Abby Crosses Equator

As Aussie Jessica Watson, 16, nears South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope and settles into the second — and arguably more difficult — half of her nonstop solo circumnavigation, Southern California’s Abby Sunderland, also 16, has crossed the equator. Around 3 p.m. on Friday, Sunderland’s Open 40 Wild Eyes drifted across the line . . . then stayed there. "I was a little worried that I would end up crossing the equator twice in one day," she wrote in her blog. "I had hardly any wind getting across. About a mile over the equator the wind died completely and all I had was a current pushing me backwards!" In fact, according to her position tracker, Wild Eyes has been within 100 miles of the equator for the last five days!

As happens to anyone when they’re alone with themselves for an extended period of time, Jess Watson appears to be getting a little introspective after four months alone. "Seeing as we’re now over halfway around the world, I thought it might be a good time to have a bit of a re-think about exactly what I am doing out here and whether or not my expectations have changed at all," she blogged today. The result is a charming, heartfelt and nearly teenage-angst-free account of why she’s ‘out there’. Whether you think she’s the best thing since the block-and-tackle or you believe her parents should be thrown in jail for letting her leave, Watson’s blog is a must-read.