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A 16-year-old Australian who spent seven months at sea in her pink yacht sailed across the finish line of her round-the-world journey on Saturday, becoming the youngest sailor to circle the globe solo, non-stop and unassisted.

Thousands of spectators erupted into cheers as Jessica Watson sailed into Sydney Harbour, the finale to an epic adventure in which she battled 40-foot (12-metre) waves, homesickness and critics who said she'd never make it home alive.

"She's home," Jessica's tearful mother, Julie, said as she watched her daughter cross the finish line in her 34-foot (10-metre) yacht, Ella's Pink Lady.

The teen touched land for the first time in 210 days by docking at the city's iconic Opera House.

"I'm completely overwhelmed. I just don't know what to think and what to say at the moment," the young sailor said.

"It's all a bit much but absolutely amazing," she added.

Sixteen-year-old Jessica Watson waves as she sails past the finish line at the entrance to Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, May 15, 2010, capping off a nearly 23,000 nautical miles voyage. Watson crossed the finish line of a round-the-world journey Saturday in her pink yacht, becoming the youngest sailor to circle the globe solo, nonstop and unassisted. [Photo: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images/CFP]

Watson, from Buderim, north of Brisbane in Queensland state, sailed out of Sydney on October 18 despite the fierce criticism of her parents, whose decision to let their daughter attempt such a feat was seen by some as an act of insanity.

Through it all, they stood by their opinion that she was well-prepared, noting their daughter had been sailing since she was eight.

Watson travelled northeast through the South Pacific and across the equator, south to Cape Horn at the tip of South America, across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa, through the Indian Ocean and around southern Australia.

Her feat, however, will not be considered an official world record, because the World Speed Sailing Record Council discontinued its "youngest" category.

Australian Jesse Martin holds the current record for the youngest person to sail around the world solo, non-stop and unassisted, after he completed the journey in 1999 at the age of 18.

Martin boarded Watson's boat to take over during her cruise toward the Opera House, so she could relax and wave to fans - many wearing pink clothes in honour of her yacht's colour.

Though she sailed nearly 23-thousand nautical miles, some sailing enthusiasts have argued that Watson didn't travel far enough north of the equator for her journey to count as a true round-the-world sail as defined by the record council's rules.

Watson's managers have dismissed those claims and argue she doesn't need to adhere to the council's rules anyway, since they won't be recognising her voyage.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who greeted Watson at the Opera House, dubbed her "Australia's newest hero" - a description Watson dismissed.

"I'm actually going to disagree with the Prime Minister," she said, as the crowd laughed.

"I don't consider myself a hero. I'm an ordinary girl who believed in her dream."

Watson was later presented with a giant jar of Nutella, a brand of chocolate spread which helped sustain her during the voyage.