The Wetass Chronicles- Jessica Watson's 'Adventure Lost'

by Tim Zimmerman, in Sailing World on 14 May 2010 Jessica Watson will soon become the youngest sailor to circle the globe non-stop and by herself. But modern technology has taken much of the challenge out of this once superhuman feat.

When Jessica Watson set out from Sydney, Australia, last October to sail non-stop around the world, solo and unassisted, I was—how shall I put this?—extremely skeptical. It wasn't her age—just 16—so much as her inexperience, though that is age related. It didn't help that she collided with a freighter before the start. I thought her parents were idiots.

Mostly, though, it was my perception of solo, RTW sailing as an epic, dangerous, and lonely challenge, requiring superhuman discipline, an ability to survive on little sleep, and the capability to fix, invent, and jury-rig your way around the globe. I got that perception from devouring the RTW sailing literature from the early days: Robin-Knox Johnston, Bernard Moitessier, Miles Smeeton, and many others. Also, from following the inspired craziness of the Vendee Globe. This canon elevates solo, RTW sailing to world-class adventure, matching anything you can find in mountaineering or exploration.

But now that Jessica is cruising serenely toward Sydney on her S&S 34 Ella's Pink Lady, about to conclude her voyage successfully and become a marketing superstar, I realize that it's time to update my perception.

I don't want to take too much away from her accomplishment. Any solo, RTW voyage is a big deal, and I sincerely doubt I would have fared as well. She was knocked down multiple times, slugged her way through gales and headwinds, and, at least early in the voyage, sometimes appeared on the verge of tears.

But after following her voyage I was struck by how much the nature of this sort of adventure has completely changed. It just doesn't feel very 'solo' or 'unassisted' anymore, and that takes the blood and guts out of it.

In 1968, sailing around the world solo and non-stop was so hard Robin Knox-Johnston could barely do it. In 2010, it is so easy a 16-year old can do it. It's just not that exciting anymore. Knox-Johnston's book, 'A World Of My Own,' is one of the greatest adventure books ever written. I sincerely doubt I'll read Jessica's.

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