Jessica Watson announces baby due with partner Dave after bereavement

Jessica Watson has announced that she is expecting a baby with her new partner, Dave, sharing the news on Instagram. The announcement marks a joyful new chapter for the Australian sailor, whose former partner Cameron Dale died in 2021.

Watson, 33, said the baby is due at the end of the year and described the news as wondrous. She and Dale had been together for ten years after meeting through sailing; he died aged 29, nearly six weeks after a stroke linked to previously undiagnosed high blood pressure. Watson became widely known for sailing solo around the world at 16 and was named Young Australian of the Year.