Jessica heads into southerly change

8:27 PM Thu 1 Oct 2009 GMT

'Jessica’s weather for the next four days' .

Jessica Watson, already surrounded by a storm of controversy over her bid to be the youngest non-stop unassisted circumnavigator after she hit a ship on her first night out, is off to Sydney on her rapidly repaired yacht Ella's Pink Lady.

Jessica, who left the Gold Coast yesterday morning on her bright pink yacht, has not submitted a written voyage plan, or, until yesterday, logged in with the volunteer rescue organisations who man the New South Wales coast and provide a free service to transiting boats.

Jessica was obviously in a hurry, and decided not to wait for settled weather. There is a strong wind warning current for the New South Wales coast, and she seems to be heading into a southerly change, with south to southeast winds strengthening during Saturday (tomorrow). Seas are forecast to be 2-3 metres on a southeast swell of one metre, winds 20-30 knots. Further south the swell is forecast to be higher.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's(ATSB) preliminary report on Jessica's collision will be published on 9th October. Maritime Safety Queensland(MSQ), whose partially completed report was leaked to the press last week, will give no date when their report will be completed according to spokesman Tim Hillston.

Of crucial impact on the reports will be whether the Silver Yang, with which Jessica collided, made a course correction in the 15 minutes before the collision. MSQ has so far refused a request to divulge the AIS information to Sail-World.

Jessica's haste to continue her journey has a reason. Her plan is to complete a crossing of the equator, necessary to be recognised as a round world record holder, and get back to Antarctic waters so that the rounding of Cape Horn can be done at the height of summer.

by Nancy Knudsen

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Jessica heads into southerly change

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