Jessica Watson is an Australian sailor, author, and blogger with a net worth of $5 Million. She is best recognized for setting the world record of being the youngest individual to sail solo all across the globe. At the age of 16, Jessica finished a solo worldwide circumnavigation.
According to reports she made the record of journeying around 23,000 nautical miles in about 210 days. During that time she faced risky storms, harsh weather, and unpredictable waves. On top of that, she was alone on this journey.
She won numerous awards and fame throughout her successful career. Not to mention, she was named “2011 Young Australian of the Year” as well as received the Medal of the Order of Australia awards the following year. She is living a luxurious life with her family in Melbourne.
What is Jessica Watson’s Net Worth?
[table id=173 /]Early Life
Jessica Watson was born in a New Zealander family, on May 18th, 1993, in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Her father Roger worked as a retailer and her mother Julie Watson was a therapist.
She grew up with three siblings, being the second child of her parents. Jessica has an older sister Emily, a younger brother Tom and a sister Hannah. In 1987 the family relocated from New Zealand to Australia and as a result, Watson has both nationalities.
As a child, Jessica took sailing lessons along with her siblings when the family sold their house and went to live on a 16-meter cabin cruiser. The family lived there for about 5 years and Jessica was home-schooled. She developed an interest to sail around the world at the age of 12 after listening to Jesse Martin’s book Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit from her mother.
Education
After homeschooling, Watson enrolled at Deakin University where she obtained a degree Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communication. She also started business studies at the Australian Institute of Management, earning a Diploma in Project Management.
In 2017 she got her degree in Master of Business Administration. Two years later she began working as a management consultant at the Melbourne accounting company.
She became the founding member of “Deckee.com” a marine start-up. Later Deloitte’s Human Capital team hired her as a management consultant for the firm.
Career
In May 2009, Watson decided to begin her trip which was hoped to take 8 months with an evaluated sailing distance of 23,000 nautical miles. It was confirmed that she would not be able to take anything from any person during the journey of sailing non-stop and unassisted.
However, she was allowed to take advice over radio communication, but will not moor to any port or other boat. Watson began her route from Sydney and passed several countries and places including New Zealand, Kiribati, Fiji, Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope, and South East Cape, among others.
Breakthrough
The biggest breakthrough moment of Watson’s career came on May 15, 2010, when she completed her journey at the age of 16 in Sydney, Harbour. Her sailing trip was reportedly 210 days, unofficially breaking the record for the youngest person to sail nonstop and unassisted around the globe.
According to the report of the Australian Museum, Watson finished 6000 ocean and 6000 coastal miles in a trial for her solo voyage. In addition, she crewed on a handful of vessels, including working as a captain on a squad sailing between New Zealand and Australia across the Tasman Sea.
After completing her sailing journey she received numerous awards and accolades, as well as recognition all around the world. Watson became the youngest person to be recognized by the “World Speed Sailing Record Council.”
Her fan following instantly increased all over social media. She was heavily involved in the preparation of her favorite boat named “Ella’s Pink Lady.” In 2011 the boat was sold to the Australian government for a whopping $300,000. This boat is on a permanent exhibition at the Brisban’s Queensland Maritime Museum. Jessica Watson has a net worth of $5 Million.
Other Ventures
Jessica is also an author and published her first book entitled “True Spirit” in 2010 in which she wrote her autobiography. She has also published a young fiction novel “Indigo Blue.”
Upon her journey, she made a documentary about her solo trip, which premiered on ONEHD in August 2010. Sir Richard Branson narrated this documentary. On February 3rd, 2023, it was announced that the film adaptation of Watson’s story is set to release on Netflix.
Personal Life
Jessica Watson began her relationship with Cameron Dale. The two first met in 2011 while the Australian sailing race in the Sydney to Hobart Campaign. Shortly thereafter the two began dating. Unfortunately, Dale passed away in 2021.
Career Highlights
- 2010 “Spirit of Sport” award, Sport Australia Hall of Fame _ Received
- 2010 “Young Performer of the Year” Award _ Received
- 2012 Australian Geographic Society, Young Adventurer of the Year _ Named
- National Geographic Society, one of the ten international “2010 Adventurers of the Year” _ Being the only sailor in the crew
- Being named as 2011s “Young Australian of the Year”
- 2012 Order of Australia Medal (OAM), as a role model for young Australian & her contributions to sailing, _ Awarded
- 2011 Jane Tate trophy, first women captain _ Won
- 2015 Leif Erikson Young Explorer Award, presented by Exploration Museum, in Húsavík, Iceland _ Won
- Being listed in the 2022 “Australian Sailing Hall of Fame”
Jessica Watson Net Worth
Jessica Watson became one of the most popular celebrities on the internet after being the youngest person to sail solo and unassisted all across the globe. She received a lot of appreciation from more than 75,000 people including the Prime Minister, and many more.
Apart from her thriving career as a sailor, Watson earns from her work at the “Deloitte UK Corporation.” She reportedly makes $98,000 annually from Deloitte. Moreover, she is an author and has written two books that contributed a handsome fortune to her wealth.
Watson received several prize money awards throughout her career and Netflix gave her additional revenue for her biopic. As a celebrity, she charges a lot for corporate events. As of 2023, Jessica Watson’s net worth is estimated to be $5 Million.
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