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Old 09-09-2009, 03:38 AM   #1
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She crashed into a bulk container ship less than 24 hours after setting off on her test run. Not hurt, the container ship apparently never knew they hit her. She has her priorities right. First thing she did, she called her Mum.

Guess she failed the test

I just looked at her blog. I think it's her Mum who's ready. Jessica didn't stow her provisions, her mother did! I'm underwhelmed by this venture. I hope that the parents of the 13-year-old Dutch girl read this.

Gaaaaah!
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Old 09-09-2009, 05:02 AM   #2
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Hmmm.....not an auspicious start. I am afraid this could go very ill.

The young lady is pretty and obviously likes being in front of a lens (judging by the photos on the linked site). Maybe she should think of modelling instead of sailing?

Aye // Stephen
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Old 09-09-2009, 09:19 AM   #3
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While being interviewed this arvo she stated that she was down below at the time of impact....

With a bit of luck the AMSA enquiry will see her grounded and others discouraged...
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Old 09-12-2009, 09:36 AM   #4
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It seems to me the she did not have access to AIS on her boat, cause if she had, she would have been alerted to the fact that a ship had entered her approx. 20 NM radius 'security circle'. and the colision would have been averted.

It is my experience that the mate on the bridge of a decent size ship,can only see the sea that is 1+ MILES ahead, anything between the bow and say 1 mile ahead is a dead zone. If you happen to be in that area, you're done for.

Too many yachties seem to rely on radar reflectors, generally they do NOT get noticed, as the target is too small and there is too much clutter on screen anyway.

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Old 09-12-2009, 09:58 AM   #5
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Interesting reports that the VHF/ AIS on the Ship was turned off a minute or so after the collision and Jessica was quite aware of the imminent collision before the event as she was advise by her father to seek shelter below decks before the collission. From reports it appears She did radio the ship at a good distance away. From comment it also appaers there was no english speaker on the bridge. I don't have any further information to date but its best not to comment until all the fact are common knowledge.

The Gold coast Yachting Community will probably have the yacht back in the water with in 10 days.\

I agree the Mate would not have seen her visually under 1 mile however she does have a radar AIS. I have also experienced a similiar occurence where a Ship could see me 20mn out as I could see her and they did not alter course but I did early enough to get out of the way.

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It seems to me the she did not have access to AIS on her boat, cause if she had, she would have been alerted to the fact that a ship had entered her approx. 20 NM radius 'security circle'. and the colision would have been averted.

It is my experience that the mate on the bridge of a decent size ship,can only see the sea that is 1+ MILES ahead, anything between the bow and say 1 mile ahead is a dead zone. If you happen to be in that area, you're done for.

Too many yachties seem to rely on radar reflectors, generally they do NOT get noticed, as the target is too small and there is too much clutter on screen anyway.

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Old 09-12-2009, 10:37 AM   #6
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It is my experience that the mate on the bridge of a decent size ship,can only see the sea that is 1+ MILES ahead, anything between the bow and say 1 mile ahead is a dead zone. If you happen to be in that area, you're done for.
Well, I believe she was involved in a collision with a bulk carrier. As an ex mate on an 80,000 ton bulk carrier (and many ships of other types too) I cannot concur with your opinion. Certainly, a large container ship with stacks on deck could have a large blind spot but not a bulk carrier. These vessels NEVER carry anything on deck as, in a loaded condition, the main deck is frequently awash in anything above a moderate sea.

I agree with you assessment of radar reflectors - far better to have an active transponder such as the Sea-Me.

Interestingly, if this young lady had the time to call her father and receive the advice to shelter under-deck, why did she not have time to avert the collision? This leads me question her competence.

As far as the ship is concerned, I know nothing more. No name, no nationality etc. Of course every ship should have an STCW certified mate or master on the bridge. In order to get that certification one is required to pass an exam in English, just as I had to do. However, I recognise that there are many "cowboys" out there; ships flying flags of convenience with improperly certified watchkeeprs. Correctly manned and run merchant ships, warships and fishing vessels should add to rather than detract from the safety and security of small boat sailors.

Aye // Stephen
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Old 09-12-2009, 02:27 PM   #7
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This incident has received a lot of attention here in Australia with many newspaper forums dicussing the rights and wrongs of this young girl going to sea in this way and colliding with a ship within 24 hours of departing. She was asked by a reporter if she was asleep at the time and she refused to say, which I reckon is code for " I was asleep"! People here have cherry picked maritime laws quoting " power must give way to sail" neglecting the " a lookout must be maintained at all times" which as we know is impossible to do if singlehanding.

My view is this venture may go very wrong with someone so young, alone and exposed to southern ocean conditions over an extended period.
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Old 09-12-2009, 05:45 PM   #8
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Alan, people seem forever to have been cherry-picking laws and rules to fit their own notions, no matter how wrong they might be.

For example, power can't give way to sail if draft constraints means that power will run aground by giving way to sail. I.e., under most circumstances sail doesn't have any right of way in a restricted channel. And even if power wants to give way, sail has to help - big ships can't turn on a dime, can't stop short - no brakes and lots of momentum.

As I complain about the news media in the U.S., why don't they learn enough to not perpetuate the foolish statements that get picked up and repeated ad nauseum, and educate the public. I know, it means they have to educate themselves as well, perhaps a near-on impossible task? (bit**y, bit**y, bit**y Jeanne!)

I practically throttled a couple who told us that they had almost collided with a ship coming through the entrance channel in a Florida port, and they sounded very critical of the ship because it succeeded in stopping only a short distance from their boat. My response was, "and why couldn't you get out of their way?"

Still, so much of knowledge and common sense comes with age and experience. What does a 16-year old in today's society know about life and risk and hard knocks?
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Old 09-13-2009, 10:40 PM   #9
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A 16 year old teenager does not have the experience, maturity or money to safely complete a round the world voyage. How many people have said" I didn't know enough to know how little I knew" when they realized their mistakes.

It is their parents that are putting their kids up for fame and fortune. They care more about publicity and fame then they do about their child's safety and well-being. The media are also guilty of encouraging this behavior.

The consequence of these stunts is that they cause responsible people to unnecessarily risk their lives and craft to save these young seekers of publicity.

I think we have too many restrictive laws and regulations already. Stunts like this that go awry encourage people to ask their governments to regulate such behavior which puts restrictions on everyone else.

We should stop expressing empathy for these young kids and reprimand their parents.

Gary
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Old 09-14-2009, 09:13 PM   #10
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A 16 year old teenager does not have the experience, maturity or money to safely complete a round the world voyage. How many people have said" I didn't know enough to know how little I knew" when they realized their mistakes.
She has been posting on her blogs for a while. I had been reading about her since I heard about it when reading about the younguest solo circuimnavigator a few weeks ago.

You can read her entries and opinions here:

http://youngestround.blogspot.com/

I would suggest to make judgements about her abilities after reading her writings so that you can have an idea what kind of a person she is and what capabilities she has.

I am not a huge fan of these attempts, but I would not judge her that quickly from this incident.
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Old 09-14-2009, 11:49 PM   #11
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WaterDancer,

Very valid points made. There are 30 year olds who shouldn't be on the water anywhere - Ask the world's Coast Guards.

And of course our 16 year old may have the gumption and intuition and boat 'knowhow' to circumnavigate without great difficulty.

But, she is still a young female and there are 2 legged predators out there. Street wise, Yes.

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Old 09-15-2009, 01:38 PM   #12
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I second the motion... most westerners live in a glass house with no real conception of how cold blooded the have-nots can be to the haves... I would gamble that this applies to this young lady, who is most certainly a have....

And I saw nothing in her blog that made me think she was exceptional for her age, just a kid with a lot of funding... odds are she'll pull it off though, she'd have to almost be incompotent not too with the level of support she has.
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Old 09-15-2009, 04:12 PM   #13
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I second the motion... most westerners live in a glass house with no real conception of how cold blooded the have-nots can be to the haves... I would gamble that this applies to this young lady, who is most certainly a have....

And I saw nothing in her blog that made me think she was exceptional for her age, just a kid with a lot of funding... odds are she'll pull it off though, she'd have to almost be incompotent not too with the level of support she has.
Well, Tania was not much older, and she definitely had much less communications and navigation capability.

Again, I am not condoning, or condemning it, I just noticed that certain comments are not fair, and perhaps putting her down. (i.e. first thing she did is call her mother).

Based on her blog, she did exactly what she was supposed to do.. call her support center.

2 legged predetars... yes definitely a concern. But that is always a concern, regardless of age and gender.

I would not be surprized if it would turn more into a reality show with a blimp mounted camera following her every step.
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Old 09-15-2009, 06:42 PM   #14
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I would not be surprized if it would turn more into a reality show with a blimp mounted camera following her every step.
That's the point of these things. Its not about sailing, its not about travel, its not about achieving a goal. It's about publicity/fame/money and all the wrong things, IMHO.

If someone, young or old, wants to go out and do something spectacular (which, IMHO solo circumnavigation THESE DAYS with support systems, etc IS NOT...) then they should just go out there and do it w/o all the fanfare without all the publicity. Just do it. Period.

The whole thing with these kids doing this stuff and their parents not showing any common sense is sort of sleazy in some strange little way. I'm not expressing that thought very well, but I hope you get my drift..

Fair winds to all.
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Old 09-15-2009, 07:57 PM   #15
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I am not criticizing the 16 year old girl. I take it that she is already an outstandingly talented and determined girl way ahead of her peers to get as far as she has.

What I am criticizing is her parents and sponsors who are using her for their own selfish ends. Parents are responsible for the safety of their children until they can cope on their own. Goodness knows how may teenagers have ended up dead or injured because of emotional decisions they have made. Cars kill many youngsters every year.

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Old 09-15-2009, 08:31 PM   #16
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I am not criticizing the 16 year old girl. I take it that she is already an outstandingly talented and determined girl way ahead of her peers to get as far as she has.

What I am criticizing is her parents and sponsors who are using her for their own selfish ends. Parents are responsible for the safety of their children until they can cope on their own. Goodness knows how may teenagers have ended up dead or injured because of emotional decisions they have made. Cars kill many youngsters every year.

Parents

Jessica
I do think she's talented for sure! Just because she's 16, though, doesn't mean she isn't milking the same thing that her parents and sponsors are--she is. Look at her photos...her self image seems to be more about glam than about competence. 16 is still very inexperienced and very much a child, in terms of sailing one's own boat around the world! But, it is old enough, in this day and age, to know what is going on with the sponsorships and to know exactly how she's projecting herself and how she is perceived.
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Old 09-15-2009, 09:29 PM   #17
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It seems that she had a P.R. person, and lots of free advice and sponsors, before she had a seaworthy boat. *And her blog sounds just a bit too polished for a sixteen-year-old. *Some of it her mother owns to writing, I wonder how much of the rest is really her work. *She certainly knows how to put in plugs for all her sponsors, and she has a lot of them. *

Tania Aebi made many mistakes in her first few months, but she had already done a trans-Atlantic passage with her father, so she possibly knew more about long-distance sailing than most. *If I remember correctly, about the only "sponsor" she had was Cruising World Magazine, and she had to write a monthly article for that. *Of course, her father was the motivator there, telling her that if she thought she wanted to be a writer, then she damn well better write. *

Can anyone remember the two teenage boys who solo circumnavigated. *One on "Dove", and he, too, was sponsored by a magazine (National Geographic?). I think that after finishing his circumnavigation he moved into the mountains, and never sailed again (is my memory clear on that?)

The other boy I think didn't finish his circumnavigation, but rather stopped in South Africa and didn't finish (?). * *Tania also moved inland, though she continued to give motivational seminars and I think sailing seminars, possibly after her marriage dissolved (again, my memory is a bit sketchy).*

I wish her well; I hope she's more mature than I give her credit for.

J
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Old 09-15-2009, 10:53 PM   #18
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What irks me is the free repairs she is getting. Not to mention the fact that within the first 24 hours she messed up big time. I dont know the girl so I will not make comment, but her mother seems to do an awful lot of talking.

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Old 09-15-2009, 11:07 PM   #19
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What irks me is the free repairs she is getting. Not to mention the fact that within the first 24 hours she messed up big time. I dont know the girl so I will not make comment, but her mother seems to do an awful lot of talking.

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She is being sponsored big time, no question about that. What I don't understand is how people know that she "messed up big time" since the case is still under investigation. There are a lot of rumors going on, including that "she called mum" and that "she was sleeping" "ais was not on" etc etc..

If she really messed up, it will come out after the iquiry, and I suspect that the sponsors will drop her.

At this point, her sponsors, who probably have a bit more information than us, don't seem to think that she deserves to be dumped.
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Old 09-15-2009, 11:21 PM   #20
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She hit another boat = she messed up... doesn't matter what the circumstances were... the captain is responsible.... period.
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