True Spirit: The Aussie girl who took on the world

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Jessica gives her readers a taste of what being on the ocean is like through her descriptive and exciting blog entries (which were eventually made into this book). Though Jessica faced some near-death situations during her 210 days at sea, she learned a lot about self-motivation and the importance of believing in one’s self. Jessica’s story is one that I will always remember while sailing on my family’s sailboat. Knowing how much work it is to sail our boat (which is the same size as Jessica’s) with four people crewing, I hold a high amount of respect for Jessica and her knowledge of sailing—especially with her being so young while taking on such an enormous adventure. The day the movie “true spirit” I watched it. And the day after. And the day after that. And then about 15 more times after that. I had no idea who Jessica Watson was before the movie was recommended to me on Netflix but after watching the movie I needed to read the book too and I can confidently say this was incredibly beautiful and powerful too! She really is such an inspiration! By that point, Jessica had roughly 6,000 ocean and 6,000 coastal miles of sailing experience. She had also taken numerous courses, including several maritime safety and first-aid courses. She completed a radar course, diesel engine course, radio operator course, and a yachtmaster ocean theory course.

Written in three sections, the first part covers Jessica’s family life, her relationship with her siblings and parents and how she came to sail. I found it interesting that the family grew up travelling in their family boat and for most part the children were home schooled which allowed plenty of time to learn practical outside classroom skills. Thanks to all the people who have followed my blog. When I was putting this book together with my publisher, I started to rewrite the story of the voyage in a more traditional way, but it didn’t work. I lost something doing this. Instead, I decided to include the blogs, though they have been edited sometimes, and then expand on them to reveal things I wasn’t quite ready to talk about when I was at sea and to share things I have learned since. I hope you enjoy reading about my whole journey, not just my 210 days on the ocean.In her book True Spirit, she stated, "If I haven't been sailing around the world, then it beats me what I've been doing out here all this time!" Her manager, Andrew Fraser, defended her journey by pointing out that the WSSRC does not recognize records achieved by sailors who are not yet eighteen, so their input doesn't matter. He argued that it was never stated she would be going for a world record, simply that she would become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, nonstop, and unassisted ( Brisbane Times). I would rather be sailing than anything else, and I love the challenge of making my own decisions and overcoming the problems thrown at me.”

I’d left Mooloolaba with an escort of boats and helicopters at around ten that morning, and after fifteen hours at sea and weeks of full-time preparation I was feeling tired and slightly queasy. It normally took me a few days to find my sea legs. Confident that everything was fine, I decided to put my head down for a few minutes and have a catnap. I also learned so much about sailing through this book! (I knew absolutely nothing about the subject) and that I found intriguing as well. Any age record is eventually broken…Ultimately, this wasn’t about a record—I was looking for a challenge.” The second made-up character is a particularly inflammatory reporter played by Todd Lasance. Lasance's character, Craig Atherton is based on several reporters who criticized her journey and her parents' support of the trip as they viewed it as too dangerous for a child. The film shows a collision between the Ella's Pink Lady and a cargo ship during a test trip before she begins her voyage. This collision did happen, and in the film, it adds fuel to the fire of the negative press. What is it in the sea life which is so powerful in its influence? … It whispers in the wind of the veldt, it hums in the music of the tropical night … above all it is there to the man who holds the nightwatch alone at sea. It is the sense of things done, of things endured, of meanings not understood; the secret of the Deep Silence, which is of eternity, which the heart cannot speak.Reading about it all a decade later, however, did not change the fact that even at a young age, Jessica Watson had dreams. And she dreamt BIG. It is also clear that from her perspective, she worked hard to reach her dreams. She has first proven to her parents that she's serious and once she's got their support, she also received many others. Both morally & financially. Imagine what chain of events would have had to occur for a teenager who was washing dishes to pay for sailing experience, with no boat and only a dream, to become the girl who two years later would sail into Sydney harbor to the rapturous welcome of tens of thousands of fans, the public praise of the Prime Minister, and international sailing stardom!

Her parents and three siblings are supportive, as well as her sailing coach Ben (Cliff Curtis), but the rest of the world seems to be waiting to see her fail. Some simply state that the 16-year-old girl is incapable of sailing a ship by herself all the way around the world, but there are also child welfare groups that question whether her parents should be allowing her to do the challenge. But despite the worries of Roger (Josh Lawson) and Julie (Anna Paquin), they support her desire to be the youngest person to complete the journey.Written, first person, in an engaging and understated style, the book "True Spirit" is the story of how a young girl from an adventurous family was taken by the dream of sailing around the world, solo, nonstop and unassisted after hearing a book by Jesse Martin. Martin, who had circumnavigated ten years before, had written how he was just an average person with a dream. Through hard work and dogged perseverance, Jessica replicates his achievement a few days short of her seventeenth birthday. Jess's charming personality really comes through in the book, as it did in the captivating blogs she wrote during the voyage.

I wasn’t sailing around the world to become famous…I wasn’t thinking it was a great way to make money…I was setting off on this epic trip to challenge myself, to see if I could do it, and to show others that it is possible to make a dream a reality. My family and I knew the risks involved, and we knew it was going to be a hugely demanding journey both physically and mentally. I had faith in the boat, my sailing abilities, and the support I had…I’d know soon enough if I had what it takes.” Jessica Watson sailed solo around the world in her 16th year. I must confess to having vaguely seen something of her on television but seriously those 6 months that she was sailing, I was more of a zombie than human, thanks to my little human being born just 10 days before Watson launched. Did Jessica perform the tradition of dunking herself in salt water when she crossed the equator for the first time? I didn’t know if the crowd was there to show their support or to witness what many thought was my early defeat. I had to force myself to ignore negative thoughts and to concentrate only on guiding us up the river, throwing the occasional wave and half-hearted smile to nearby boats.

Jessica says that she handled it "really well." "I'm not sure if that means that I'm really simple or not, but I really did enjoy being by myself," she told 60 Minutes Australia. "I obviously really missed everyone, you know, from the day, the minute I started out of Sydney Harbour, you know, it was something's missing and I missed everyone so badly, but I did, I really enjoyed it. You know, once I got used to it, I enjoyed, you know, the sort of freedom, the independence of being by yourself." This is a book for adventurers, for those who aspire, for those who are in pursuit of a dream, for those looking to defy the odds. Below are some of my favorite quotes from part one: In 2014, she gave a TEDx Talk called “Sail Away” which details all of the preparation that went into her voyage–from learning to stitch up sails to using the stars to navigate. In her most recent podcast appearance on the Australian podcast I’ve Got News For You, she also recounted her voyage and life. Jessica Watson had a perfect way of describing her adventure that made me feel like part of it. I was invested in her journey. Jessica spent years preparing for this moment, years focused on achieving her dream. Yet only eight months before, she collided with a 63,000-ton freighter. It seemed to many that she’d failed before she’d even begun, but Jessica brushed herself off, held her head high, and kept going.