ARI SHARP
October 21, 2009

TEENAGE sailor Jessica Watson failed to detect a 64,000 tonne cargo
ship on her yacht's radar and then went to sleep less than five
minutes before the two collided, transport safety investigators say.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau yesterday released its
preliminary investigation into the September 9 incident in which the
16-year-old's 10.4-metre sloop, Ella's Pink Lady, collided with the
Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier Silver Yang.

Ms Watson was on the first night of a trip from Mooloolaba, on the
Sunshine Coast, to Sydney as a trial run for her bid to sail around
the world, which started on Sunday.

Releasing the report, the safety investigators declined to comment on
whether it was wise for her to proceed with the eight-month trip,
saying it was up to Ms Watson and her support crew to decide.

But before Ms Watson left Sydney, the safety bureau took her to visit
the bridge watch-keeper's position on a tanker ship, to help her
understand what could be seen from that vantage point.

They also suggested she visit fatigue management experts in an effort
to better manage her sleep patterns on the solo journey, and urged her
to fit radar reflectors to make her craft more easily seen.

The six-page safety report says Ms Watson checked her radar ahead of
planned sleep, at 1.46am, but did not detect the Silver Yang on her
radar despite it being only one mile from her position.

But a Silver Yang crew member had spotted the Pink Lady at 1.25am, and
23 minutes later altered the ship's direction by 10 degrees in an
effort to avoid it.

Silver Yang turned the ship's rudder hard to the right to steer out of
the path, but at 1.50am Pink Lady's bow collided with Silver Yang's
port side.

Lead investigator Peter Foley said Ms Watson had used high-quality
equipment, but improvements had been made ahead of her journey around
the world.

''She's got a very well-equipped vessel, and the radar system, no,
we're not concerned about the adequacy,'' he told reporters.

The bureau said it would take up to six months to complete the report