An Australian schoolgirl’s attempt to sail solo non-stop and unassisted around the world has received a setback after her yacht crashed into a cargo ship during a sea trial overnight.
Jessica Watson, 16, set off from her home in Mooloolaba in Queensland to sail south to Sydney for a 10-day test run for her yacht, Ella's Pink Lady, before the official start to her round-the-world record attempt this month.
However less than 24 hours after taking off, the teenager ran into trouble when her 34ft sloop was struck by a 63,000-tonne bulk carrier in a shipping lane about 15 nautical miles east of Stradbroke Island at around 2am this morning (5pm Tuesday, BST).
Jessica, who was below deck when the crash occurred, was unharmed. However her yacht sustained damage to its mast, which was snapped, and the deck and starboard side of the hull were badly scraped during the collision
http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/jessica-is-fine Jessica is fine! Early this morning Jessica Watson had an incident at sea whilst in transit from Mooloolaba to Sydney. Her 34 foot yacht, Ella’s Pink Lady, came together with a 225 metre cargo ship. Ella’s Pink Lady is currently under motor to a southeast Queensland port. Jessica is fine and remains as committed as ever to commence her voyage as soon as her yacht can be repaired.
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