Watson, Jessica (1993-…), is an Australian sailor. In 2010, she became the youngest person ever to circumnavigate (sail around) the world alone, unassisted, and without stopping. She was named Young Australian of the Year in 2011.
Watson set sail from Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 18, 2009. She returned to Sydney Harbour on May 15, 2010, three days before her 17th birthday. The journey lasted 210 days. Watson sailed aboard Ella’s Pink Lady, a 34-foot (10-meter) sailboat with a pink hull. She braved storms, strong winds, and waves 40 feet (12 meters) high.
Watson began her journey sailing northeast through the South Pacific Ocean. She crossed to the north side of the equator and sailed around Kiritimati Atoll, also called Christmas Island, in the Line Islands. From there, Watson sailed south to Point Nemo, the point in Earth’s oceans that is farthest from land. She passed Cape Horn, in Chile, and Cape Agulhas, in South Africa, and continued east through the Indian Ocean before finally rounding southern Australia. Throughout her journey, Watson published daily updates about her progress on a blog. She sailed a total of about 23,000 nautical miles (26,500 miles or 42,600 kilometers). A crowd of 50,000 people greeted Watson upon her return to Australia.
Watson was born on May 18, 1993, in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. She took sailing lessons as a child. Her family bought a boat to live in while they converted a double-decker bus into a mobile home. When the bus was ready, they lived and traveled around Australia in it. Watson was inspired to sail around the world by a book her mother read to her— Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit (2000). The book’s Australian author, Jesse Martin, had sailed around the world nonstop and unassisted. By the time she was 12 years old, Watson was determined to complete her own circumnavigation.
For three years, Watson worked to master sailing, seamanship, and engine repair. She found sponsors and secured the assistance of such famous Australian solo sailors as Bruce Arms and Don McIntyre. McIntyre and his wife, Margie, bought and loaned Watson the boat for her trip. Arms had Watson co-skipper a voyage with him, and also helped to prepare her boat for her journey.
Watson’s journey was not officially recorded as a circumnavigation. The World Speed Sailing Record Council requires that sailors be 18 years old for their circumnavigations to be recorded. After Watson’s journey, Ella’s Pink Lady was put on display in the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
Watson wrote a memoir, True Spirit (2010), about her experience. Her story was made into a motion picture of the same name, released in 2023. Watson also wrote Indigo Blue (2018), a fiction book for young adults.
In 2011, Watson competed in the famed Sydney-Hobart yacht race. At the age of 18, she skippered with the youngest crew ever to compete in the race. Watson was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2012. The Order of Australia is Australia’s highest award for service to the country or to humanity. The OAM is one of four levels of the order.
In 2016, Watson graduated from Deakin University, in Victoria, Australia, with a bachelor’s degree in media and communication. She later received a master’s degree in business administration from the Australian Institute of Management. In 2022, Watson was inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame.
