The 16-year-old schoolgirl, whose grandparents live in Lowburn, Central Otago, who says she is still confident of becoming the youngest person to sail solo around the world, was below deck at 2.30am (4.30am New Zealand time) when her yacht collided with a cargo ship off southern Queensland.
However, she would not say whether or not she was asleep at the time.
Jessica left Mooloolaba on Queensland's Sunshine Coast on Tuesday on a 10-day trial voyage to Sydney in her 10.4m sloop Ella's Pink Lady.
But her yacht crashed into the 63,000-tonne Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel Silver Yang in a busy shipping lane 15 nautical miles off North Stradbroke Island's Point Lookout.
Speaking to reporters after arriving under water police escort on the Gold Coast, she said she felt fine despite a lack of sleep.
"The whole incident gives me confidence - wow, I can actually handle this," she said.
"It could have happened to anyone . . . I'm unlucky, I suppose, but you also learn from it."
Jessica said she was unhurt apart from a small graze behind her knee, and the only damage to the yacht was a snapped mast and broken rigging.
"All things considered, the boat did come up well," she said.
"The big thing for me is I came through the whole thing feeling confident.
"I won't play it down. It was a pretty scary incident, but it was great to know what to do after years of planning and learning.
"When I called home, everyone back at base jumped into action, and it all worked beautifully."
Jessica said she was not on deck when the collision happened, but realised immediately what had happened.
"It sunk in pretty fast," she said.
"Once it happened, it was like a check-list running through my head, just making sure nothing else was happening and everything was safe for now.
"Then I went and cut some rigging free and got going again with the motor.
"You know your boat's in trouble, but you also know you've got a solid hull around you.
Jessica's media spokesman, Scott Young, who has been in radio contact with her, said all navigation lights and safety devices were working and national safety authorities were able to detect the yacht's beacon.
"So we don't know why the captain or the lookout of the container ship was unable to see that."
He said Jessica contacted the ship on marine radio but the conversation was brief.
"The communication was limited due to the language barrier," he said.
"We do believe the vessel slowed, but it didn't stop - these ships take a long time to stop; they can't just stop on a dime."
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating.
Jesse Martin, a fellow Australian who formerly held the record for being the youngest person to sail solo around the world, has encouraged Jessica to persist in her attempt.
Mr Martin made his record-setting solo voyage in 1999 when he was 18.
His record was broken last month by 17-year-old Briton Mike Perham.
