Posted on 06/10/2010 4:35:27 PM PDT by naturalman1975
A Qantas Airbus is joining the search for a solo teenage girl sailor who is missing in mountainous seas in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
The rescue effort was launched after emergency beacons onboard 16-year-old Abby Sunderland's boat were triggered when the young Amercian adventurer ran into huge waves hundreds of kilometres from land.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spokeswoman Carly Lusk says the Airbus is expected to take about four hours to reach the search zone, which is around 3,600 kilometres from the WA coast.
"We've got two Qantas flight crews on board, as well as 11 trained air observers from the Western Australian fire emergency services and two Fremantle water police officers," she said.
Ms Lusk says conditions in the search area are poor with 90-kilometre an hour winds and a six-metre swell.
She says the signals coming from the two beacons Sunderland has activated - one attached to her body and another attached to her boat - suggest she is still in the boat.
She says the crew on board the Qantas jet hope to contact Sunderland by VHF radio once they reach the search area.
Australian, US and French search and rescue authorities are coordinating several ships in the area, but the nearest ship is currently more than 500 kilometres away and is not expected to reach the rescue zone until around midday tomorrow.
Sunderland's father Laurence told ABC local radio he last spoke to his daughter during the night (Australian time) when he lost contact with her during the satellite phone call. An hour later American Search and Rescue authorities told him both his daughter's emergency beacons (EPIRB) had been activated.
"She had quite a boisterous night at 60 knots, she was knocked down three times and radar was ripped off the boat, and she had an engine issue," he said.
"She definitely had her cage rattled last night, but after dealing with the engine issue and getting things up and running everything seemed to be fine.
"We initially thought that the signal was sent automatically from her water-activated EPIRB and that it had been activated during one of her knockdowns.
"As we pulled the paperwork from her EPIRB registration, we learned that the signal had come from her manually-activated EPIRB.
"We were referred to Australian Search and Rescue and while we were on the phone with them another signal came in from her handheld PLB (Personal Locator Beacon). Her water-activated EPIRB has not been activated so we are hopeful that the boat is still upright."
Mr Sunderland expressed his thanks for the Australian search and rescue effort.
Mr Sunderland said he was still hopeful for his daughter's safety.
"Abby has all of the equipment on board to survive a crisis situation like this," he said.
"She has a dry suit, survival suit, life raft, and ditch bag with emergency supplies. If she can keep warm and hang on, help will be there as soon as possible."
Sunderland began her voyage in her yacht Wild Eyes in January, just months before Australia's Jessica Watson completed her around-the-world journey. Watson was also 16 when she set sail, five months older than Sunderland.
Sunderland set sail amid criticism from some in the sailing community that her itinerary was too risky because it would place her in the Indian Ocean during the turbulent Southern Hemisphere winter.
Sunderland's older brother Zac completed his own around the world sailing voyage last year. He arrived back in California last July to a hero's welcome at the end of his 13-month voyage.
Zac Sunderland had been 16 when he set out on the journey, turning 17 in November 2008 before arriving home eight months later.
Watson's journey also began amid a flurry of criticism with many saying she was too young to cope with an around the world journey.
However she completed her journey last month, arriving in Sydney to a hero's welcome met by the Prime Minister, the Premier of New South Wales and thousands of well-wishers.
Will taxpayer dollars fund the rescue or did she save up a fund in case something bad happened? /sarc
prayers for Abby’s rescue
Laws of the Sea apply. You have to go to the aid of a stricken sailor, just as they’d have to go to yours.
Australia winds up having to do this a lot, and while expensive, it provides very good training opportunities too.
I don’t know about her particular situation, but insurance policies are available for such eventualities.
Have pirates been dismissed in this?
Prayers up for Abby’s safety, and a horsewhipping for her parents!
Glad yours is already all the way around, safe.
Prayers up.
60 knt winds in the middle of the ocean. I doubt pirates are out there.
Just an off the wall thought...thanks.
Always a good question but I think she got past the pirate territory.
How many boo hoo tears are shed for me that I can’t get my crops planted because of the lousy weather? Where’s her food and yours going to come from in the very near future? At WalMart?
This Country needs a starvation. We’ve asked for it.
Numerous discussions in progress under keyword ‘abbysunderland’
90 kph (48 knot) winds and 6 meter swells.... Prayers up.
I hope this girl is brought back safely, but am getting fed up with the amount of money being spent to rescue adventure seekers.
It should be announced that taxpayers will no longer fund the whatever-expense-it-takes to save people from the thrill seeking risks they take and that job will now be left to volunteer groups.
Also not a known pirate hang-out......
huh?
Drop in the bucket.....compared to what our FED’s piss away in one minute in one single day.
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