SHE'S 16 years old and she hasn't laid eyes on another human being in six months.

So, 22,200 solitary nautical miles later, Jessica Watson's smile and wave told of her delight as she was photographed having just rounded the tip of southern Tasmania.

Yesterday via satellite phone, Jessica said she was close enough to see the pilot and photographer in the helicopter that has come the nearest of all spectators to her little boat Ella's Pink Lady.

It was 30 nautical miles from shore and the visibility was limited by driving rain and rough seas. "I could see a big camera lens pointed at me," Jessica said.

"It was quite cool - the first people I have seen for more than six months now."

Onboard the helicopter, Daily Telegraph photographer Sam Rosewarne said it took 40 minutes of searching to spot Jessica.

"It was windy and raining and there were heaps of whitecaps," Rosewarne said.

"We had quite a time spotting her . . . she was so tiny, I couldn't believe we found her."

It was a flash of white sail on her pink boat that finally caught their attention before Jessica raced onto the deck and started waving madly.

In the past month the teenage solo sailor has triumphed over the worst trials that the notoriously dangerous waters surrounding Australia can throw at her.

Monster waves

Her boat has been knocked flat on its side three times in a fortnight, and the storms and monster 12m waves presented dire dangers.

But she has coped with the optimism she has displayed throughout her journey - dealing with her obstacles first, and reflecting on her achievements later.

The teen admits now the trip through the Southern Ocean was a "struggle". "To be honest I only woke up this morning and started thinking about it all," she said.

"I think the worst of it is always the waiting. You hear a bad forecast and you don't know how bad it is.

"Once you are in the thick of it you just deal with it.

"After it's over you actually get a bit of a kick out of getting through the storm.

"It's a sense of achievement."

Of rounding Tasmania - and having only the length of a Sydney to Hobart race to get through before she sails back into Sydney Heads on May 16 - she feels a great deal of pride.

"It was pretty special. I didn't think it would be a big deal but when we got there I thought, `Wow, I have finally done it'," she said.

Yesterday was her opportunity to enjoy a special treat, one the elements have not allowed her for so long.

"I had a lovely sleep this morning. It's been one of the things I've been dreaming about for a very, very long time, a little sleep-in," Jessica said.

Jessica hopes to complete her dream of sailing round the world, solo and unassisted, on May 16 - two days shy of her 17th birthday.