Filed under: Oceania Australia Cruises

Jessica Watson likes to trip except she approaches the conception a bit differently. The 16-year-old Australian just left Sydney Harbor today and she wants to receive on the world. Her goal is to sail 23600 miles alone -- through some of the toughest waters in the world -- and get the youngest person in history to do so.

The trek has kicked off some dispute in Australia like to whether Watson's parents are nuts for letting her attempt this (not a position that's hard to imagine).The family claims that the kid is plenty salty and knows her way round a vessel and she'll have radio and e-mail access. She'll be blogging too. In the Netherlands a pair parents disagreed on whether to let their 13-year-old daughter Laura Dekker attempt the same feat. A Dutch court put Dekker in the custody of childcare authorities while the parents fought it out.

For Watson just getting her pink 34-foot yacht to the starting line has been difficult. Last week she collided with a cargo ship while sailing to Sydney to make a few last preparations for her journey. And strong winds last week prompted the sailor to push back her start date.

Continue reading Teenage Aussie set to sail around the world

Teenage Aussie set to sail around the world originally appeared on Gadling on Sun 18 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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