True Spirit: The Aussie girl who took on the world

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But through this book I can feel her can-do attitude, hopes, aspirations, and strength to achieve her dreams, even when others say she can't, because she's too young or not strong enough. By 16, she had decided to circumnavigate the world by herself. On October 18, 2009, she (literally) set sail on her boat, Ella's Pink Lady, a 34-foot Sparkman & Stephens yacht. In the process, she faced monstrous waves, storms, and understandable loneliness. She would sail 18,582 nautical miles, which, for those that don't know, is slightly longer than a mile on land by 0.1508 miles. Jessica documented her travels on her blog and by video, which would become well-known and still holds hundreds of comments. Written, first person, in an engaging and understated style, the book "True Spirit" is the story of how a young girl from an adventurous family was taken by the dream of sailing around the world, solo, nonstop and unassisted after hearing a book by Jesse Martin. Martin, who had circumnavigated ten years before, had written how he was just an average person with a dream. Through hard work and dogged perseverance, Jessica replicates his achievement a few days short of her seventeenth birthday. Jess's charming personality really comes through in the book, as it did in the captivating blogs she wrote during the voyage. Yes. In answering the question, "How accurate is True Spirit?" we confirmed that about a month before Jessica Watson left, she was en route from Brisbane to Sydney when her boat, Ella's Pink Lady, collided with the Silver Yang, a 63,000-ton Chinese bulk carrier. She had reportedly been taking a five-minute nap at the time of the collision and had failed to spot the Silver Yang on her radar prior to lying down. She also had forgotten to turn on her proximity alarms. "'No, no,' I go, 'It's alright, really, I'm okay, but lost half my mast, yeah,'" she stated after the accident. She managed to get the boat to port using the motor. Jessica said that the collision scene in the movie is "really accurate" ( Entertainment Weekly).

I also learned so much about sailing through this book! (I knew absolutely nothing about the subject) and that I found intriguing as well.

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I’d left Mooloolaba with an escort of boats and helicopters at around ten that morning, and after fifteen hours at sea and weeks of full-time preparation I was feeling tired and slightly queasy. It normally took me a few days to find my sea legs. Confident that everything was fine, I decided to put my head down for a few minutes and have a catnap. I wasn’t sailing around the world to become famous…I wasn’t thinking it was a great way to make money…I was setting off on this epic trip to challenge myself, to see if I could do it, and to show others that it is possible to make a dream a reality. My family and I knew the risks involved, and we knew it was going to be a hugely demanding journey both physically and mentally. I had faith in the boat, my sailing abilities, and the support I had…I’d know soon enough if I had what it takes.” I believed if I made the effort, had the right boat, prepared myself physically and mentally, developed my sailing skills, and sought out the knowledge a solo sailor needs, that I’d have as much chance as anyone to sail around the world.” My favorite quote that Jessica wrote in one of her diary entries was "You are only as big as the dreams you dare to live.” This is a really good quote that inspires me to set goals because she has proven to me that if you work hard enough they can come true. This quote was one of her many words of wisdom but for me i can relate to this one most. I don't need a wish. I've got the ability to dream; that's all anyone needs to make their wishes and dreams come true. You don't need a shooting star, you can do it yourself."

This is a book for adventurers, for those who aspire, for those who are in pursuit of a dream, for those looking to defy the odds. Below are some of my favorite quotes from part one:Jessica spent years preparing for this moment, years focused on achieving her dream. Yet only eight months before, she collided with a 63,000-ton freighter. It seemed to many that she’d failed before she’d even begun, but Jessica brushed herself off, held her head high, and kept going. The last part of the book chronicles the incredible welcome that Jessica received after completing her record breaking voyage, as a country stopped to welcome home one of its own who dared to carry on in the face of adversity, and fulfill her ambition. I loved this memoir of adventure and I wanted to read it before watching the Netflix movie adaption that is now available for viewing. Whilst reading this memoir I was very sad to hear that Jessica has suffered personal trauma in her life recently when her long-term partner suffered a catastrophic stoke at the age of 29, and passed away 6 weeks later. My heart goes out to this incredibly strong young woman.