The 16-year-old Australian yachtswoman Jessica Watson, who is hoping to become the youngest person to sail around the world, will almost certainly have to delay the start of her voyage, after hitting a cargo ship on a test sail.
Jessica had started out on a 10-day test run from the sunshine coast in Queensland south to Sydney. Unfortunately, less than 24 hours into the trip, she hit the carrier – at about 02:00 local time on Wednesday morning, 17:00 BST on Tuesday evening.
Her yacht Ella’s Pink Lady has sustainded damage to its mast, and the starboard side of the deck and hull have been badly scraped. Jessica is unharmed, although a little shaken.
The teenage is still determined to carry on with her plans to circumnavigate the globe: “”All things considered, the boat did come up well. The big thing for me is I came through the whole thing feeling confident.” Ms Jiggins said Waston called her parents immediately after the crash, who then contacted maritime authorities for help.
“Her parents contacted our rescue co-ordination centre which advised Watson to turn her motor back on and head to Stradbroke Island,” Ms Jiggins said. Watson, who is now 15 nautical miles from shore, later agreed to travel to Southport on the Gold Coast and is expected to arrive in the next two hours. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will also investigate the crash. Watson left Mooloolaba Wharf yesterday on a week-long test run ahead of her world record attempt to be the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will investigate the circumstances of the collision early this morning, but was unlikely to recommend a halt to the solo sail. ATSB spokesman Richard Batt said details about the crash were still sketchy. “We know it was a foreign ship heading out of Australia,” Mr Batt said. “We are still gathering some preliminary details. “It is not our role to apportion blame. From our point of view it would be about seeing whether there could be any safety gains made. The question of whether it is reasonable for a young person to be doing this is not a matter for us.”
Despite the mishap, Watson’s spokesman Scott Young said the solo attempt would continue. “She is determined as ever,” Mr Young said. “It certainly hasn’t stopped the voyage. I cannot ever see Jessica not wanting to do this. She is every bit the competent professional.” Mr Young said a preliminary assessment of the yacht indicated there was no structural damage. “There’s mostly just damage to rigging, which can be replaced,” he said. “But we’ll have to get boat back into port to confirm that at this stage. “The good news is that we know the tracking systems and communication system on her boat are second to none and that the network of the project team, including her family and those around her, have worked.”
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Brett Harrison said conditions in the area at the time of the crash were relatively calm. “There would have been come showers around earlier this morning. The wind weren’t particularly strong. It doesn’t look particularly bad, apart from a few showers, Mr Harrison told ABC Radio.
