A Dream in her Heart

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5 questions

Imagine getting up one morning and thinking, "I'm going to sail around the world alone!" That was the dream of a 16-year-old Australian girl, Jessica Watson, and she made good on her promise! On May 15, 2010, her 34-foot yacht named 'Ella's Pink Lady' entered the harbor in Sydney, Australia. Jessica's 23,000-mile journey had begun when she sailed out of the same harbor 210 days earlier. As she crossed the finish line, Jessica became the youngest person to sail around the world alone, nonstop, unassisted.

Some did not recognize Jessica's voyage as a world record because of her age. Critics describer her as reckless. They claimed that she shouldn't have been allowed to go. Others disagreed. Jessica had spent years leaning about and preparing for the risks. She and her gamily had carefully planned the trip. Jessica worked with an expert team to get her boat ready to sail across an unpredictable sea.

During the trip, Jessica was out of sight of land for months at a time. She had a satellite phone and could send and receive e-mails. She was alone except for the dolphins, birds, and her "crew" of stuffed animals. However, she insists she was never lonely. She was doing exactly what she wanted. She knew people all over the world were thinking about her.

At one poing, high winds created waves as high as a four-story building. The 'Pink Lady' was knocked onto its side more than six times. According to Jessica, the boat was "picked up, thrown down a wave, then forced under a mountain of breaking water and violently turned upside down." Jessica had to strap herself into her bunk and wear a crash helmet in the wild seas. She admits she sometimes questioned why she was making the trip. However, she believed the hard times were worth it.

What gave Jessica such courage? She wanted to inspire people. She explain, "I wanted to challenge myself and achieve something to be proud of. I hope that by achieving my own dream, I'm showing people that it is possible to reach their own goals." Jessica also wanted to prove her critics wrong. She says, "Part of what I'm doing out here is proving that we shouldn't judge by appearance and our own expectations. I want the world to know exactly what 'little girls' and young people are actually capable of!"

A Dream in her Heart

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