Watson ready for Easter on high seas

by KYM AGIUS

Lone sailor Jessica Watson is ready to crack open her Easter eggs after copping a battering in seven-metre swells and gale force winds.

The weather front on Sunday and Monday forced the 16-year-old to veer off course, setting her back in her quest to become the youngest person to sail solo and unassisted around the world.

One of the big waves snapped off her vessel's, the Ella's Pink Lady's, windvane. But she replaced it with a spare.

"We've had lots of good progress in the last few days but not towards Australia," the Sunshine Coast teenager said in her blog.

"It's safely past now but did give us, and is still giving us, some pretty big seas with some of the bigger ones reaching maybe seven metres.

"Mostly Ella's Pink Lady takes it all in her stride as always but the occasional breaking wave is a little hard on my nerves and makes for some pretty bouncy sailing."

Jessica is about 1000 kilometres off Western Australia's Cape Leeuwin, the state's most southern point. She's expected to pass the landmark in the next 12 days.

She's due to cross the finish line in Sydney Harbour in six weeks' time, six months after setting off on her voyage.

"I can't help thinking about getting home more and more, kinda strangely the closer to Australia I get, the more I'm missing everyone," Jessica said.

"I'm already getting excited but just a tad nervous too!"

To help ease the nerves built up in the storm, Jessica has Easter to look forward to.

Her spokesman, Andrew Fraser, spoke to Jessica on Wednesday night and said Easter eggs would be part of the celebration.

"I know that there will be chocolate. That's the one thing I can guarantee," Mr Fraser told AAP.

"She loves it. Mum would have packed something in there as an Easter surprise, I'm sure."

SMH.COM.AU