Move over Balloon Boy, Sailor Girl 16 Y/o Jessica Watson Sails Solo Around Globe

An Australian schoolgirl bidding to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world began her journey Sunday 10/18/09, despite urgings from officials to abandon the perilous endurance test.

Sixteen-year-old Jessica Watson set sail on her 10.23-metre (33-foot) bright pink yacht (Pink Lady) from Sydney Harbour at about 9:00 am (2200 GMT Saturday), amid cheers from well-wishers and accompanied by a collection of kayakers and small boats.

"I can't believe we are finally here. Today, I am going to sail around the world," Jessica said in a statement on her website.

The teenager badly damaged her boat when she crashed into a 63,000-tonne cargo ship shortly after beginning a test run last month, prompting Queensland state officials to urge her to reconsider her quest.

But Watson, who will sleep in 20-minute naps during the eight-month non-stop sail, was determined to embark on the voyage which she said she had been dreaming about since she was about 11.

"There are people out there who I suppose have their doubts, and rightly so because it's a big, scary and possibly dangerous thing, but I am not here without confidence," she said earlier this month.