EDITORIALJessica's potentially fatal mishap - no justice, just surviva

by Nancy Knudsen, Cruising Editor on 10 Sep 2009 Sadly, 16-year-old Australian Jessica Watson's collision with a ship at sea in a shipping lane is just ordinary inexperience. I could have recommended her to my four-part series of articles in Sail-World Cruising on the subject (Search 'Container Ships and the Cruising Sailor'), just one among many in other publications by more worthy writers.

On a yacht at sea you can NEVER depend on a ship seeing you(for a whole range of reasons), or having a senior officer awake who speaks English at the bridge, or being able to effect a change of course within about five nautical miles, depending on the style of ship. Not desirable, perhaps, but fact.

A ship such as the 63,000 tonne Silver Yang in the normal course of events would feel nothing and know nothing until they found some paint on their hull at the next port. As to their reported attempt to 'hit-and-run', the whereabouts of all ships are so well known in Australian waters that this can be discounted.

No doubt this has taught her, in a most unfortunate way, to take FULL responsibility, as every yacht skipper must, for the avoidance of ships at sea. This is not a matter of justice, just survival.

The good news is that Jessica's attempt to become the youngest solo non-stop and unassisted circumnavigator will not take her through many shipping lanes; and it is true (from personal experience) that surviving a potential fatality at sea can add confidence and grit for the onward voyage.

While the newswires seem to be full of the achievements and woes of ambitious sailing teenagers at the moment, there IS a lot else going on on the world's oceans.

Frantic behind-the-scenes negotiations are now in train for three Seychellois cruising sailors from the catamaran SV Serenity, who have been held since March 09 by pirates in Somalia. It's a tale worthy of a James Bond film, and is still going on after their aborted escape attempt this week.

Down in Tonga they are holding their very first 'annual' Regatta in Vava'u, Balvenie is still doing it tough sailing in the Mediterranean (that's just jealousy speaking) and some hardy seamen are about to replicate Captain Bligh's amazing 4000 mile sail in an open whale boat in 1789.

Dinghy sailors can benefit by reading the recommendations that the RYA made after two dingy fatalities in the middle of an innocent afternoon race, and there's another in our Sailing Incident Series, with the opportunity to guess the lessons that MAIB deduced.

Are you sure you 'know-it-all' in yachting theory? There's a great new – and free – online theory course for old and young sea dogs alike.

Read on, enjoy, and

Serene sailing - and keep away from ships!