EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY

As we get ready for what is a long journey and run into all sorts of problems, it pales against the efforts of Jessica Watson as she sets out on a solo voyage around the world.

Bon Voyage/Buen Camino

Report from the Brisbane Daily "The Courier Mail"
A 16-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl has set sail in the preliminary stage of her bid to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.
Jessica Watson left Mooloolaba on Queensland's Sunshine Coast today on a 10-day solo journey to Sydney in her 10.4m sloop Ella's Pink Lady.
In-depth: Jessica Watson's amazing voyage

She will set off from Sydney on a date to be set when her preparations are complete and the weather is favourable.

In 1999, Jesse Martin became a household name and entered the record books at 18 by covering 27,000 nautical miles in 328 days by himself.
His record was broken last month by 17-year-old Briton Mike Perham.

But Watson, who has been sailing since she was eight, believes she can break the record by completing the journey by April 2010.
She said in her online blog the Sydney trip would be a good test.
"I plan on taking around 10 days to sail down to Sydney so that I get plenty of time on the water to test all the systems and give Ella's Pink Lady a good run-in," she said.
"Then there'll be time in Sydney to make any last minute changes before departing and heading out into the Tasman Sea."

Her mum Julie said she was relieved to see her daughter head out of Mooloolaba today.
"I'm feeling so happy we've got to the start line," she told ABC radio.
"Preparations have gone so well and she's in the right space."

http://www.youngestround.com/