Did Jessica Watson's Boat Survive The Deep?

did jessica watson

Jessica Watson's solo sailing trip around the world at the age of 16 has been immortalised in the Netflix film *True Spirit*. In one scene, Watson's boat is shown to be submerged upside down and 15 feet underwater. However, the real Jessica Watson has said that this moment in the film was dramatised.

Characteristics Values
Did Jessica Watson's boat go 15 feet underwater? Yes, but it was not underwater for as long as it was portrayed in the film.
Was the boat upside down? Yes.
Did the boat right itself and come back up? Yes.
Did the boat capsize? Yes.

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Jessica Watson's boat capsized and went 15 feet underwater

Jessica Watson's boat did capsize and go underwater, but it is unclear how far it went. Watson herself said that the moment in the film *True Spirit* was dramatised, but her emergency beacon did self-activate as the boat sank. One source claims that the boat did not go down 15 feet underwater, but another source, who claims to be Watson herself, says that it did.

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The boat righted itself and came back up

Jessica Watson's solo sailing trip around the world at age 16 has become part of Australian lore. She survived 210 days of severe storms and isolation, and her boat flipping upside down 15 feet underwater. Watson herself has said that the moment in the Netflix film *True Spirit* where her boat is submerged upside down and is at least 15 feet underwater is dramatised. However, she did say that her emergency beacon self-activated as the boat sank, and that she was knocked down.

In the film, several minutes seem to pass before her boat resurfaces. However, Watson said that this was an exaggeration, and that it was more like seconds. She also said that it felt like a long time, and that it felt like forever.

One Reddit user said that they believed the boat didn't actually go down that far, and that it probably didn't flip all the way over. Another agreed that it was probably a dramatic license by the producers of the film.

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The scene was played up for drama

The scene in the Netflix film *True Spirit* where Jessica Watson's boat capsized and went 15 feet underwater was played up for drama. The real Jessica Watson said that this moment in the film was dramatised and that the boat didn't actually go down that far. She also said that she wasn't sure if the boat flipped all the way over, as it seemed in the film.

The scene in question involves Watson's boat being submerged upside down and staying underwater for several minutes before resurfacing. In reality, the boat was knocked down and went stern over bow, rather than flipping completely upside down. Watson's emergency beacon did self-activate as the boat sank, but she said that the time she was upside down felt like seconds, rather than the minutes that it seemed in the film.

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The real Jessica Watson said the moment was dramatized

Jessica Watson's boat really did go 15 feet underwater, but the moment was dramatised in the film *True Spirit*. In the movie, the boat is shown to be submerged for several minutes, but in reality, it was only upside down for seconds. Watson herself has confirmed that the scene was exaggerated, saying:

> The big storm scene of course includes a little bit of Hollywood movie magic (having said that the ocean in a true state really is an unbelievable sight!) The knockdowns Ella’s Pink Lady and I experienced were all side on/over however it is true that the EPIRB that auto activates if under 15ft of water went off during the worst knockdown. We obviously weren’t underwater as long as it is portrayed in the film, however in a way it is true to the way that time felt like it was standing still!

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The EPIRB that auto-activates if under 15ft of water went off during the worst knockdown

Jessica Watson's boat did not go 15 feet underwater, despite what is shown in the film *True Spirit*. Watson herself has said that the scene was "dramatised" and that her boat did not flip all the way over. However, her boat did experience knockdowns and her emergency beacon did self-activate as the boat sank. Watson has said that the time she was upside down "felt like a long time" and that "time felt like it was standing still", but it was only a matter of seconds.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, Jessica Watson's boat really did go 15 feet underwater. However, the time she was upside down for was exaggerated in the film *True Spirit*.

Yes, Jessica Watson's boat did capsize.

Yes, Jessica Watson's boat did right itself.

No, Jessica Watson's boat did not sink.

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