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Both battered and buoyed by waves of public opinion

Marcus Kuczynski

by Marcus Kuczynski

17 May 05:55am

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Filed under: Jessica Watson, Public Opinion

49 comments

Teen adventurer Jessica Watson’s dream to circumnavigate the world has been far from plain sailing from the moment she revealed her bold ambition.

Kevin Rudd and NSW Premier Kristina Keneally welcome Jess home. Photo: Brett Costello.

Along the way to achieving her goal the 16-year-old endured rough seas, stormy gales and an early collision that almost scuttled her efforts to set out on her voyage.

Indeed, contrary to the triumphant entry her Pink Lady yacht made to Sydney Harbour on Saturday, Watson’s has been a gruelling journey. It was a similar story when it came to the ebb and flow of public opinion that followed her every move since the Queensland teenager pledged to undertake the controversial voyage and become the youngest person to sail round the globe.

Saturday’s welcoming party to Sydney was a far cry from a year ago when many questioned her sailing abilities, her parents’ responsibility in letting her undertake the journey and the example she was setting other young people.

Public opinion turned heavily against Watson when she collided with a cargo ship just hours after setting off from the Sunshine Coast on her way to her starting point in Sydney. Despite sustaining considerable damage to her yacht and intense criticism, she did not give up on her dream.

It was only after she finally set sail from Sydney that the tide of public support started to turn back in her favour.

Although not officially recognised as a world record because of her young age and the route she took, Watson’s feat has led to her being hailed a “hero” by many of her supporters, including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

It was a description Watson quickly rejected on Saturday. “I don’t consider myself a hero. I’m an ordinary girl who had a dream. You just have to have a dream and set your mind to it,” she told the welcoming crowd.
Forums on online news sites over the past few days have been filled with messages of congratulations for Watson, but many commenters were divided over the “hero” tag and still others about the merit of her sailing feat.

Pete of The Office wrote to The Courier-Mail: “A great achievement and well done, but certainly not a hero. We would all be singing a different tune if we had to be spending $5 million for her rescue.”

Others such as Kate of North Queensland admitted she had misjudged Watson: “I was a skeptic and felt strongly that she shouldn’t have been allowed to go. But I’m very glad to be proved wrong. A hero? Maybe not. But an inspiration to all young Australians … most certainly. Well done Jessica!”

But true believers like Lance of Innisfail needed no convincing. “Well done Jessica. You may not think that you are a hero but you are to me and many others. You have brought so much to us to be able to follow you on your trip around the world. I’m now looking forward to your book.”

How Watson handles the frenzy of publicity over coming weeks and months has been one of the other aspects debated in many of the comments.

Old Seafarer doubted she would be able to handle all the attention, writing on ABC Online: “In six months the world will have forgotten about Jessica Watson, and she’ll most likely have gone back to sea to get away from what she has created. A 16 year-old male would be lucky to get a tenth of the attention.”

But Be Patient offered Watson some advice, writing on SBS Online: “When you return to ‘normality’ do be patient with the rest of us who have not the courage, determination, skills nor intelligence to effect such an enormous achievement. Amongst us there will be a significant number who will attempt to belittle you and your accomplishments. Ignore their protestations and always remember that there has never been a statue erected in honour of a critic.”

For Watson, her round-the-world sailing feat has been a journey of self-discovery. For all of us, it has also been a lesson in how fickle public opinion can be.

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49 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Against the Man says:

      07:41am | 17/05/10

      Jessica is inspirational. Rudd is an example of incompetence and should be used as an example for our kids on how not to screw up a great opportunity.

      Reply

    • Joe Stephens says:

      05:51pm | 17/05/10

      Can’t both of them really be used “as an example for our kids on how not to screw up a great opportunity”. I mean, she didn’t break a record, she basically ran a marathon but left out the last km.

      Watch, just like with Rudd how quickly the masses will turn on her. I’m wagering it’ll be before her 17th birthday.

    • notsurprised says:

      08:09am | 17/05/10

      Hero as defined by the Oxford online dictionary: n ‘A person…who is admired for their courage or outstanding achievements.’

      Reply

    • Joan says:

      08:40am | 17/05/10

      Just goes to show you with a boat fitted out with every modern electronic gadget, navigation aid, mechanical aid. fancy cooking facilty. cameras to follow every action even a a sixteen year old girl can weather any storm. on the high seas. Would she have achieved same result or contemplated sailing around the world if charts and personal physical strength. sailing skills was all she had to sail her through to the end?  Anyway well done Jessica - pretty pointless but I guess except for the financial windfall at end. Anyway in the end without all the support from adults she would not have got to first base .

      Reply

    • Helen says:

      08:58am | 17/05/10

      Nice. Did you sneer like that at the male Jesse (Martin)? I’m thinking not.

    • BK says:

      01:10pm | 17/05/10

      Helen, when Bullimore completed his trip, he was treated with due respect but there was none of this competition to see who could flatter him the most. It is the actions of others that have made a target of young Jessica.

    • Karen says:

      08:45am | 17/05/10

      If any one person’s achievement can produce the outpouring of well wishes, pride, and awe (especially from the youth of today) that we witnessed in the weekend then yes, the dictionary definition of hero as pointed out by notsurprised definitely can be applied to Jessica Watson.

      I have defined heroes in my life as the people that have inspired me to want more and to believe I can do more.

      And re. the comment “We would all be singing a different tune if we had to be spending $5 million for her rescue”, from Pete Of The Office in The Courier-Mail, the point is that we didn’t and if we applied that type of ‘but’ to every achievement gained by a person out there with a dream then shame on us.

      Reply

    • Timmo says:

      09:03am | 17/05/10

      Here is a young Woman, 16 years of age, been at see in an unforgiving ocean on a personal quest. Ran into a tanker, or did it run into her as they sometimes do, and got the doomsayers going. However we know that she carried on. 7 months on a small boat and the worry of all that and when she returns home finds all these people and media in front of her stealing her glory, without permission from her.

      I’m sure that all she would have liked to happen is that she pulled up to a small wharf, tied up the boat, and gave her parents and family a hug. The poor kid didn’t even have time to get her land legs back before the pack jumped on her. But is was a great homecoming for a very brave and talented young person. I hope that the media will leave her alone to rest, which she needs, and also to put on the weight she lost on her trip. Give her a break everybody, she deserves it.

      Reply

    • Garry says:

      09:08am | 17/05/10

      You are right Joan. Kids should be deterred from trying to achieve something considered beyond their reach, from trying to maximise their potential. It is pretty pointless, right? Poor old Pete Of The Office will just have to keep on crying about everything that can go wrong and therefore try nothing, because Miss Watson did not need rescuing and Australia will make a hundredfold that amount in tourism and prestige from her trip. Ready to thank her for those earnings we got Pete??? Show good manners Pete now…

      Reply

    • Joan says:

      10:05am | 17/05/10

      Yeah Garry we would all do better if we had a million dollar fund behind us to achieve our dream at sixteen. Exactly how much did this trip cost. .

    • BTS says:

      10:53am | 17/05/10

      To actually ‘do’ better, you have to get off your bum and do something about it, rather than sit on the couch, being bitter and whinge about someone else who puts effort into achieving their goals.  Do you think the forty odd sponsors just fell into her lap or did someone go about recruiting them?

      You too could achieve the same results Joan, but you would actually have to do something about it rather than just whining (unless you wanted the world whining record…in that area, you are off to a good start at least).

    • iansand says:

      12:01pm | 17/05/10

      Joan - Simple.  Go out and get yourself sponsored.  As Jessica did.

    • Joan says:

      12:24pm | 17/05/10

      BTS- Thousands of 16 year olds get off their bumbs and are successful without million dollar backing every day.

    • Jeremy says:

      09:32am | 17/05/10

      She’s not a hero.  The real heroes are the people who get up every day, get dressed, go to work, then get a call from the commissioner, put on their costumes and fight crime.  They’re the real heroes.

      And Hiro, from Heroes.

      Reply

    • stephen says:

      11:01am | 17/05/10

      Er, not the ones who get more ‘mail’ from the crims than they get from the Chief Inspector.

    • Benster says:

      09:41am | 17/05/10

      An act of supreme indulgence and self-aggrandisement. Why didn’t Jessica and her supporters use their obvious skills and organisational abilities to make a real difference to the state of the world? Perhaps raise money for our starving neighbours in East Timor? Provide fresh water to communities ravaged by preventable, water borne disease? Increase educational opportunities for children in developing countries? Just to name a few.
      What a waste of money, time, effort and breathe.

      Reply

    • Davo says:

      10:35am | 17/05/10

      I suppose you are now doing all these things yourself , hey Benster.

    • BTS says:

      10:55am | 17/05/10

      What have you done Benster to sort out the world’s problems?

    • dancan says:

      11:59am | 17/05/10

      He came onto an internet forum and tried to belittle a 16 year old girl BTS.  Isn’t that enough!  Hasn’t he done enough?!  Why must you ask more of him!  All of East Timor sing his praise while they surf the net.

    • Timmo says:

      10:05am | 17/05/10

      Hey Benster, give her time. She just got home after a very great ordeal. Sure she will make some money and rightly so and yachting is a very expensive hobby. She will have to fix the damage to her boat and that will cost quite a lot i am sure.You never know, maybe she will give some money to charity or to the downtrodden down the track somewhere. Anyway it’s none of our business what she does.

      She seems to me, in watching and hearing her ,that she is in herself a very intelligent and mature young woman beyond her years and compassionate also. What she said to the other young ones was with encouragement for them to follow their dreams not to run away from them. I think that is very good encouragement for them. Give her a go mate. When you wanted to follow your personal dreams, if you had any at all, I’m sure you didn’t appreciate the message of doom coming to you.

      We were all young once and had our dreams and ambitions and i think sometimes we forget that had we had followed the knockers we would not have achieved anything of substance with our lives. We are all aware of the struggles of others and we would like to help everyone financially but our lives tend to center around our own day to day problems that we have to conquer.

      In Australia many people suffer in their daily lives and Australians are always giving money to some charity or another. I do and I’m sure others do also. Anyway apart from your strong method of putting her down you’ve got to admit it was a great feat and if you would have done it you would be thrilled also.

      Reply

    • Amy says:

      10:09am | 17/05/10

      Such strong feelings from opposite viewpoints. I can’t figure out why anyone cares. Guess theres some very bored people out there or are you all unemployed with too much time on your hands?

      Reply

    • Ben says:

      10:17am | 17/05/10

      Martin’s PR team have assembled every media outlet in the country, just so Jessie can tell us all how humble she is and how she doesn’t want any fanfare.

      Reply

    • Go Team 1 says:

      10:44am | 17/05/10

      The picture of Rudd and Keneally trying to hog the spot light from someone who has actually achieved something is so pathetic. Guess trying to manage a state or country in any shape or form isn’t as easy as sailing solo around the world.

      Reply

    • Bruce says:

      04:15pm | 17/05/10

      From most 16 year olds, the PM and the “hand puppet” are just old people in suites.

    • Amazed says:

      09:22pm | 17/05/10

      Rudd and Keneally made a big mistake attending Jessica’s return. Everyone knew it was for political mileage and it soured the whole party. I hate to tell this Kevvy, but you and Keneally are yesterday’s heroes. You are both as popular as smelly prawn heads with the public.
      So please just piss off!

    • Timmo says:

      10:51am | 17/05/10

      Well Amy, would you have been happier if she would have lost her life in her persuit of what was a personal quest. Would that have been a better outcome for your thoughts. The you would have been able to say, lardy dardy da, I told you so.

      All vessels these days use computer technology and satellite to find their position on the globe and they even use it in vehicles to find addresses. In the old days of sailing they used to navigate by the stars. Better to know where the rocks are and the large ships also. You are using it now in writing in here. Would you have it any different. What if they took away the internet, would everyone go crazy. Yes it would tip everything upside down.

      Anyway viewpoints as you say are sometimes strong and opposite and that is necessary otherwise we would have been better off being born as pumpkins. And maybe we are not bored or unemployed not like yourself who is obviously are much greater than us all. Hope you don’t find yourself unemployed one day. It would be a different story then wouldn’t it. Talk about pomposity! And yes, some people do care, obviously you don’t. Well there you go. And I notice that you had some time on your hands in deigning to write in here to enlighten us with you three lines of crap.

      Reply

    • BTS says:

      10:58am | 17/05/10

      Some of you are such bitter people.  If you placed the same amount of effort into doing something positive you actually might achieve something, instead of being the miserable individuals you seem to be.

      Reply

    • bigmuzz says:

      11:44am | 17/05/10

      i was wondering if it is still considered “solo” when she didn’t sail the return length of the harbour alone, she had others sail for her as she mucked about talking on tv, eating fruit, etc… surely she should have pulled up to the dock alone?!? still a great achievement, it was just strange to see this on saturday.

      Reply

    • BTS says:

      11:56am | 17/05/10

      bigmuzz,

      The official start/finish point was the heads.

    • Timmo says:

      12:33pm | 17/05/10

      Bigmuzz, if you remember from the broadcast she sailed in by herself until the man blew the horn and then after that people helped her. Also after that the customs went on board as if there was something to find, ha ha, obviously there wouldn’t be. But I saw that they were very exited also as there were a number of them who jumped on board to enjoy the moment for themselves.

      I also wondered myself in regard to whether they would look at the keel to make sure nothing was on there that could affect the marine life here. That would be a good thing to do, just to make sure.

    • bigmuzz says:

      01:50pm | 17/05/10

      ah, cheers… i didnt see her come thru the heads, i turned the tv on when all those other people were already aboard smile

    • Andrew says:

      11:59am | 17/05/10

      I find two living Australian females extraordinary. One is young Jessica Watson. She is to be congratulated - and got a well deserved welcome into Sydney on Saturday. There were plenty of people out to greet her - as there should have been.
      The other is Cath Gunn. No, you have never heard of her have you. The government of the day never acknowledged her achievement at all. They did not even offer her the related job. Cath wrote more than 8000 letters over a decade (at her own expense) and raised so much awareness that the United Nations finally designated a year as International Literacy Year. It did as much for the world as young Jessica. Cath was responsible - and has still not been acknowledged by the Australian government. Why not? It is probably because it was not a physical, dare-devil achievement with the opportunities for photo-shoots.
      Thank goodness that Jessica had the maturity and commonsense to ignore the PM’s appellation of ‘hero’ and tell other teens that they can follow their dreams too. You won’t get acknowledged unless it is a physical achievement - but it will be an achievement nevertheless.

      Reply

    • Timmoc says:

      12:40pm | 17/05/10

      Andrew, exactly, and not to take away from Jessicas achievement but you have put a good point forward. Many people contribute to this world who are not recognized for certain reasons. It happens all the time but I don’t feel it would be Jessicas aim to take away from others, not that you implied that at all. I think she would applaud them also.

    • Roy says:

      12:42pm | 17/05/10

      It was all quite pointless other than to generate an income.
      If she is a hero, (sailing a modern vessel with heaps of support), what does it make people who came here in the 1800’s in sailing ships with limited food, navigation, medicine and virtually no help available if something went wrong. Hero is a word applied too easliy these days.
      This hysteria reminds me of the hoohaa after Steve Irwins death! I think most people now recognise the “Irwin industry” for what it really is, and the truth about this publicity stunt is already getting out.

      Reply

    • Timmo says:

      01:52pm | 17/05/10

      Roy, The people who sailed in the 1800’s and Jessica, what does it make them, well I suppose just good sailors regardless of navigation by the stars or by modern techniques. Many of the Tall Ships that sailed to OZ, NZ and around the world didn’t make it. Many burnt at sea and there were a lot of deaths recorded with illness striking them down. Many young Babies that were born on board died during transit, young children and Adults also.

      So even with their more basic knowledge and by the old methods they were lucky if they made it to their destinations safely. But to be a competent sailor is all that is required and I think she is that as equal to the others, after all she was by herself and combating isolation, and she also sailed around Cape Horn and The cape of Good Hope which is a great feat considering the size of her yacht

      My Great Grandfather and Grandmother sailed from England to NZ in 1874 to start a new life there. They were from Northern Ireland. The Ship they were to sail on but thankfully missed burned at sea with the loss of some 350 Men, Women and Children and the Ship they did get on got there safely. The Journeys were probably about 3 to 6 months. So I am here because of their right decision.

      My Grandfather from my Mothers Side left England at 16 years of age and sailed on the great Schooners. He told me that as the youngest sailor on board that they would put him in the Crows Nest on the top of the Great Mast. He said that when sailing the bad seas around Cape Horn when the ship went into a trough the giant waves were well above the top of the mast and he would be looking up at them and the mast top where he was was 100feet from the deck. He said it was terrifying and then the ship would come up to the top of the swell again.

      So from that which he told me i would think that it would have been a very similar situation and experience for Young Jessica, after all both Jessica and my Granddad were the same age. The Oceans would have the same danger today and that is what she would have to have gone through.

      Regardless of what people write in the negative here and elsewhere, surely people can realize what courage this young woman had to carry out such a voyage. For that reason plenty of support is required and they gave it in the modern way and good on them for thinking of her safety. And as far as generation an income i’m sure there are plenty of ways of making an income for a bright girl like her and I agree that it was a great personal quest and that is what she has achieved and good on her.

      Reply

    • Andrew says:

      01:53pm | 17/05/10

      Look at these two media vulcher’s, they couldn’t wait to get their “images”  in on someone else’s lime-light!  Shameless and in poor taste.

      Reply

    • KH says:

      02:59pm | 17/05/10

      It’s VULTURE.

    • Chris says:

      02:06pm | 17/05/10

      The real thing about Cath Gunn is that she never earned a cent from her efforts - could not even get a job. It cost her everything…and what Andrew did not say is that she has a physical disability…she’s a one finger keyboardist. It was one hell of an achievement…just have to love the powers that be who said she was unemployable. (I know her - she provides communicate support for my aid workers and many others - from home. Complex humanitarian emergency workers have a lot to thank her for - and no, no recognition of that either. Amazing isn’t it?
      I liked Jessica Watson’s style - she put the PM firmly but pleasantly in place! Good on you girl…you are an Aussie to be proud of.

      Reply

    • Just Sayin' says:

      03:02pm | 17/05/10

      An impressive feat by Watson.

      However, technically, it is not recognised as a circumnivigation of the globe.  Her goals remains unachieved.

      Reply

    • Timmo says:

      04:33pm | 17/05/10

      It depends on who’s doing the recognizing. She sailed around the globe and ended up back here and didn’t fall off the end of the earth, and to me that is called circumnavigation of the Globe, and it was a very impressive feat.

    • Just Sayin' says:

      08:13pm | 17/05/10

      By that logic you could walk ten steps around the northpole to complete a circumnavigation.  But you asked a fair question so I’ll give you a fair answer:

      The World Sailing Speed Record Concil is doing the recognising, or more to the point, NOT doing the recognising.  She did not travel a rhumb line distance of more than 21,600 nautical miles and she did not travel through antipodean points.

      She did go round the world, and it is an amazing achievement, but as sailing goes it is not technically a circumnavigation.

    • Just Sayin' says:

      08:17pm | 17/05/10

      And Jesse Martin DID follow those rules.  If she wants to claim to have beaten Jesse Martin’s record, then she has to compare apples with apples.

    • Badger says:

      04:37pm | 17/05/10

      Hope all noted the insincerity in Rudds address, he did not look at her in his speach and praise for her, shocking example of what not to do from the man. OUR PM ???

        At least the NSW Premier did look at her, and so she should have

      Reply

    • Jean-Paul says:

      05:04pm | 17/05/10

      Hands up all those who have first hand experience of offshore sailing? We who have understand what this young lady has confronted…..the ocean is an unforgiving element and can fluctuate from the sublime to the terrifying within a matter of hours
      I’ve been sailing for 30 years and frankly wouldn’t have the balls to do what she has done.
      Great job.

      Reply

    • Robert of Rural SA says:

      06:24pm | 17/05/10

      I hope all you “bubble wrapping” parents are taking note, how many times have you crushed your children’s dreams by your fearfully saying no to al their dreams.

      Reply

    • JJJ says:

      07:17am | 18/05/10

      Oh - so now that she has made it without dying or being captured or raped by pirates, protective parents are the bad-guys!? Mmm. I am fairly sure that if something ‘bad’ were to have happened to her (which was just as likey as her making it back safely), then you would not be expressing that sentiment, Rural Robert. Back to your shed, buddy.

    • Robert Smissen rural SA says:

      04:54pm | 20/05/10

      Sorry JJJ I ALWAYS encouraged my kids to reach out & grab opportunities. They all went early & went in hard, life isn’t for the faint hearted

    • Timmo says:

      09:16am | 18/05/10

      I don’t think she is claiming anything. Probably happy to be back safely i should imagine.

      Reply

    • Ulrich says:

      03:59pm | 19/05/10

      Reading between the Lines
      Hi to all you mouse clickers,
      tell us what you have ever done that stands out.
      Stop knocking the girl. Have you ever been 5500km from the nearest land on your own?
      Reading all the comments shows, what a lot of envious turkies we have among us now. Old and Young
      Perhaps the Y in the Y Generation is why are they sitting aroung instead of. getting out of the V way and do something.

      Reply
 
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