At least this time, it looks like it will be a happy ending. And to any Americans worried about the cost to the Australian taxpayer - well, consider it a partial payback for all the times the US taxpayer has wound up bailing people out around the world. The fact is, this is what rich, industrialised nations do. At least this time we’re doing it for another rich, industrialised nation. The vast majority of foreigners Australia pulls from the sea are ‘asylum seekers’ sailing here illegally in leaky boats
Really? They’re this cheap?
Charge her family. The morons deserve it.
The Airbus was nice, but not necessary. The fishing boat that picked her up was being told the lats/lons continuously being chirped out by the GPS in the EPIRB.
All they got from the plane was “yes, I’m okay” on a handheld shortrange VHF radio.
The fishing boat could have done a sail past look see, and picked her up not one minute later than it did with the “help” of the Quantas Airbus.
The Quantas jet did not “find” Abbey. She was never lost, with her GPS/EPIRB bleeping.
Well now, see? see? It's cheap advertising!
Send the bill to her dad. He owns a yacht business, so he should be able to afford some of it. And if they don’t, as irresponsible as he is, he will send her out again.
How about her parents paying for the rescue?
Her parents should be charged with child abuse and have the bill sent to them. Idiots.
now, seriously, how ironic is that?
Great story...hope she keeps up her quest...thanks to the Aussies for doing the right thing...thank goodness she’s alive and can come home and produce some offspring with her DNA...we need more of it in our gene pool....instead of crack heads and kids sitting in front of a computer game screen.
Thanks, mate. Your common sense is much appreciated.
“Australian taxpayers to pay for US teen sailor Abby Sunderland’s ocean rescue”
Oh My God! This is normal operating procedure. If the siktuation was reversed do you thin that Americans would be complaining about the cost o rescuing an Australian? I think not. As one commenter said...Are they really that cheap?
The socialist will be proud for bilking the Australian people.
As an Aussie tax payer and citizen I am happy to financially contribute to our SAR responsibilities, as custodians of our region. We’re a modern, wealthy, civilized nation that values human life above the cost of running a plane or a boat.
Sailors get into difficulties sometimes, even when all reasonable precautions are taken. Modern planes, irrespective of how reliable they are, occasionally have to ditch. People occasionally have to be rescued. How we respond in times of their need are the moments that defines our humanity as a society.
I’m quite frankly embarrassed that this article was even written.
Geraldo Rivera (formerly known as Jerry Rivers before Affirmative Action became chic)) has gone after the Sunderland family for “child abuse.”
I suspect that he begins from the premise that a married couple with seven children who home school and spend a lot of their time at sea must have something wrong with them. In any case, he and others are piling on.
To me, Abby looks and talks like an intelligent and well adjusted teen who could be doing a lot worse things than sailing around the world on her own. And thanks to the Aussies for helping out. I think most Aussies probably understand what Abby is all about.