Young Aussie's sailing record 'may last'

by The Sydney Morning Herald

Supporters are confident any round-the-world record set by Australian teen sailor Jessica Watson will stand for many years.

The 16-year-old Queenslander is more than half the way through her attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world, non-stop and unassisted.

American teenager Abigail Sunderland, who is attempting the same journey, struck trouble overnight and was forced to stop in Mexico after experiencing equipment problems.

If Abigail, who's four months younger, had been able to complete her voyage non-stop, any record set by Jessica would have been extremely short-lived.

"I believe any record Jessica sets will hold for many, many years," the Sunshine Coast teenager's spokesman Andrew Fraser said on Tuesday.

"Jessica has a maturity way beyond her years ... to overcome all the adversity she's already experienced is quite phenomenal.

"The storm she went through recently was horrific - she had every right to say 'get me out of here', but it actually made her stronger and a better sailor."

Jessica's currently in the mid-Atlantic, about 1,700 nautical miles from the Cape of Good Hope.

"She's done over 12,000 nautical miles now, and the journey all up will probably be about 22,000 miles, we reckon," Mr Fraser said.

In a blog posted on her website on Tuesday, Jessica said she was making good progress, and the weather conditions were good.

"These are just the sort of conditions (my boat) Ella's Pink Lady and I love. Does anyone object if I give Sydney a miss and go around for a second lap?" she joked.

Mr Fraser said any record Jessica set would not be formally recorded by the international sailing body, the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

He said the council had a policy of not ratifying "youngest attempts" as it did not want to be seen to encourage young people to attempt dangerous journeys.

However, he said a record set by Jessica would be celebrated around the world, as Jesse Martin's was in 1999 when he set the record Jessica hopes to claim for herself.