Jessica just did something that is noteworthy for her age (she, alone, by herself, on a sail boat) even if there were boats around her to help secure her safety.

When a racing driver wins a race, he gets the attention, but he doesn't really do it alone either.

 

[Evo]

'Records' are transitory and are meant to be broken. I'm sure that some 15 year old girl will want to do it sometime.

We had a thread about this.

Dutch Court rules teenager Laura Dekker can't sail around the world solo


A Dutch court upheld the suspension until July 1 of a 14-year-old girl's bid to sail around the world solo, citing fears for her safety and ordering her supervision by authorities.

Laura Dekker needs to complete the two-year trip before she turns 17 on September 20, 2012, to break the current record.

"The court is of the opinion that the two-year solo sailing trip as planned ... holds great and unacceptable risks for the child," the appeals court in the eastern city of Arnhem, said in a written judgment.

"It has not been shown that the safety of the child would be sufficiently guaranteed during the trip."

The court upheld a ruling by the district court in Utrecht in the central Netherlands last October, which barred the girl from setting off until at least July 1, when the school year expires.

It agreed she should remain under the supervision of child care services until that time, saying Dekker's father Dick Dekker, supports Laura's bid, "has a limited appreciation of the risks involved".

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/dutch-court-rules-teen-cant-sail-around-the-world-solo/story-e6frfku0-1225862259667

This next article also has experienced young sailors exolain why it's not a good idea.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/08/28/dutch.teen.sailor.court/index.html

Just this week, a British teenager became the youngest person to sail around the world solo when he returned to Britain after a nine-month trip. Guinness World Records confirmed the feat.

Mike Perham, 17, had a support team sailing alongside him during the trip. He said he doesn't think age alone should determine whether Laura Dekker is ready for such an adventure. It's "whether she's got the physical strength, the mental strength, or the technical ability," he said. "Can she strip an engine blindfolded? Can she build boats? Is she an electrician? Is she a mechanic as well? You can't just be a sailor for a trip like this."

Another sailor, Robin Knox-Johnston, also said age shouldn't be the only determining factor. He was the first person to circumnavigate the globe alone without stopping -- in 1969, when he was 29.

"It's really more a question, is that person, that young person, mature enough to be able to look after themselves and deal with everything that's going to come at you when you get out alone at sea?" he said.

Gold medal-winning Olympic sailor Shirley Robertson insisted that sailing is an experience-based sport and that Laura may not be ready for such a great challenge.

"Mike Perham has four years on Laura. That's a big difference," she told CNN.

"Mike had already completed challenges such as sailing across the Atlantic before embarking on his ultimate quest.

"There's a world of difference between sailing a small craft on the Ijsselmeer and sailing around the world with all the challenges that presents."

Robertson also pointed out that "we live in a culture of record-breaking and fame-seeking," with people constantly looking to be the youngest or quickest at anything.

"Why does she need to sail around the world on her own now? Why not sail with a parent first to gain more experience?"

 

[rewebster]

We had a thread about this.



http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/dutch-court-rules-teen-cant-sail-around-the-world-solo/story-e6frfku0-1225862259667

that's the 'Dutch' for you------


Different countries/ parents allow different things...


wasn't there a 12 year old that just climbed Everest?

Some 'things' are 'solo' for the 'records' --others it doesn't matter...

 

[Monique]

She had a dream and she went for it, that's what this is about. We can all sit at home and wait for something exciting to happen, but sometimes you just need to go out and do it. Take some risks. Would we have landed on the moon if everyone said it was stupid and too risky? Maybe it was stupid and too risky, but what an experience it is!

 

[Monique]

We had a thread about this.

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/dutch-court-rules-teen-cant-sail-around-the-world-solo/story-e6frfku0-1225862259667

The Dutch girl Dekker has complied with the Dutch court ruling that she needed to perform certain tests and show certain capabilities and sail according to some rules. She passed everything and she will set sail at the beginning of the summer vacation this year. Good for her, although I'd agree that we should not let every teenager set sail for the horizon.

 

[Evo]

I guess my problem is where do you draw the line? If a 15 year old decides they want to be the first child to solo bicycle across Siberia, do we let them leave school and take off?

Having goals and dreams and working towards them are to be commended, but when it is age appropriate. Call me a fuddy duddy, but I believe in restricting what my children do when they are young, they can do whatever they please when they are of legal age. I don't see any reason why they can't wait a couple of years.

 

[DaveC426913]

I guess my problem is where do you draw the line?

That's easy.

On a case-by-case basis. And the only people making any given decision are those directly involved, not those at arm's-length or at the other end of the internet, who only get a news-byte-worth of information.

In short, we are not qualified to judge.

 

[mheslep]

Why? Many single handed circumnavigators have died at sea, and many have done just fine, including several young women.

Well scratch that, I missed that she was underage.

 

[Monique]

I guess my problem is where do you draw the line? If a 15 year old decides they want to be the first child to solo bicycle across Siberia, do we let them leave school and take off?

Having goals and dreams and working towards them are to be commended, but when it is age appropriate. Call me a fuddy duddy, but I believe in restricting what my children do when they are young, they can do whatever they please when they are of legal age. I don't see any reason why they can't wait a couple of years.

One of the court rules is that Laura Dekker needs to continue with following schoolwork. There are more teenagers that are self-home schooling, for instance when the parents don't have a fixed home base. Apparently it is a proven concept, I think the Australian girl also did her homework on the boat.

What is age appropriate is hard to tell, some people are more mature than others at a certain age. Of course at the age of 15 the parents should have a definitive say, but I think they are afraid that their child will hate them forever when they say no. That's of course a very egoistical reason, that's why the court made an impartial decision.

 

[russ_watters]

Why? Many single handed circumnavigators have died at sea, and many have done just fine, including several young women.

Have any single-handed circumnavigating kids died at sea? When people see someone in a situation like their own die, they become more risk averse, especially if it is their kids. It becomes more personal.

 

[russ_watters]

Russ, this is nothing more that profiling, and at best an unscientific attempt at it. You have some notions of how a (statistical) population generally behaves and what motivates them, and you are using that to draw conclusions about one particular specimen within that population. That's just plain wrong.

Besides, you are stating as a fact about a specific family what is really nothing more than an opinion based on your own amateur (I'm using that term in its technical sense) interpretation of perceived general trends.
[separate post]
Also, it tickles me when people who have no experience or in-depth knowledge of a field pass judgment on the risks involved and decide to label people who have loads of experience in said field as "stupid"! Where does the conviction for such judgment arise from?

Well first of all, you don't know much about me or whether I have any sailing experience, but second, you act as if I'm pulling this out of thin air or that true experts in the field don't share such an opinion. But such opinions are easy to find:

Watson's journey has been criticised, particularly after the collision with the freighter. Barry Tyler of Pacific Motor Yacht magazine wrote, "like the majority of the seafaring world consider it irresponsible, cavalier and indeed ignorant to attempt such a feat, at such a tender age and with so little trans-ocean experience."[30]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Watson#cite_ref-Tyler2009-11_29-0

Again, she collided with a container ship! She demonstrated her insufficient experience!

So I stand by my position:
1. The risk is not worth the reward - it is a bad idea.
2. Because it is a bad idea, it is almost certainly poorly motivated by the parents.

 

[russ_watters]

Regarding the record, here's an interesting tidbit:

Last year when looking for sponsors, Jessica's PR management representatives, 5 Oceans Media, sent out a written prospectus to potential sponsors. This prospectus and then the contract sponsors signed stated her 'record attempt' would be conducted in full compliance with the rules and requirements of the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC).

Here is an extract from the the contract appendix, supplied to us by one of Jessica’s official sponsors:

The premise of the Voyage is for Jessica Watson to sail single-handed around the World non-stop, without assistance. The intended result is for Jessica to be the youngest person to ever do so.

The voyage will follow the rules and guidelines of the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC).

The route will commence from Sydney Harbour in or before the fourth quarter of 2009. The minimum distance is 21,600 nautical miles and is expected to take approximately 230 days.

When we saw that Jessica’s 'Great Circle*' route, as drafted and expanded in August/September 2009, we realized it would see her sailing a much shorter distance than the 21,600nm she needed to have done to achieve a properly constituted circumnavigation.

At the time we immediately contacted by phone and then email Andrew Fraser from 5 Oceans Media for explanations on what record she would be attempting to break, as it was clear that she could not beat Jesse Martin’s record,if she was sailing a shorter course. Andrew promised to get back to us, then he arranged for other people to come back to us.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get clear answers back then, and we still do not have them.

http://www.sail-world.com/USA/Jessica-Watson---no-criticism-of-Jessica---just-her-PR-Team/69253

I don't like hype.

 

[mheslep]

Have any single-handed circumnavigating kids died at sea? When people see someone in a situation like their own die, they become more risk averse, especially if it is their kids. It becomes more personal.

Yep, didn't see how young she was. https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=2754242&postcount=50

 

[rootX]

...

I don't like hype.

She took advantage of the opportunity out there and succeeded. I do not know what she was looking for but from my perspective she did right thing at right time, before too many teenagers start doing this and one of them dies. I am assuming that she has made good money from this.

But should her parents or others stopped her from doing this when she was going to start? Yes.

 

[Evo]

We might have the first teen death from trying to sail around the world alone. Apparently she does not have rescue boat escorts, she's truly alone. I hope she turns out all right.

Thursday, June 10, 2010 9:43am PDT

Emergency rescue effort is launched for teen sailor Abby Sunderland

By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com
A rescue effort has been launched in hope of finding Abby Sunderland, 16, who set off her emergency beacon locating devices from the southern Indian Ocean early this morning.

Sunderland, who had been attempting to sail around the world alone, endured multiple knockdowns in 60-knot winds Thursday before conditions briefly abated.

However, her parents lost satellite phone contact early this morning and an hour later were notified by the Australian Coast Guard that both of Sunderland's EPIRB satellite devices had been activated.

One is apparently is attached to a survival suit or a life raft and meant to be used when a person is in the water or aboard a life raft.

Abby's father struggled with emotions and said he didn't know if his daughter was in a life raft or aboard the boat, or whether the boat was upside down.

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/17943/emergency+rescue+effort+is+launched+for+teen+sailor+abby+sunderland/

 

[Evo]

It may be 2 days before any ships can reach her. God bless her soul. Why was a 16 year old out alone, why weren't there rescue boats surrounding her like the other children?

But then it goes back to...why are children trying to go around the world in boats when they have no experience with the type of conditions they can encounter? 60 knot winds, huge waves?

 

[lisab]

It may be 2 days before any ships can reach her. God bless her soul. Why was a 16 year old out alone, why weren't there rescue boats surrounding her like the other children?

But then it goes back to...why are children trying to go around the world in boats when they have no experience with the type of conditions they can encounter? 60 knot winds, huge waves?

Pirates - seriously. A cute 16-year-old girl, alone (and I mean *totally alone*)? Whew.

 

[Cyrus]

We might have the first teen death from trying to sail around the world alone. Apparently she does not have rescue boat escorts, she's truly alone. I hope she turns out all right.



http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/17943/emergency+rescue+effort+is+launched+for+teen+sailor+abby+sunderland/

And this is why you don't let 16 year old sail around the world alone.

 

[DaveC426913]

We might have the first teen death from trying to sail around the world alone.

[TotallyBadTaste]

Boy, when Evo wins an argument, she doesn't merely win it; people die.

Evo, you have a Friend that believes in you, even if you don't believe in Him.

[/TotallyBadTaste]

 

[Desiree]

God bless her soul. Why was a 16 year old out alone, why weren't there rescue boats surrounding her like the other children?

They shouldn't have let her sail all alone if that's the case. I am not sure if this girl has had any sailing experience or has anyone been watching her? Yeah, I agree, this is the stupid case, like I pointed out in my other posts.

http://content.usatoday.com/communi...a-in-solo-effort-to-circle-the-globe/1?csp=hf
P.S.
Do you really believe in "God"? I thought everybody on this science forum is an atheist of some sort

 

[Evo]

[TotallyBadTaste]

Boy, when Evo wins an argument, she doesn't merely win it; people die.

Evo, you have a Friend that believes in you, even if you don't believe in Him.

[/TotallyBadTaste]

Just reporting the news.

 

[rootX]

They shouldn't have let her sail all alone if that's the case. I am not sure if this girl has had any sailing experience or has anyone been watching her? Yeah, I agree, this is the stupid case, like I pointed out in my other posts.

http://content.usatoday.com/communi...a-in-solo-effort-to-circle-the-globe/1?csp=hf
P.S.
Do you really believe in "God"? I thought everybody on this science forum is an atheist of some sort

What god has to do with this?



.. and bad taste, isn't it just true that underage person doing something like this has higher chances of dying stating it doesn't change the reality.

 

[rewebster]

Adults don't always do well either when they attempt things-

--look how many adults have died trying to climb Everest, or stunt flying--

-there's a whole bunch of things out there that adults do that turn out to be deadly

 

[Evo]

Adults don't always do well either when they attempt things-

--look how many adults have died trying to climb Everest, or stunt flying--

-there's a whole bunch of things out there that adults do that turn out to be deadly

But they're adults. Don't tell me that you think a child between 14-16 is the same as a 29-39 year old adult.

 

[DaveC426913]

What god has to do with this?

You're asking the wrong person. Desiree's question about God was in response to Evo's God Bless comment in post 58.

 

[rewebster]

But they're adults. Don't tell me that you think a child between 14-16 is the same as a 29-39 year old adult.

I've know some pretty stupid 'adults' doing stupid things and acting in stupid ways----

I think a lot of it is just experience in the given area.

 

[Evo]

I've know some pretty stupid 'adults' doing stupid things and acting in stupid ways----

I think a lot of it is just experience in the given area.

And teenagers have much less experience.

 

[DaveC426913]

I've know some pretty stupid 'adults' doing stupid things and acting in stupid ways----

I think you're missing the point though. Adults are allowed to do stupid things that get them killed. Minors are not. Minors have parents who are responsible for ensuring (with a reasonable margin) that the kids don't do stupid things to get them killed.