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'True Spirit': How Jessica Watson missed out on being the youngest person to sail solo around the world

Jessica Watson was set to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around the world, but rules failed her

BY AAYUSH SHARMA

UPDATED FEB 3, 2023

16-year-old solo sailor Jessica Watson poses alongside her yacht Ella's Pink Lady during the official launch of her Solo round-the-world voyage on October 7, 2009, in Sydney, Australia. (Sergio Dionisio/Getty Images)

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA: Netflix has a knack for telling stories that create a lot of impact on the minds of viewers and one such project is the upcoming movie ‘True Spirit’. Projects based on real-life events are always nerve-wracking because they give a perspective about an incident that people might not have heard of and the aforementioned title is one of those rare titles. Based on the true story of Jessica Watson, the movie primarily focuses on a young girl who decided to defy the odds and break stereotypes by becoming the younger person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around the world.

At first, people believed that she shouldn’t do that because she is too young and it might prove to be fatal for her. With the help of her supportive family and coach, Watson never backed down and started preparing for the journey. On October 18, 2009, Watson sailed out of Sydney Harbour in her boar named ‘Elsa’s Pink Lady’. The sailor 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.

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Teen sailor Jessica Watson arrives back home in Sydney following her world record attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world, in Sydney Harbour on May 15, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. The 16-year old set out in October last year to break the record held by fellow Australian Jesse Martin, but there remains doubt from the World Speed Sailing Record Council (the official record body) as to whether she sailed far enough north of the equator to claim the world record. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for Ella Bache)

The young sailor endured a total of 7 knockdowns and several storms to reach the Sydney Harbour. When she returned home, everyone was celebrating and congratulating her for creating a world record, but a website that tracks everything about the sailing universe claimed that she didn’t achieve the record. But what was the reason behind this claim? Let’s take a look.

‘True Spirit’: Why was Jessica Watson never named the world record holder?

As soon as she landed offshore, people started talking about the world record, but it was claimed that she missed the world record because she did not cover the distance required to meet strict criteria set by the official sailing body in relation to the circumnavigation of the world.

According to the World Speed Sailing Record Council, there is a rule for around-the-world sailing records. The rule states that “the length must be at least 21,600 nautical miles calculated along the shortest possible track from the starting port and back that does not cross land and does not go below 63 degrees. The equator must be crossed during the journey.

Jessica Watson attends the Sport Australia Hall of Fame at Crown Casino on October 20, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)

As per the logs maintained by Watson, she traveled around 23,000 nautical miles during her sail. However, according to the great circle calculations by several Australian navigators, she has traveled 18,265 nm orthodromic distance (or 19,631 rhumb line distance). This means she was 2,335 nautical miles short of sailing the entire globe.

There was a lot of drama regarding the record and Watson’s manager Andrew Fraser slammed the critics for scrutinizing a young girl’s achievement. He also noted that Watson and her team never said that they were trying to attempt the world record. Fraser said, “We’ve never used to word ‘world record. We’ve said that she would be the youngest person to (solo circumnavigate the globe unassisted), so people can make their own judgments.”

What did Jessica Watson say about the criticisms?

As soon as the chatter regarding her sail gathered steam, Watson didn’t shy away from silencing her critics with a scathing reply. Watson never really replies to such things, but she did this time and addressed the situation on her blog. In her blog (via Sydney Morning Herald), Watson noted that she is disappointed that her attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around the around won’t be recognized because the World Sailing Speed Record Council doesn’t recognize the records set by people who are under-18.

16-year old teen solo sailor Jessica Watson sets sail on her yacht Ella's Pink Lady in Sydney Harbour on October 18, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. Watson is attempting to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world non-stop and unassisted, an estimated 23,000 nautical miles expected to take her around 230 days at sea. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

“I don't normally bother addressing critics because someone's always going to be saying something, no matter what I say or do. But I thought I'd have my 2 bobs worth on these claims that I haven't officially sailed around the world. Call me immature but I've actually been having a bit of a giggle over the whole thing. If I haven't been sailing around the world, then it beats me what I've been doing out here all this time! Yes, it's a shame that my voyage won't be recognized by a few organizations because I'm under 18, but it really doesn't worry me,” Watson wrote.

Her inspiring journey is the main storyline of the Netflix movie ‘True Spirit’, which is available for streaming on Netflix.