Jessicawatch – true confessions
She finally catches that fish
It has to be admitted I was wondering if she actually writes the material out there at sea or whether her mum or someone else does.
It seems many other thousands around the world were also wondering the same thing – the prose was just too good, if you see what I mean.
Well, she has addressed that:
I’m not sure how best to put this but a lot of people have been wondering and asking so here goes; yes, it’s definitely me writing these blogs! Having someone blog under my name is a big no go for me.
Can you imagine letting your Mum or anyone else describe your feelings to the world under your name? Ouch! Well maybe it’s just a teenage thing! But I do have to confess, my updates have to be spell checked before being published. My spelling is, can we just say a little notorious!
While I’m on a roll with these confessions, I’ve got another one for you too. Sorry everyone, but I don’t just blog to satisfy your curiosity, but also because I love writing them!
Oh and yes I did open that can of mangoes and quite a few cans after that! I’ve been justifying my total mango pig out by telling myself that as a tropical fruit the mangoes need to be eaten while still in the tropics. There’s plenty of other treats stashed away for the cooler legs.
While I’m sure there is a lot of backup and she seems to have some guy who knows what he’s doing handling the course and weather conditions, the truth is that she is alone out there and though the path was made optimum for her – right time of year, excellently equipped, right type of boat for the journey etc., she does have to handle the little incidents and she’s described those.
She’s a pretty tough cookie, this girl [or rather singleminded] and the good thing is that she acknowledges her limitations and works within and around them. Impressive. Naturally, people are completely behind her and the thought that the world is hanging on the least word from her keyboard and that her family are so immediate on the radio must be a comfort.
Plus – remember back to your own teenage. I was always off on some adventure or other. When she gets into an Ellen MacArthur situation of no sleep for days in the southern oceans, problem after problem, that’s another matter but there is always that infrastructural support though.
And let’s face it – a well found sea boat can take a hell of a lot of punishment before she goes down. If you can see your way clear, a little prayer for her on the journey might not go amiss.
Filed under: Leisure, travel & sport, Society & human issues
Don’t underestimate 16 year olds, either with words or with boats. She writes very well and I have commented to tell her so (I’m a blog follower now having followed your tip to seek out her site). There are enough little glitches in her words to tell they are authentic too, but when edited up for publication next years they should form the basis of a good book, hopefully celebrating her success. If I was her dad I’d be heck of a worried about her though. I hope she stays close to shipping lanes for rescue if required, and well away from pirates because she is getting a high profile. The humans can be more dangerous than the seas.
This is quite right, Andrew. Her team do seem good though and seem to know the pitfalls which maybe they haven’t communicated fully to her, preferring to just keep clear of those spots.