Abby Sunderland's Out - it's Just Jessica Watson

by YachtPals Crew

The battle for the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world is now down to one, as Abby Sunderland reported she will be making land in South Africa, ending her non-stop and unassisted bid to be the youngest around. She blames autopilot trouble for the stop - which is still a week or so away. "It's not necessarily good news, but the way I look at it, it's not bad either," said the California teen Saturday, whose team has said from the start that she has been doing this for the experience more than for the glory.



This leaves Australian Jessica Watson with no competition. Make that: No competition except for the Southern Ocean. Watson is reporting another knockdown in the biggest seas she's witnessed yet, as she sails south of Australia, on the home stretch of her journey. She's quickly approaching the Australian state of Victoria now, and by her course, it looks as if she plans on taking Bass Straight and going inside Tasmania, rather than dipping below the South East Cape as her route predicted. No doubt a prudent decision, as that big of a risk that close to her finish could prove disastrous.



If all goes well for the two young ladies, Abby should be pulling into South Africa not long before Jessica lands in Sydney. Expect Jessica to be the toast of Oceania once she completes her journey, as a media frenzy has been winding up since before she left. Though Abby won't be getting nearly the hero's welcome, she's still got a lot to look forward to. After all, she's 16 years old, on the other side of the globe from home, with a boat she knows how to sail well. Now that the pressure's off, she has all the time in the world to complete her dream of circumnavigation.



YACHTPALS.com