As a dad my first reaction to hearing about Ms. Watson's effort was one of
concern.  Fear she would be lost at sea.  Fear her parents would grieve for
her, something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy (well, maybe my worst
enemy).  As she closes on her goal I am only left in admiration of her feat.

As far as all the other opinions offered up, well, isn't it interesting that
we all get to share our thoughts openly in this forum?  Reflecting on the
trip we made I shared with my wife that one of the aspects that made it feel
so rewarding was being the captain of a vessel visiting other countries.
Knowing my boat was MY BOAT and I was 100$ responsible for every aspect of
its operation was very satisfying.  Each of us gets to go to sea in our
vessels and be completely responsible.  I don't know of many other things
you can do in this world where you get so much freedom with so little
oversight by government.  Yes, being the captain of your boat is a very
rewarding experience indeed!

Scott E. Bulger, Boatless in Seattle

I was an early outspoken critic of Ms. Watson's voyage.

That said, I have followed her blog non-stop and am a huge fan, and really
hope to meet her some day. Anyone who missed her blog has really missed some
good reading.

My problem with her trip really centers on her age. 16 feels young to me to
make the trip, and her early collision with a freighter seemed to indicate
that her training was weak.  Since then, she has proven herself, and my
early worries appear to have been wrong. Recently she showed maturity by
adding distance to her voyage rather than venture into crowded shipping
lanes.

Within another month or two Abby Sunderland will complete her trip, taking
Jessica's soon-to-be-won crown as youngest to go around the world non-stop.
After Abby there will be another youngster who attempts the voyage, perhaps
at 15, and the process will continue with ever-younger contestants until
some young person dies. That's sad, but very likely true. I'm in the camp
that thinks children should be protected at all costs.

Anyway, reading her blog has certainly been inspirational, and made me feel
a bit like a wimp. I agonized for months over crossing the Aleutians in a
big strong power boat, in summer, with two weather routers and an easy
schedule. Abby and Jessica have no ability to pick their weather, no crew,
no ability to stop, and have dealt with it just fine.

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com

PS Anyone not on my blog may want to register. We're about to depart Osaka
Japan headed to Taiwan and Hong Kong. I'm hoping it is a boring run, but do
think we will visit some interesting places that few cruisers have ever
been.