Teen sailor arrives in Sydney

Teenage adventurer Jessica Watson says her five-day sail from Queensland to Sydney
proves she's ready to tackle a solo circumnavigation of the globe.

If successful, she will become the youngest person to ever sail single-handed around
the world.
The 16-year-old faced five-metre high waves during her trip from the Gold Coast but
conditions eased on the weekend as she sailed closer to Sydney.
Initially expected to arrive in Sydney on Monday morning, Jessica sailed through The
Heads shortly after 3pm (AEDT) after being delayed by light winds.
She moored her yacht, Ella's Pink Lady, at The Spit in Middle Harbour, then hugged
her brother and supporters before she addressed a large media contingent.
"It's not quite the welcome I expected," she said shyly.
"It's amazing how many people came out to say hi."
She said the voyage from Queensland had been great preparation for her longer
expedition, and that her biggest problem was coping with being back on firm ground.
"I've got a bad case of land legs and I'm all spinning," she admitted.
It was Jessica's second attempt to reach Sydney, with her first trial last month
ending when her yacht collided with a cargo ship.
Some say the incident is proof she's not ready to sail around the world but she
maintains her successful trip from the Gold Coast proved otherwise.
"It gave me a lot of confidence because I haven't had that sort of exposure at sea
before, and now I know I can really handle it," she said.
Asked how she and her family felt about critics, including the Queensland
government, suggesting she abandon the trip, Jessica appeared nonchalant.
"We've kind of kept out of (the debate) because it's about concentrating on getting
the boat back on the water," she said.
"We made the decision a long time ago I was going, and the only thing left to do was
do it properly and make it safe."
Criticism aside, Jessica appeared to be a source of inspiration for a father and his
four-year-old daughter who wedged their way into the media scrum to catch a glimpse
of the young adventurer.
"See her, she's going to travel all around the world by herself in a boat," the man
told his daughter.
"Would you like to do that one day?"
The little girl grinned.
Jessica did admit to one drawback of sailing - she suffers from seasickness - but
did not believe loneliness would be a problem in the eight months or so she would be
at sea.
"I'm sure I'm going to miss people a lot, but I'm going to have a lot of
communication with people back home, by cell phone and that sort of thing," she
said.
She will also take music and books along for entertainment, and if she gets really
bored, she'll tackle her school work, she said.
Water police in NSW said they did not monitor Jessica's journey to Sydney.
"We haven't been asked to keep a special watch on her but we are ready to assist if
need be," Detective Superintendent Mark Hutchings told reporters on Monday shortly
before Jessica's arrival.
He said her round the world trip would be tough but hoped she would complete the
journey without any incidents.
"There is always risks associated with those sorts of things, but it comes down to
the training and preparedness of not only Jessica but to all people who are going
out on the water," Supt Hutchings said.
"Decisions need to be made and obviously the better the decision, the safer the trip
will be.
"We wish her well," he said.
A departure date for Jessica's round-the-world attempt has not yet been announced,
but it is thought she will set off from Sydney within the next two weeks.
The voyage is expected to take about 240 days.