Teen to set sail this week

By PAUL HARRIS, SMH

JESSICA WATSON: A crash on her first day out of port was not an auspicious start for the youngster's plan to sail solo around the world.

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Teenage adventurer Jessica Watson expects to set sail from the Gold Coast to Sydney later this week on her second attempted sea trial ahead of a controversial bid to sail solo around the world.

So far the 16-year-old from the Sunshine Coast and her New Zealand-born parents have rejected all calls for her to abandon the circumnavigation attempt following the collision with a cargo ship on the first night of her initial trial run earlier this month.

Queensland Deputy Premier Paul Lucas has publicly urged Ms Watson to abandon the gruelling 27,000 nautical mile voyage on her own, following a damning report into the collision between her yacht Ella's Pink Lady and a 63,000-tonne cargo vessel off North Stradbroke Island on September 9.

At the time she was only sailing from the Sunshine Coast to Sydney to get everything shipshape for the record attempt.

The Maritime Safety Queensland report listed basic problems that contributed to the collision.

It said that Ms Watson had kept "irregular latitude and longitude entries" in her log and had not plotted a course nor devised a fatigue management plan.

It also said she most likely "dozed off" before the collision, and had not activated an alarm device that could have warned her of the approaching ship.

Ms Watson's spokesman Andrew Fraser said on Monday the onboard electronics were still being fine-tuned but she should be ready to resume the voyage to Sydney later this week.

"It was always on her schedule to do a sea trial to Sydney to test whether all the equipment is right," Mr Fraser told AAP.

He said the trip to Sydney from the Gold Coast was expected to take four or five days and, depending on weather conditions, she's expected to start the voyage proper not long after.

Her mother Julie Watson has rejected suggestions not enough preparation has gone into the record attempt.

She said all recommendations had already been implemented before they received a letter from the maritime safety authorities.

"I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinion - the letter from Queensland Safety, we took that very seriously," she told ABC Radio.

"We've gone to great lengths to do a lot of preparation - things way over and above what is required."

Premier Anna Bligh said she was inspired by Ms Watson's dream, but believed the safety report had put a "question mark" over her preparedness.

"This is a decision for Jessica's mum and dad, and every parent has to make these decisions ... just about every week, about whether your children will play sport, whether you'll let them go to parties, what sort of high-risk behaviour they may involve themselves in," Ms Bligh told reporters.

"These are hard decisions for parents.

"The government has made it their business to make sure Jessica's parents and Jessica know the risks ... I hope that her parents have made the right decision."

Ms Bligh said she would personally rethink such an adventure.

"This is a very high-risk venture, frankly it's one that I would be reconsidering, but ultimately it's a decision for them," she said.

- AAP