“They don’t understand that I’ve sailed my whole life and I do know what I’m doing out there.”
She is full of it. I’ll give her plenty of leeway because she’s 16, but she’s still full of it.
First: the winter crossing of the Southern Ocean was INSANE. Professionally crewed, multi-million dollar fully-sponsored raceboats don’t do it in winter, for the same reason mountain climbers don’t try Everest in January. So right there, “I know what I’m doing” rings the BS bell. She was out there in winter for one reason only: her age. Her website is Abby16.com for a reason. Next summer, she won’t win the prize for youngest. So her father decided to throw her life onto the craps table to exploit her for an age-record try.
Second: She didn’t have a wind vane. Two electrical autopilots only mean that if your power goes out (and it will!) you will only have two dead autopilots. A 40’ ocean sailor should, must also have a Monitor or Sailomat or similar quality wind vane self steerer. My Sailomat has steered my much bigger and heavier 48’ steel boat across oceans week after week, with no need for electricity. In the event Abby loses power, she loses auto-steering, and NO solo sailor can hand-steer a 40’er in the Southern Ocean for more than a half day. After that, fatigue takes you down, and you broach and roll and dismast. Which may have been the sequence of events.
Third: She didn’t cut away her rig, which is Voyaging 101, to prevent the rig from holing and sinking the yacht. After ditching the rig, the standard EXPECTED procedure of REAL SAILORS EVERYWHERE is to erect a jury rig and sail downwind to a safe port. In her case, Western Australia. Not to just push the EPIRB and scream to the world, “Mommy! I can’t hack it! I’m not a real sailor! Come and save me, because I can’t do it!”
I agree that she didn’t belong out there. I also read on a sailing forum that she only piloted Wild Eyes for a few hours in good weather before leaving. The sailors said that’s not enough time to become familiar with the yacht.
excellant post.
I got so tired of being flamed as a “socialist” because I raised these issues...It seems that to be a conservative here you must also tolerate ANY IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR if the person is homeschooled, a Christian and “wants to be free”. Yeesh.
Until conservatives get it straight that to be “free” means to cancel the entire entitlement society FIRST or put up a multi million dollar escrow account so I dont’ have to pay for someone’s stupid “freedom “ stunt.