Teenage adventurer Jessica Watson is finding ways to keep busy as she slowly closes in on home soil.
The 16-year-old solo sailor is about 500 nautical miles from Western Australia's Cape Leeuwin, the state's most southern point.
She's expected to pass the landmark in the next week, before bracing herself for the notorious waters of the Bass Strait, on her marathon quest to circumnavigate the world unassisted.
Watson has been on the high seas for 172 days since leaving Sydney on October 18 in her customised 10-metre pink sloop, Ella's Pink Lady.
She's due to cross the finish line in Sydney Harbour in six weeks' time, six months after setting off on her voyage.
"She is certainly in the Australian search and rescue area - she has been in that for a fair while now," her mother Julie Watson told ABC Radio today.
"It's certainly nice to have in her home territory.I'm probably getting more nervous than anything now. She's been at sea for a long time and parts on the boat have ... had a bit of a thrashing too."
The young sailor successfully conquered 40 knot winds around Cape Horn in January but she remains nervous about her looming journey through the Bass Strait.
"The Southern Ocean under Australia ... is pretty well known for throwing people around," Julie Watson said.
The teenager has likened being on the high seas to riding a roller coaster.
"A roller coaster with sudden stops and random sideways jerks, add a bit of noise and a lot of water," she wrote.
source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/watson-passes-the-time-as-she-inches-home-20100407-rquy.html
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