Jessica reaches significant milestone in her round the world record breaking attempt.

While most of us were enjoying a leisurely dinner last night, 16 year old adventurer Jessica Watson was conquering the sailors Mount Everest, Cape Horn on the southern tip of South America. After almost 100 days at sea, having sailed almost 10,000 nautical miles, Jessica sighted her first major landmass since departing Sydney in October 2009. Contending with strong winds, lumpy seas and freezing temperatures, Jessica's spirits are high as she passes this significant milestone. It's the kind of achievement many sailors dream of, but few actually achieve.

With mist enveloping her yacht, air temperature in Jessica's cabin is regulararly around 4deg C, meaning that she spends much of her time in a drysuit to keep warm. I asked Jessica how she was feeling on approach to Cape Horn and was she feeling any anxiety?

"Sure, I feel a little anxious sailing further and further south but like any part of the trip, I'm just getting on with it until I actually have something to deal with," she says with the maturity of one much older and wiser than 16 years.

"Rounding Cape Horn has always been one of the parts of the voyage that I most looked forward to. A lot of the work we did on Ella's Pink Lady before leaving was in preparation for this part of the voyage. While in the tropics I spent a lot of time keeping up with maintenance so Ella's Pink Lady is completely ready for the Southern Ocean and Cape Horn," Jessica noted as she approached the cape.

"That's also where I get my confidence from, knowing that we're as ready as possible," she said.

Jessica's team spent countless hours before her departure equipping Ella's Pink Lady for this testing voyage. The entire boat was gutted, stripped down to basics and almost rebuilt to ensure that both Jessica and her team were happy with the condition of all equipment. Relying on experts from many maritime fields, the support that Jessica has received has almost overwhelmed her and her family. Deep into the Southern Ocean she reflected on the yacht's preparation.

"Amazingly there are only a few things that I've wished I had brought with me so far, which is a credit to the preparation by all the team," she mused.

"One thing I do wish I had on board though is a bird book to identify the birds I've been seeing."

Solo sailors needs are unique in that an efficient well maintained auto pilot or steering system is not just a luxury, but a necessity. It's physically impossible to steer the yacht 24 hours a day. So it's no surprise that Jessica maintains that the one thing she couldn't do without is her wind operated Fleming Windvane.

"The most valuable piece of equipment on Ella's Pink Lady is a tricky one to name, as there are so many different things I've come to rely on. But one thing I really couldn't do without is the Fleming Windvane, which often does a much better job steering than either the electric auto pilots or myself," she noted.

From Cape Horn, Jessica heads northeast towards the Falkland Islands before continuing eastwards through the Southern Ocean towards South Africa. The Cape of Good Hope will be her next major milestone, followed by Cape Leeuwin on the West Australian coast. But as any mariner knows, there's no point looking too far ahead towards an anticipated landfall. It really is one day at a time when you're on an extended ocean passage. While Jessica is having the time of her life, and is clearly capable of coping with solitary sailing admirably, there is still many miles of ocean ahead of her.

We wish her continued safe sailing and fair winds.

More information about Jessica's amazing world record attempt can be found at www.jessicawatson.com.au 

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