babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Teen Sailor Crashes Into 63,000 Ton Tanker
Texting and walking, texting and driving, even texting and babysitting — it seems like technology has a tendency to get teens in trouble. And as 16-year-old Australian Jessica Watson found out, that even applies to ambitious teens trying to break world records.
Watson was on her yacht, Ella’s Pink Lady, taking a trial run for a planned solo sail around the world. If she accomplishes it, she’ll be the youngest person to ever do so. But on Tuesday — while below deck writing on her blog — Watson crashed into a 63,000-ton tanker.
Both boat and teen surprisingly suffered only minor injuries, and the incident hasn’t hurt Watson’s enthusiasm one bit. She told local reporters:
“The whole incident gives me confidence, wow, I can actually handle this. It could have happened to anyone. I’m unlucky I suppose, but you also learn from it,” she said.
Now keep in mind, I know nothing about sailing. I’m more of a pontoon girl myself. But hitting a 63,000-ton tanker, to me, seems like driving a car and hitting a semi full of … well … other semis. Watson’s last blog post read like this:
“I better go and fire the radar up, turn the navigation lights on and have one last check of everything on deck before it gets dark.”
Oh, the irony. I’ve got great respect for Watson’s unbridled enthusiasm and confidence and for how she handled herself in a cool and collected manner after the accident.
But her collision does raise the question — exactly how does a parent decide whether to let their teen go extreme? Laura Decker, 13, was recently denied her dream of a solo trip around the world by Dutch child protection authorities. She’s considering relocating to New Zealand, where there are no laws that would stop her from taking her trip.
Was this just a freak accident? Or was it an indication that more time and practice is needed? What’s your gut feeling?
Photo: theage.com.au
Go Back To Strollerderby
0 Comments
PlumbLucky commented on Sep 10 09 at 12:45 pmSpeaking AS a sailor…how the eff do you hit a tanker???????
Toy Kitchen commented on Sep 10 09 at 1:38 pmWow, that is one looooong text message!
http://www.MyToyKitchen.com
Best Selection of Toy Kitchens on the Web!
Maegan commented on Sep 10 09 at 2:45 pmAs a coxswain, I don’t know how you hit a tanker either. They’re fairly large and loud, and she even has radar!
PlumbLucky commented on Sep 10 09 at 2:51 pmFreshwater tankers and freighters kick up such a wake that you’d be hard pressed to (get close enough to) hit one!
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
0