( Source : Rueters / Taipei Times )
《中文報導》
澳16歲少女獨航 成功環遊世界
(Source : 自由時報)
〔編譯魏國金／綜合雪梨十五日外電報導〕十六歲的澳洲少女潔西卡．華森，十五日在穿著粉紅色衣服、揮舞粉紅色旗幟的熱情鄉親歡呼聲中，讓自己駛進歷史；當她駕駛十米長的「艾拉的粉紅佳人」帆船，航越終點線後，她成為不接受協助、中途不停靠、獨力環繞世界一周的最年輕航海家，送給還有三天就滿十七歲的自己一份最好禮物。
中途不停靠 費時7個月破紀錄
澳洲總理陸克文出席在雪梨歌劇院為華森舉行的歡迎會，這是她七個月來首度踏在陸地上，她必須靠人協助才能穩當地走在鋪展於其帆船前的粉紅色地毯。陸克文對她說：「妳現在或許覺得步履有點蹣跚，但在澳洲人的眼中，你卻是昂首闊步，因為妳是我們最新的澳洲英雄。」
華森隨即表示：「我不認為自己是英雄，我只是一個相信夢想的普通女孩，你不必成為特殊人物才能成就令人驚訝的事，你只要有夢想，相信它，並戮力而行就可以了。」她說她的行動證明了「只要下定決心去做，任何事都有可能」。
世界速度航海協會並不會承認華森的紀錄，因其最低年齡限制是十八歲。一九九九年以十八歲之齡締造目前紀錄的潔西．馬汀讚揚華森說：「我花了十一個月獨力航行全球，她卻只花了七個月，她能完成該壯舉，就沒有事能難倒她。」
八歲開始駕帆船的華森繞過南非、穿越赤道、行經南美合恩角、越過大西洋到南非，再經印度洋並繞至澳洲南部，在繞過塔斯馬尼亞島後抵達終點，整個航程達兩萬三千海里（四萬兩千五百九十六公里），除了與惡浪、暴風雨奮戰外，她必須一手打理所有的修繕以及加油工作，她也有自娛之道，比如與停在船上的海鳥「蠢蛋」大聊時尚與男孩，引吭高歌、吃巧克力甜食。
華森去年試航時不慎與另外一艘船隻相撞，導致她居住的昆士蘭州政府要求她取消航行，但華森不理會批評，仍按計畫啟程。她的網站（http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/）和她在帆船上撰寫的部落格文章，吸引了大量粉絲。
至於未來，她說，她期待一些單純的快樂，比如，漫步沙灘、吃新鮮水果，以及閱讀，同時回到十六歲女孩的生活，她還打算將這次航行的種種寫成一本書。
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
《英文報導》
Australian girl sailor circumnavigates globe
(Source : Taipei Times )
AFP, SYDNEY
Sunday, May 16, 2010, Page 1
Australian yachtswoman Jessica Watson, 16, arrives at the Sydney Opera House wharf after her unassisted solo voyage around the world in her yacht Ella’s Pink Lady in Sydney yesterday.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Australian schoolgirl sailor Jessica Watson sailed into history yesterday as a noisy pink-bathed crowd welcomed her home as the youngest person to sail around the globe solo, non-stop and without help.
Tens of thousands of people took to the harbor and lined the foreshore to celebrate as Watson, 16, crossed the finish line in her bright pink yacht, ending a remarkable 210 days at sea.
Harbor Master Steve Young sounded a pink hooter to signal the official end to her voyage, and a tugboat sent up a celebratory jet of water as the beaming teen steered through the harbor mouth, waving to the throng of onlookers.
It was a “daunting” change of scenery for Watson, who said she’d grown used to the monotony of isolation and “empty waves.”
“I haven’t seen a person for almost seven months and suddenly there’s people everywhere, faces, so much color, so much noise, so much everything,” Watson told reporters. “It was amazing and very overwhelming.”
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd joined the teenager’s emotional parents Roger and Julie to welcome her at the Sydney Opera House, where she took her first steps on dry land in almost seven months, to wild cheers and applause.
“You may feel a little wobbly on your feet just now,” Rudd told Watson, who needed help to hobble on unsteady feet up the pink carpet from her boat. “But in the eyes of all Australians, you now stand tall, as our newest Australian hero.”
Watson appeared incredulous at her jubilant reception, broadcast live on commercial television to millions of Australians, and was quick to dismiss the prime minister’s praise.
“I don’t consider myself a hero,” the schoolgirl said. “I’m an ordinary girl who believed in a dream. You don’t have to be someone special or anything special to achieve something amazing, you’ve just got to have a dream, believe in it and work hard.”
“I’d like to think that by sailing solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world, I’ve proved that anything really can be achieved if you set your mind to it. Anything really is possible,” she said.
Although the World Speed Sailing Council will not recognize Watson’s record, as its minimum age is 18, her seven-month voyage makes her the youngest person to achieve a solo, continuous and unaided circumnavigation.
This story has been viewed 495 times.
