Who Was Jessica Watson Sailing Coach?

Jessica Watson, an Australian sailor, became the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop around the world in 2009, navigating some of the world’s most remote oceans and surviving seven knockdowns and 210 days alone at sea. Her sailing coach and mentor was Bruce Arms, the two-time winner of the Solo Trans-Tasman yacht race. In the film Avatar: The Way of the Waters, Cliff Curtis plays her sailing coach Ben, who is credited as a beautiful representation of a few people who helped Watson navigate some of the world’s most remote oceans.

True Spirit, out on Netflix, tells the fascinating true story of Jessica Watson, who circumnavigated the globe in 210 days back in 2009. With the support of her sailing coach and mentor Ben Bryant (Cliff Curtis) and her parents (Josh Lawson and Academy Award winner Anna Paquin), Jessica is determined to accomplish what was once considered impossible.

14 years after sailing around the world, Jessica Watson announced her boyfriend Cameron Dale has passed away at 29. In True Spirit, viewers meet a character named Ben Bryant, played by Cliff Curtis, who is Jessica’s mentor in the film. Watson reveals that he was just a beautiful representation of a few people who helped her navigate some of the world’s most remote oceans and survive seven knockdowns and 210 days alone at sea to become the youngest person to sail around the world solo, non-stop and unassisted.