REALITY TV
TV
MOVIES
MUSIC
CELEBRITY
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Accuracy & Fairness Corrections & Clarifications Ethics Code Your Ad Choices
© MEAWW All rights reserved
MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / MOVIES NEWS

'True Spirit' Ending Explained: Did Jessica Watson survive the biggest storm of her life?

Watson's journey was exciting, but it was filled with grueling situations and the biggest storm of her life
PUBLISHED FEB 3, 2023
Teagan Croft as Jessica Watson in 'True Spirit' (Netflix)
Teagan Croft as Jessica Watson in 'True Spirit' (Netflix)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Netflix is set to take you on an enthralling journey of perseverance with the latest movie ‘True Spirit’ which tells the inspiring true story of a 16-year-old girl who dreamt of becoming the youngest person ever to sail the world solo, non-stop, and unassisted. Jessica Watson, a young girl from Queensland, Australia, dreamt of defying the odds and breaking stereotypes by completing the journey without any assistance and suffered a lot of setbacks. However, she never backed down and continued her journey in the most riveting way possible.

After starting her journey from Sydney harbor, Watson passed near New Zealand, Fiji, Kiribati, Cape Horn (Chile), Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), Cape Leeuwin (Australia), and South East Cape (Tasmania) during her journey. There were moments in her journey that completely broke her down and self-doubt started creeping in. But she managed to continue her journey. As she progressed, she realized that this journey won’t just test her physically, but mentally as well.

RELATED ARTICLES

Is Netflix's 'True Spirit' based on a true story?

'True Spirit' Review: A magnificent tale of perseverance and a towering achievement

Teagan Croft and Jessica Watson on the set of 'True Spirit' (Netflix)
Teagan Croft and Jessica Watson on the set of 'True Spirit' (Netflix)

So, was she able to complete her journey? Or she was forced to take a pit stop and not be successful in her voyage. Let’s take a look.

‘True Spirit’ Ending Explained: Why did Watson get stuck in the Atlantic Ocean?

Watson was just reaching Cape Horn and a lot of sailors turn backward after seeing the conditions. However, she didn’t, and in her video vlog, she noted that she has rounded the “Everest of the Ocean” (Cape Horn) and she was really happy that everything went really smoothly. However, things became more challenging when she reached the South Atlantic Ocean. Suddenly, the winds stopped and it stalled Watson’s boat as well. She was stuck there for days and started to feel lonely. There were no winds or waves for days and she just couldn’t do anything. Anxiety, anger, and self-doubt started creeping in.

At first, she used to call her parents to talk about it, but one day, she called and had a fight with her coach Ben (Cliff Curtis) because she forgot to set alarms and as a result, her boat started going backward. When the coach tried telling her that she could have died because of this, she snapped and said some mean things to him. Ben cut the line and just went away.

Teagan Croft in a still from 'True Spirit' (Netflix)
Teagan Croft in a still from 'True Spirit' (Netflix)

That was the time when her mental health was decreasing and she was not in her senses. Being alone in the sea with no movement at all was just too overwhelming for her and she began to lose her mind and didn’t talk to anyone for days. After not talking to her parents for a good amount of time, she finally had a conversation with her mother who motivated her to keep going and never lose her way. That pep talk from her mother inspired her to get back to her senses.

She recorded a video vlog and let everybody know that living your dream is not easy. She also noted that she misses her family and her coach, who happens to be her best friend as well. With this vlog, she makes everyone understands that no one can be strong in every situation that life throws at them. She even thought of giving up but didn’t because she always dreamt of doing this journey and won’t back down.

Finally, after days of no winds, her boat finally manages to find wind and Watson resumed her journey.

‘True Spirit’ Ending Explained: Did she SURVIVE the biggest storm of her life?

After resuming her journey, it was time for her to come back home. However, things start to look bleak for the young girl because multiple storms are heading her way and some of them are even coming at her from Antarctica. They were five times the size of the last one she faced. Her mother tells her to pull back into the port, but that would mean that her journey will end there and she won’t be able to complete her voyage non-stop. Watson says no and they have a family meeting via a satellite phone.

A still from 'True Spirit' (Netflix)
A still from 'True Spirit' (Netflix)

She gets on a phone call with her sister Emily, who makes her realize that even if she pulls up, people have already hailed her as a national hero. But that makes her want to complete the journey because a lot of people are dreaming to be like her. So, Watson has a plan of riding the gigantic waves and going through the storm. Everyone is scared for her and says no, except her siblings. Ben lets her know the consequences of her actions, but she goes ahead with her plan and cuts straight through the storm. The moment has arrived and Watson has now entered the most difficult few days of her journey or perhaps her life. She is scared and calls her family to have some motivation. Ben promises her that he will start sailing once again if she comes back in one piece.

Things go from bad to worse when she is unable to go over a giant wave and her boat gets 15 feet under the water. The entire family is scared and is waiting to hear from her. She was very close to losing her life, but her destiny pulled her up from the catastrophic situation and her boat was back up. She managed to cut through the storm and returned home after 210 days.

She was named Young Australian of the Year in 2011 and the following year was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia.

'True Spirit' is now available for streaming on Netflix. 

POPULAR ON MEAWW
MORE ON MEAWW