Sola sailor Jessica Watson reveals her simple survival plan

by Elissa Doherty

TEENAGE solo sailing sensation Jessica Watson has revealed her secret to surviving her high-seas odyssey - don't try to be a hero.

The brave teen said she stayed safe by bunkering down in the cabin in high winds, sinking dramatic images of her on deck, battling gigantic waves.

The 16-year-old, who is just weeks away from Australia, painted a less romantic picture of the voyage as she heads home. "I can actually claim to have left the safety of the cockpit in over 35 knots of wind only once," Jessica wrote this week in her blog.

"In an unexciting and not very dramatic way, that's actually quite amazing.

"So sorry to spoil all those dramatic ideas about me heroically battling with sails on the foredeck in monster seas and high winds, but this particular voyage is more about cutting down on risks, lots of preparation and sticking it out for a (very!) long time, than edge of your seat action sailing."


The Sunshine Coast adventurer is presently making her way across the same stretch of the Indian Ocean where British solo sailor Tony Bullimore famously came unstuck when his yacht capsized in 1997.

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Depending on weather and ocean conditions, she is expected to pass Australia's most southwesterly tip, Cape Leeuwin, in three weeks. However, her West Australian supporters will not be able to fly their welcome flags as Jessica will be sailing too far south to be seen.

But it will be a very different story when she arrives in Sydney about a month later, where welcome-home festivities and live television coverage will be awaiting Jessica.

She will barely have time to find her land legs before navigating the waters of fame and fortune, with loads of sponsorship deals expected to come her way.

Alone on the Indian Ocean this week, the reality for Jessica was considerably less glamorous - she was ridding Ella's Pink Lady of mould.

She said this was one of the reasons there was little detail about her daily sailing activities - there was often not much to tell. "Because of her simple rig, and because this isn't a race ... it's a very simple boat to handle," she said. She's expected to arrive ahead of schedule in May.