Being a sixteen-year-old kid is rough, with school and social life to balance and learning to drive and college admissions worries looming. The challenges come no matter where you grow up. Just ask Jessica Watson. The plucky Australian teen is about to complete a nonstop solo sailing trip around the globe, and even she’s got haters:
16-Year-Old Jessica Watson’s Epic Sailing Saga Nears Completion
↵The World Sailing Speed Record Council and other organizations stopped recognizing “youngest” pursuits while Watson was in route because they’ve become so controversial.
Sailing purists, additionally, have argued that Watson does not deserve the record because she did not sail far enough north of the equator or log enough nautical miles -- specific criteria must be met to earn credit for a full circumnavigation--during a voyage carried out largely in the Southern Ocean, beneath the populated continents.↵I understand that global circumnavigation is a big deal, something it’s important to quantify. But I don’t know ... if I’d just sailed around the world I’d probably be slapping anyone trying to diminish the accomplishment with a very large fish.
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