Cold Shoulder, Jessica ?

[TaoJones]

Reporting in today's 'Lectronic Latitude, LaDonna Bubak reveals that Jeanne Socrates, also solo-circumnavigating on her Nereida, has received no response from either Jessica Watson or her land-based team, either by email, SSB or SatPhone.

From the 'Lectronic Latitude piece:

"Meanwhile, according to solo circumnavigator Jeanne Socrates, she and Jessica are very close to each other but Jeanne's attempts to contact Jessica or anyone on her team have been met with 'radio silence'."

You can read the piece here:

Latitude 38 - 'Lectronic Latitude (scroll down to 'Abby Sunderland to Stop in Cape Town')

On her website, Sailing Vessel Nereida - Welcome to my journeys, Ms. Socrates reports, "While my computer was still working, I was able to email her several times wishing her well and giving her my position. But I never received a reply. So for over 5 weeks now we have not made contact."

The Australian CG plane that Jessica reported being buzzed by in her April 24th blog update, Knockdown, Huge Seas and a Buzz from Customs, subsequently flew over Jeanne Socrates and called her Ella's Pink Lady. Asked where Jessica was, a person aboard the plane told her that Jessica was then 56 miles NNW.

It could be that there is some communication snafu, or that Jessica and her team are just overwhelmed with emails and calls as she nears the finish line and sails back into Sydney harbor. It appears that that will occur in about ten days to two weeks time, possibly less.

TaoJones

[DaveC]

Women.....

Have get emotional about everything!

So what if Jessica didn't "say hi!" ???

[Coot's Away]

Hmm - seems a bit obsessive. Would think there were a lot of people that haven't made contact - so why worry about this one unless you want to increase the web hits on your site by creating news / having the right key words to get picked up by Mr Google

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by Coot's Away

Hmm - seems a bit obsessive. Would think there were a lot of people that haven't made contact - so why worry about this one unless you want to increase the web hits on your site by creating news / having the right key words to get picked up by Mr Google

I'm not sure I understand your post, Coot's Away. Are you accusing me, or LaDonna Bubak, or Jeanne Socrates of trying to somehow game Google "...to increase the web hits on your site by creating news / having the right key words to get picked up by Mr Google ..."? I can assure you that that isn't the case with me, and I'll adamantly vouch for the ethical character of my friend LaDonna Bubak. I don't know Jeanne Socrates, but she's highly thought of in the cruising community and has received friendly communications from Jessica Watson in the past.

Since Ms. Socrates and Ms. Watson are members of one of the smallest clubs in the world - those who are presently sailing solo around the world - and are currently within no more than 100 miles of one another, trying to make contact is the most natural thing imaginable. Since Jessica and Jeanne were transiting the Indian Ocean "together" for the past several weeks, I just find it curious that neither Jessica nor her team are responding to an equally courageous fellow cruiser.

TaoJones

[imagine2frolic]

Maybe they are looking at it this way. No response, no oppurtunity to see the playbook? If it was me I'd be answering the call with an oppurtunity to chat with a club member, but then again I was raised to play with good sportsmanship. This is a completely different generation?.........i2f

[paradix]

I know exactly how Jeanne feels. I'm often sending unsolicited emails to 16 year old girls, and I've never once received a reply. Although I did once receive a restraining order...

Seriously though folks, I think you're reading way to much into this, and Jess simply isn't the one to be deliberately snubbing anyone. I'm sure you can imagine how many emails her and her team receive each day, and how impossible it must be to deal with every one. At the moment Jess is dealing with a complex weather system and her team are no doubt focussed on the last part of her journey and arrangements for her arrival, so perhaps letting daily correspondence slip is understandable.

I think the suggestion that Jess might be being unsportsmanlike is ludicrous, given the level of direct assistance, support and advice her and her family have provided to her only real "competitor", Abby Sunderland, and received in kind of course.

[Jim D]

Originally Posted by paradix

I think the suggestion that Jess might be being unsportsmanlike is ludicrous, given the level of direct assistance, support and advice her and her family have provided to her only real "competitor", Abby Sunderland, and received in kind of course.

Perfectly stated.
I'm not sailing around the world solo, non-stop. I'm sitting at a desk most days, and now I'm on my couch. But my inbox still has its share of un-answered emails.

[John A]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

Indeed . . .

TaoJones

me thinks you're being way to judgemental for a mod to base his assumptions on a third party report from Latitude 38.

[DeepFrz]

Jeanne Socrates and Nereida are closing on New Zealand. She is stopping there for more repairs.

There are a few public interest videos on Abby Sunderlands website. She is in Capetown for repairs, mainly to her autopilots (plural).

[surfingminniwinni]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Jeanne Socrates and Nereida are closing on New Zealand. She is stopping there for more repairs.

There are a few public interest videos on Abby Sunderlands website. She is in Capetown for repairs, mainly to her autopilots (plural).

Abby should have used a Flemming Wind Vane, like Jessica. They never let you down.

[bayview]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

I'm not sure I understand your post, Coot's Away. Are you accusing me, or LaDonna Bubak, or Jeanne Socrates of trying to somehow game Google "...to increase the web hits on your site by creating news / having the right key words to get picked up by Mr Google ..."? I can assure you that that isn't the case with me, and I'll adamantly vouch for the ethical character of my friend LaDonna Bubak. I don't know Jeanne Socrates, but she's highly thought of in the cruising community and has received friendly communications from Jessica Watson in the past.

Since Ms. Socrates and Ms. Watson are members of one of the smallest clubs in the world - those who are presently sailing solo around the world - and are currently within no more than 100 miles of one another, trying to make contact is the most natural thing imaginable. Since Jessica and Jeanne were transiting the Indian Ocean "together" for the past several weeks, I just find it curious that neither Jessica nor her team are responding to an equally courageous fellow cruiser.

TaoJones

Tao I think you should "be given the heads up" that Coots Away appears to have a vested interest in Jessica's voyage. Either as family member or part of the PR team. Coots Away has been posting on a great deal of Fora to such an extent that it could be best described as spamming. I notice he is only up to post 6 here however.

[J Ventura]

I remember reading Bernard Moitessier's method of contacting ships during the first single handed non stop Round the World race , the Golden Globe , in 1968. The radio had packed in early on , so he would write messages , roll them into a plastic film container and shoot it at the bridges of merchant ships using a slingshot.
Now people are sitting on desks all over the world debating in real time the promptness of a sailor in replying to daily emails and dramatizing what's after all just another sailing trip.
Moitessier gave up that race while leading on the homeward leg in the South Atlantic and pushed on to Tahiti , forfeiting the race and the "glory" to do his thing , disgusted with the PR ( this in 1968...) , phoniness and media hype . He died a legend and left an heritage of sailing knowledge , literature and inspiration that very , very few , if any of these attention seekers will ever be able to match , and he never won a race or broke a record.
I am all for ocean racing , singlehanded or fully crewed , but people should maybe curb their enthusiasm for communication , spin and exposure and focus more on the sailing.
Really , is it that important that one or the other didn't answer an email?

[slomotion]

I don't know about her "team" and I certainly don't know Jessica, but I've read her blog. I think anyone who has done so knows her well enough to realize that Jessica would never deliberately snub Jeanne. Jessica has expressed genuine excitement when when communicating with other circumnavigators. This is obviously a curious but unintentional snafu of some sort.

I nominate paradix for funniest post of the week:

Originally Posted by paradix

I know exactly how Jeanne feels. I'm often sending unsolicited emails to 16 year old girls, and I've never once received a reply. Although I did once receive a restraining order...

[Hirophant]

Where are people getting their Nereida info from? Her website has no updates since 24th April, and when I tried her google map it failed to show her boat's position.

As for Jessica, she certainly loves hobnobbing with male sailors, I don't recall her chatting up any female ones though

[John A]

It must be your computer. I've got info dated May 8,2010.

Anything else you'd like to bash Jessie on?