"Jess, welcome to Australia!"

After spending 210 days in the open ocean and sailing 23,000 nautical miles (about 38,000 km), on May 15, 2010, the yacht Ella the Pink Lady entered Sydney Bay, officially marking the end of a daring journey! Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd welcomed teenager Jessica Watson under the "sails" of the Sydney Opera House after a seven-month sailing girl alone on a yacht around the world! “Jess, welcome to solid ground, welcome to Australia! You may not feel very firm on your feet yet, but in the eyes of all Australians, you are the tallest! At 16, you are Australia’s new hero and the nation is proud of you. Jessica's journey on a 10 metre yacht began on October 18 last year. From Sydney it passed northeast through the Pacific region, crossed the equator, then headed south and rounded Cape Horn, crossed the Atlantic to the coast of South Africa and across the Indian Ocean and the southern coast of Australia returned to Sydney. During the journey, she had to fight with 12-meter waves and repeatedly turned the yacht over! Of course, it’s a shame that Jessica Watson’s voyage on a yacht around the world will not be recorded as a record, as she was under 18. This rule was specifically adopted for overly ambitious parents pushing their children to various, unsafe for the life of the latter, records. But anyway, no one younger than Jessica around the world on a yacht, unaided sailed. And for her, this trip was not an opportunity to set a record, but to fulfill her dream! During the ceremony, she said, “I’m just a normal girl.” I just tried really hard and wanted to do it. That's it! You don’t have to be extraordinary to achieve something big, you just have to want it hard! Author: Yulia Konovalova Author's personal page: http://www.personalguide.ru/guides outside/2/77/