Jessica Watson, the 16-year-old sailing solo around the world, has just rounded Cape Horn, completing perhaps the most difficult and the most treacherous part of her voyage. The charms of the Southern Ocean are few, and she braved the Roaring 50s with their gale-force winds, huge waves, and frigid temperatures just fine. She actually got close enough to Diego Ramirez Islands to see her first actual land since she left Australia back in October.

She's now in the Atlantic after having spent nearly three months in the Pacific. While she still has many miles to go, crossing this major milestone suggests that, Neptune willing, she will be able to complete the rest of her voyage just fine.

I can state in complete sincerity and without any irony that I find her voyage to be incredibly heroic and truly inspiring.