jessica
I’m sure a lot of you are familiar with the name Jessica Watson
Especially the Aussies reading this
She’s 16 years old
And has just spent 210 days at sea (in her pink boat)
Alone
Unaccompanied
Sailing solo around the world
Yeah, that’s right
She’s SIXTEEN!
They say it’s not a world record
As they don’t keep records for under 18s
To discourage nutjob parents from chucking their kids in a boat and saying, see ya!
In the hopes of fame & recognition and getting their kids taken away from them
I gotta say
Sailing doesn’t appeal to me
Sailing by myself would frighten me
Being on a boat for 210 days would scare the living shit out of me
In which case I would no doubt die of fright
Meaning, I would shit myself so bad
I would drown in it
How embarrassing
So yeah, no solo sailing efforts for this little land duck
But this kid Jessica
Un-bloody-believable
And she seems so together
One of the best quotes from her, that’s been repeated in most of the articles I’ve read is
If your parents give you the freedom for little adventures, you can go on to have big adventures
I am completely ordinary. I just put a lot of effort in, had a great team around me and I think that goes to show you don’t have to be anyone special to achieve something big. You just have to want it
I say she’s anything but ordinary
There’s no way I would be that humble about such a major achievement
I’d be all hanging off the front of the boat screeching out the theme to the Titanic
Yelling, where my sailors at?
Can a bitch get her some SAILORS??
Then I’d totally release a calendar with all the sailors
And I’d….oh wait, where was I?
Ahem….oh yeah
This kid makes me proud to be an Aussie
While simultaneously making me nervous as a mum
I’m keeping mine away from water, just in case they get any crazy ideas
No more baths
They can consider it an early Christmas present
And Jessica?
AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE!
You BLOODY beauty!!
May 16th, 2010 at 12:54 am
Great post Jen – well written and funny as F*** as usual. You should start your own news channel!! NOW!
May 16th, 2010 at 2:13 am
My idea of adventure is holding the worm that my son just handed to me.
May 16th, 2010 at 9:55 am
Yes – she is THAT and more… what a young woman! Please god let the media leave her alone now to adjust… cause if sailing solo for 210 day is not enough to drive you crazy, insane editors sending their cameramen to shoot footage of you (at night) eating at a restaurant sure will! *deep breath*
Most of Australia is busting with pride today… she’s a bloody little beauty.
BB
May 16th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Nice post. She seems like a great kid! Can’t beat the Aussies
May 18th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Oi! Oi! Oi! What a couragious young woman! 20 minutes on the bay and I’m over the side. The best thing about sailing is…is…hmmm…watching someone else do it! On ya’ Jess!
May 21st, 2010 at 3:44 pm
What a bloody fair dinkum rippa!!!
October 20th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Fantastic post about a fantastic girl. Well done I say. We followed her website daily & were so amazed. My 80+ year old Dad watched her every day too. I’d phone him each night & he’d talk about Jesse as though she was his own. He was, as all us kiwi’s are, mighty proud. I ordered Jessica’s book for Dad & he sadly didn’t get to read it as he passed away before it arrived.
Again, fanbloodytastic writeup Jenny.
p.s your blog is the bees knees.