Jessica Watson's Round-the-World Voyage

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by boatman61

... one could also blame the frieghter for not sounding its 5 blasts for "Get TF outa the Bludy way..."

I'm still waiting to see the ATSB final report in my e-mail box where we'll presumably find out what really happened. I did get an e-mail announcing ATSB job openings and for a split second I started dreaming . The preliminary report said nothing about the warning horn blasts which seemed like a huge omission ... were they sounded or weren't they ... it makes all the difference in the world.

I'm now going to put 3 reefs in the main and set the storm jib.

We're headed out in small craft increasing to gale force tomorrow, won't need to reef quite as much as you and our waves/swells won't be looking like Jessica's mountains but it should still be a really nice short cruise:





-Sven

[boatman61]

Sven....
I'm reefing down in a metaphorical manner... ready for the "Gale" that could result from that last post..LMAO...
The 5 blasts should have started at least 2 miles off and been repeated every few minutes right upto the moment of impact.. personally I think its probably down to inefficient watchkeeping, all to often found these days with many ships, as owners cut back more and more to maintain profits..
reducing crew to ridiculous levels is one of those measures..


Hey.. enjoy the trip.. have fun mate...

[Hirophant]

Originally Posted by boatman61

The 5 blasts should have started at least 2 miles off and been repeated every few minutes right upto the moment of impact.. personally I think its probably down to inefficient watchkeeping

According to the preliminary report, the person on watch did see her green light several miles off and continued to monitor it as it approached. So the actual watchkeeping was fine. It was the action they took that seems questionable! (10° to starboard and then wait for her to hit them...) The only obvious explanation for their action was that they assumed she too would turn to starboard, in which case they would probably have passed port to port without the freighter having to squander too many millilitres of fuel by deviating more from its programmed course.

As for sounding their horn, are you crazy? This was during the hours of darkness, there are laws against that sort of thing, fish are entitled to a good night's sleep these days you know, not to mention the rest of the crew on board the ship and the odd Mooloolabah mermaid who needed her beauty sleep.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by boatman61

... as far as I'm concerned if you've never done long distance solo "Shut It"...
Go back to your books... you don't know what your talking about... its like a non swimmer telling Mark Spitz where he went wrong...

I suspect Mark Spitz, Sherm Chavoor, George F. Haines, and Doc Counsilman, or perhaps Benoit Lecomte and Edward Coyle et al might dispute your absurd thesis.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by GordMay

I suspect Mark Spitz, Sherm Chavoor, George F. Haines, and Doc Counsilman, or perhaps Benoit Lecomte and Edward Coyle et al might dispute your absurd thesis.

Lmao... wondered how long that bit would take to get a bite.....

Although I still maintain that someone who's never solo'd more than 3 days much less across an Ocean is relying mainly on edited accounts written by people who have.. therefore they're making judgements based on one persons related experience and applying it to someone else's seperate unique set of events.

Another Absurd Thesis... incidents in small boats at sea are like clouds passing overhead... no two are the same...

[Get-a-Life]

Boatman61,

Well said, I agree wholeheartedly, that's me sailing alongside 3 reefs and jib.

If you like that sort of sailing 42degrees south and 10 meter seas are waiting.

Ken

[Pelagic]

Australians are such good mates…. You got to love them!

If one of their own sticks their head up and crows about what they are going to do…. they will get a real bagful ….. But as soon as an outsider criticizes, watch them rally around and destroy anyone who would disparage.

Too bad, life is not that simple for we would all then want to be Australian…. And that certainly would be an immigration issue…

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by Mariness

This article didn't seem too bad to me, he clearly feels young people shouldn't take big risks like this, but surely he's allowed to have the opinion if he wants to? He seemed to me to have more of a problem with other people trying to capitalize off it (production team, politicians, etc) than with her.

I should have mentioned in a post above that I am also happy when I am sharing my outdoor interests with my daughter. This is why it is great that Jessica has challenged the “Nanny State” mould and is a role model for those few kids who are not happy sitting behind a play station living in cyberspace.

At any rate, I do agree with your capitalisation interpretation as especially illustrated by all the attention from our politicians. Some of these people are renowned hypocrites. At least when she had her first attempt and hit the freighter I commented “sounds like something I might have done” to friends. Having now realised about the lengths she went to find sponsors and the fact she is not just a spoilt kid I have even more respect for this young achiever!

Go Jessica!

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by boatman61

The 5 blasts should have started at least 2 miles off and been repeated every few minutes right upto the moment of impact.. personally I think its probably down to inefficient watchkeeping, all to often found these days with many ships, as owners cut back more and more to maintain profits..
reducing crew to ridiculous levels is one of those measures..
...

I understand they weren't in a TSS, narrow channel or a NZ harbour, so presumably it should have been JW sounding the 5 blasts.

[boatman61]

The vessel with limited maneuverability sounds the warning in all cases... in this case the tanker.. furthermore if there was a qualified watch-keeper on the bridge he would have been able to see they were on converging course and speed from the radar info... and sounded the 5 blasts.
I've been in this situation in the English Channel a few times.. and its a damn sight busier than there...
if a ship thinks your in jeopardy because of your course and speed they'll give you a blast...
then its on the vhf to inform them that you'll alter course to pass their stern..
Their Radar plotters are a damn sight more accurate than our eyeballs.

[surfingminniwinni]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Australians are such good mates…. You got to love them!

If one of their own sticks their head up and crows about what they are going to do…. they will get a real bagful ….. But as soon as an outsider criticizes, watch them rally around and destroy anyone who would disparage.

Too bad, life is not that simple for we would all then want to be Australian…. And that certainly would be an immigration issue…

You should be so lucky!

But seriously I had to laugh at your post, I think you just about nailed us aussie's with that one. Well done!

Now all you have to do is work out our sense of humour.

[ZAR]

Hi,

Sorry to bother you but is there a school book or a manual to do this around the world thing? Or is it an inate thing of Australiasians?

Sorry to sound naive. But is sailing here there and anywhere, relative to one's domacile?

If my memory is correct the Portugese and Dutch and Spaniards "tried" sailing, and succeeded. Where does so called Austrailain sailing fit in there?

Thanks!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by ZAR

Hi,

Sorry to bother you but is there a school book or a manual to do this around the world thing? Or is it an inate thing of Australiasians?

Sorry to sound naive. But is sailing here there and anywhere, relative to one's domacile?

If my memory is correct the Portugese and Dutch and Spaniards "tried" sailing, and succeeded. Where does so called Austrailain sailing fit in there?

Thanks!

How dya think they got there in the 1st place... by sea courtesy of the Brit Navy... just took em a while to shuck the yoke and get their sh*t together.....
And if it were not for the Portuguese you wouldn't have Lat and Long for your GPS.....
Also they were the first to do the Cape's

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by ZAR

Hi,

Sorry to bother you but is there a school book or a manual to do this around the world thing? Or is it an inate thing of Australiasians?

Sorry to sound naive. But is sailing here there and anywhere, relative to one's domacile?

If my memory is correct the Portugese and Dutch and Spaniards "tried" sailing, and succeeded. Where does so called Austrailain sailing fit in there?

Thanks!

Myself, I honestly could not be too bothered getting into the technicalities. As far as Jessica’s circumnavigation was concerned I agree that if it was not going to be ratified by any official bodies then why shouldn’t she have taken the safest and most direct route. I also love her comment that went something like,

“Well if I was not sailing around the world then what was I doing?”.

Personally, I also feel that the world is far too politically correct. That is why I was stoked to stumble across the following non-Australian “group”. It seems the spirit of adventure is alive and well elsewhere. It is also good to see shoestring adventurers banding together and supporting each other:

http://www.jesterinfo.org/index.html

[Wotname]

Nice find SS, thanks for posting it