Ella Bache

Young Australian of the Year 2011 Jessica Watson will skipper the youngest crew to ever compete in the Rolex Sydney Hobart. After conquering some of the most treacherous oceans to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world, Jessica will skipper a crew of 10, all of whom will be 21 or younger - making them the youngest crew ever to compete in the famous race, with an average age of just 19.  Among the young crew is Mike Perham from the UK, another solo circumnavigator.

All the crew have embarked on a 12 week training program that commenced in October in the lead up to the start of the blue water classic, including a dry run from Sydney to Hobart in November. The crew are seeking to be competitive in the Sydney 38OD division and compete for handicap honours, depending on weather patterns. The team have been coached by Chris Lewin, who skippered another Challenge in 4 x Rolex Sydney Hobart’s – most notably in 2004 where he led the (previous) youngest crew of Melbourne Uni students to third place in the Sydney 38 division, and most recently in 2010 where he achieved second in the division by 29 seconds.

Competitor Details