After 7 months at sea, Australian teen Jessica Watson nears finish of her round-the-world sail

Australian teen nears end of round-the-world sail

SYDNEY — Thousands lined Sydney Harbour on Saturday to welcome home a 16-year-old Australian, who was just a few miles (kilometers) from the finish line in her bid to become the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world.

Jessica Watson, who has spent seven months at sea, was battling choppy conditions in the last leg of her epic adventure but was in high spirits as she neared the shore.

“I can’t believe I’m heading in!” Watson told Australia’s Ten Network — one of her sponsors — as she edged closer to the finish line. “It has been so long and I’ve got so used to it out here, so yeah, it’s going to be quite an adjustment.”

Watson, from Buderim, north of Brisbane in Queensland state, sailed out of Sydney on Oct. 18 in her pink 34-foot (10-meter) yacht and has traveled 23,000 nautical miles. She plans to dock at the Opera House, where she will be greeted by her parents, a throng of media and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Her parents were heavily criticized for letting their daughter go on the trek, but argued she has been sailing since she was 8 and was well-prepared. They were all smiles Saturday after catching a glimpse of Watson from a nearby boat.

The teen has survived 40-foot (12-meter) waves and multiple knockdowns during her journey, which took her northeast through the South Pacific and across the equator, south to Cape Horn at the tip of South America, across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa, through the Indian Ocean and around southern Australia.

People around the world have followed Watson’s adventures on her blog, which she has regularly updated from the computer on board her boat. She has used a satellite phone and the video chat program Skype to keep in touch with her family and management team in Australia.

Australian Jesse Martin holds the current record for the youngest person to sail around the world solo, nonstop and unassisted, after he completed the journey in 1999 at the age of 18. He plans to board Watson’s boat after she crosses the finish line into the harbor and take over, so she can relax as they cruise toward the Opera House.

Watson’s feat, however, will not be considered an official world record, because the World Speed Sailing Record Council discontinued its “youngest” category.

Some sailing enthusiasts have also argued that Watson didn’t travel far enough north of the equator for her journey to count as a true round-the-world trek as defined by the record council’s rules. Watson’s managers have dismissed those claims and argued she doesn’t need to adhere to the council’s rules anyway, since they won’t be recognizing her voyage.

Sixteen-year-old American Abby Sunderland of Marina del Ray, California, launched her own solo round-the-world bid in January. In May, she had to pull into port in South Africa for boat repairs, ending her nonstop attempt. She still plans to try to complete her voyage.

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Online:

jessicawatson.com.au