At a glance…
- Australian sailor Jessica Watson, who famously sailed solo around the world at 16, has announced she is expecting her first child.
- In a 2016 interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly, Jessica reflected on defying expectations, pushing boundaries and redefining what it means to be an adventurer.
- From her record-breaking voyage to building a career beyond sailing and navigating personal heartbreak, Jessica is now preparing for a new chapter: motherhood.
For most of her life, Jessica Watson has been asked the same question: What’s next?
It’s an inevitable question for someone who, at just 16, sailed solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world, achieving something most of us could scarcely imagine. But when The Australian Women’s Weekly sat down with Jessica in 2016, she had a rather different perspective on what it meant to be an adventurer.
“There are still so many frontiers,” she told us. “Adventure is constantly being redefined.”
A decade later, Jessica is preparing to embark on another life-changing adventure: motherhood.
On 18 October 2026, the 33-year-old announced that she is expecting her first child, sharing a photograph alongside her partner aboard a yacht, writing that they are expecting a “new crew member” at the end of the year. The happy news marks another chapter in an extraordinary life that has taken Jessica from the open ocean to the business world, through personal heartbreak and, now, towards starting a family of her own.
At just 16, Jessica Watson sailed into the history books when she became the youngest person to circumnavigate the world, solo and unassisted. Just pause on that thought for a moment to consider the magnitude of her achievement – it is a mind-boggling feat of strength, courage and resilience.
Since she docked on dry land in 2010, Jessica has been asked constantly, “What’s next?” and “What’s left?” It’s a question the young explorer has often asked herself, we learned when we interviewed her in 2016 for our “Modern Explorers” feature in The Australian Women’s Weekly.
“There are still so many frontiers,” she told Sue Smethurst and Clair Weaver. “Adventure is constantly being redefined. I think as humans, we have an intrinsic desire to push ourselves beyond our own personal boundaries, and that’s when new frontiers are developed and defined. In this day and age, when we spend a lot of time rushing around, stressed, caught up in schedules, in front of computers, challenging yourself to go beyond is more relevant than ever.”
Jessica shared that she never set out to be a trailblazer. “I just wanted to do something positive and adventurous,” she said. “I loved sailing, but people overlooked me for opportunities because I was a young girl. So I wanted to prove them wrong. I proved that your capability should never be judged on your age or gender.”
And that she did. She sailed her yacht Ella’s Pink Lady back into Sydney Harbour in May 2010, three days shy of her 17th birthday, to a hero’s welcome. In 2011 she was the Young Australian Of The Year and the following year her achievements were recognised with an Order of Australia medal.
Jessica says the curiosity that inspired her to set out alone in her yacht in October 2009 is what still drives her, although in 2016, her new frontier was taking on challenges in the business world.
“The easiest thing for me would be to get back on a boat because that’s my comfort zone. So my next challenges are conquering business and learning things I don’t already know. You don’t have to be a brave, tough, adrenaline junkie to be an adventurer. They’re often quiet, careful and considered people who have a deep curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.”
Since then, Jessica has built a career beyond sailing. She has written two books, including her bestselling memoir True Spirit, and completed an MBA. She has also worked as a management consultant, supported the United Nations World Food Programme and helped establish marine technology business Deckee.
Now 33, her extraordinary voyage was adapted into the 2023 Netflix film True Spirit, starring Teagan Croft as Jessica. The film dramatises Jessica’s preparations, the challenges she faced at sea and the determination behind her remarkable achievement.
Jessica wrote on Instagram that the film brings her a lot of pride: “Some of Teagan Croft’s lines ring so true to me today – it’s a little unnerving in a lovely way.”
In 2021, Jessica experienced personal tragedy. Her longtime partner, Cameron Dale, died at age 29, following a stroke.
“Cam’s stroke was the first he knew of his high blood pressure,” she wrote on Instagram for Australia’s Biggest Blood Pressure Check. “It’s not on the radar for active young people, and it needs to be!
