Oi Oi She at It Again Girl
- National
This was published 12 years ago
I'm no hero, says apprehensive Jessica
Past Glenda Kwek
Solo teen crewman Jessica Watson says she's non a hero, but just ''an ordinary daughter who had a dream''.
The 16-yr-quondam was welcomed by thousands of cheering people at the Opera House and on a flotilla of boats crowding Sydney Harbour just earlier 3pm this afternoon after a 210-day round-the-world voyage.
Jessica Watson coming through Sydney Heads. Credit:Dallas Kilponen
''It's completely overwhelming right at present,'' she said equally thousands whistled and clapped while others chanted ''Aussie, Aussie, Aussie ... Oi, oi, oi!''.
''There was null out there ... and there'south admittedly everything now.''
The harbour was turned into a spectacular reception area, every bit hundreds of boats crammed into the narrow waters to greet the young charlatan on her small-scale, pink yacht.
She had left Sydney in Oct, sailing in sometimes hard weather condition through the Pacific, across the equator, past Cape Horn in South America, across the Atlantic, past the Cape of Good Promise, through the Indian Bounding main before returning to Australian waters.
Fellow solo sailors Australian Jesse Martin and English language teen Mike Perham helped Watson have her yacht in afterwards she crossed the end line, as an aeroplane wrote her name ''Jessica'' in white smoke in the sky.
Fears that Watson would struggle to walk after such a long time at bounding main were unfounded, as she made her way upward a pink carpeting to the Opera Business firm forecourt with her family, wearing a wide grin and looking none the worse for her ballsy voyage.
Greeted by the Prime Minister
She was met by Prime number Minister Kevin Rudd, who hailed her equally "Commonwealth of australia's newest hero".
"You exercise our nation proud," he said. "You are a hero for young Australians ... and young Australian women."
But Watson said she had to disagree with Mr Rudd equally "I don't consider myself a hero".
Stepping off was so foreign, considering for the final vii months, I was doing everything to stay on board
"I'k an ordinary girl who had a dream. You just have to accept a dream and prepare your listen to it.''
Confident and relaxed, Watson was even able to throw in a joke or two.
''Information technology was tough,'' she said when asked how information technology felt to leave her yacht.
''Stepping off was so foreign, because for the last vii months, I was doing everything to stay on board,'' she said as the crowd laughed.
'You can reach anything'
The Queenslander was quick to emphasise how immature people - particularly girls - could achieve anything ''if yous want it plenty''. ''People don't realise ... what girls are made of,'' she said.
''When you take away those expectations, information technology's amazing what you tin achieve.''
She added at a press conference later that people ''just need the passion to desire something bad plenty and a way to make it happen''.
''The thing that picked me up in the tough times was having come through other tough things, similar the day I sailed in after the collision [on my trial run] holding my head loftier to the critics.
''I held my head high and so, I can do this.''
Also present to welcome Watson was NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, who joked the young sailor was ''mayhap the most of import person in Australia, because you fabricated the Prime number Minister and NSW Premier and all these people wait for hours for your return''.
Simply she hailed the teen for her courage and for reminding people that ''it's possible to follow our dream''.
Dismisses criticism
Watson brushed off criticism expressed during the last calendar week of her journey that she did not fulfil the requirements to get a world record, proverb ''it'southward not something that worries me''.
''It's actually simple. If I haven't sailed around the earth, I'd be lost every bit to what I've just spent the terminal 7 months doing,'' she said.
Sail Globe website said Watson would non suspension Martin'due south 1999 record, every bit she had only travelled xviii,265 nautical miles, about 2000 nautical miles brusque of qualifying for official ''effectually the globe'' status.
''For me, information technology was never just about the tape, and then I'm not worried at all.''
She also refused to comment on Dutch sailor Laura Dekker'southward difficulties, after the xiv-year-old was blocked past her regime from circumnavigating the earth considering of her age, saying she didn't know what Dekker'southward preparations were.
Merely she added she'd learnt that ''you don't judge someone by a number or what they wait like.''
What'southward next?
Watson joked she had inverse subsequently the trip as she was ''a year older''.
Just she said she learnt that ''it'south definitely nearly having fun''.
''Just don't take it too seriously,'' she said.
The 16-yr-old - who turns 17 in three days - said she looked forward to doing more sailing and perhaps racing, but was happy to ''do normal things'' at present.
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''[I'll] just accept a repose few years, finish school, that sort of thing.
''We'll meet where sailing takes me later that.''
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Source: https://www.smh.com.au/national/im-no-hero-says-humble-jessica-20100515-v54u.html
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