Jessica's homecoming

Kookaburra sitting on our cabin verandah...merry, merry king of the bush is he...











A handsome pair of Rainbow Lorikeets taking their turn on our verandah.











Sound...Camera...Action! The interview by the Daily Telegraph with Collette and yours truly.












Thanks to Captain Chris of the Polaris of Belmont, Collette's banner was hoisted to it's pride of place up the inner forestay.










I was tickled pink to see the crew (L-R) Meredith, Janell and Jacqui wearing "samurai" originals.










The famous Man 'O Wars Steps.












The pink carpet with Polaris of Belmont at the end in the background.












A great job on the flag by Jacqui (right) with Janell on the left.












The Jessaholic VIP's gathered in their designated area, perfectly situated in front of the big screen.

(L-R) Meredith, Janell, Faye, Collette, Peter, Ailsa, Jacqui and Max.







I just loved the colour of these "Ladies in Pink"











A beautiful end to a beutiful day.












A fantasmagorical effort by Collette for our "Jessaparty" the next day.











The lovely Ella's Pink Lady sitting peacefully dockside in the harbour in front of the NSW National Maritime Museum.

I must admit, seeing her sitting there all by herself was quite an emotional experience.

VIDEO: Jessica's fans

VIDEO: Jessica's fans

This interview was conducted by The Daily Telegraph on the Man 'O Wars Steps at the Sydney Opera House on Friday 14th May 2010, the day before Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady arrived home.

New EPL T-Shirts

I found this hot pink t-shirt in a bargain bin in a men's shop, as you do. Not that there's anything wrong with it, only that it's not a colour most men would buy, I suppose.

It would make for a nice contrast, I thought.










This one is exactly the same as the one I gave to Jessica's mum Julie when I met her here in perth recently.













Sadly, there are still an incredible number of people choosing to keep their heads buried in the sand about Jessica's achievements but as far as I'm concerned Jessica, at the age of 16, spent the best part of the last 7 months at sea sailing solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady set sail from Sydney Harbour on 18th October 2009 and crossed the equator into the northern hemisphere, passed all lines of longitude and rounded 4 southern capes namely Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Tasmania's South East Cape before ending their circumnavigation at the same port where they started, 3 days shy of Jessica's 17th birthday.

Jessica successfully achieved what she set out to do in fulfilling her ambition and ultimately realising her childhood dream! There is nothing any naysayer can say or do to diminish such an incredible accomplishment nor dampen her pride and sense of achievement.

South East Cape - Tasmania, Australia

Yesterday 3rd May 2010 Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady courageously notched yet another significant milestone in their epic voyage of adventure around the world and rounded the South Eastern Cape of Tasmania.

After Ella's Pink Lady had been knocked down twice in the past fortnight and had previously been stalled encumbered by a drogue in storms and monster waves, she has since excelled in her flight of freedom sailing with her intrepid Captain down around the bottom of Tasmania.





(Photo courtesy of Herald Sun)

The most challenging and difficult part of their entire voyage is now in their wake as Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady look forward to their final stretch up the south east coast of Australia and into Sydney Harbour.

As Jessica reflects on the struggles of the past couple of weeks, she reveals feelings of enormous pride and an incredible sense of achievement at what she had recently accomplished. After first hearing of a bad forecast, then waiting in nervous anticipation for it happen, then dealing with it as it comes, Jessica said she got a big kick out of getting through the thick of it all.

Jessica and Ella's Pink Lady are expected to complete their solo, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation on Sunday 16th May 2010, two days shy of Jessica's 17th birthday.