Teenage sailor Jessica Watson has swept past the halfway mark of her solo-round-the-world voyage.
The 16-year-old's parents were in a plane trying to get a glimpse of her as she passed the most southerly point of South America, Cape Horn on Thursday morning (AEST).
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She has completed the first half and the most difficult part of her 23,000-nautical-mile journey.
Her media spokesman Andrew Fraser said Jessica was more than 100km past Cape Horn around 9am (AEST) on Thursday.
Jessica has so far defied her critics, which included the Queensland government and some of Australia's most experienced sailors, who in October called for her to abandon the voyage after she collided with a cargo ship during a sea trial.
Mr Fraser said she had truly left behind any sceptics.
"Credit where credit is due. Jess has now done almost 10,000 miles and she has rounded Cape Horn in difficult conditions - about 40 knot winds and swells of up to six metres," Mr Fraser told AAP.
"We are very proud of her but to be honest the sceptics never bothered us.
"Australia should be getting behind this girl which I believe they are. Her website appears to have crashed this morning."
Jessica regularly posts blogs on her website
