Posted on 06/14/2010 5:39:18 AM PDT by jimbo123
Here's a dose of reality.
The father of teen sailor Abby Sunderland told The Post yesterday that he's broke and had signed a contract to do a reality show, "Adventures in Sunderland," about his family of daredevil kids weeks after she set off on her doomed and dangerous solo sail around the globe.
Laurence Sunderland, a sailing instructor who lives in the middle-class Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks with his pregnant wife and seven kids, opened their home to film crews four months ago.
"The show might be about family, it might be about Abigail's trip. It's something that was shopped around," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Maybe home schooling is not a redeeming quality in this family. More like home indoctrination.
I did, too. Some accused me of being overprotective and not appreciating adventure. I have not changed my opinion either.
I haven’t posted on any of the previous threads about this because I didn’t know that much.
Not that it usually stops freepers (or me for that matter).
Now that I know more, I definitely blame the father. I’m am usually hesitant to cast blame on parents, it’s way too easy, but in this case ....
Here is a story about the South 40s from a few years ago. The 3 racers in question were very experienced, physically strong, highly disciplined sailors in boats considerably larger that the Sunderland boat AND this happened to them in summer in the 40s. http://articles.latimes.com/1990-01-27/sports/sp-667_1_southern-ocean-storms-reduce-field/5
Sunderland’s dismasting was a foregone conclusion. She cheated death - in most cases it would be fatal in winter in the 40s. No 16 year-old girl should be sent out on a solo around-the-world sailing “adventure”. Even for highly experienced seamen it is more than dangerous enough.
I have had to respond to several on FR who had a “romantic” view of the Abby Sunderland fiasco. The people who think that this is “exciting”, shows “grit”, etc. would undoubtedly have been outraged if the Sunderland girl had gotten it in her head to go over Niagra in a barrel and her father let her. The risks, however, would be not all that different.
Si’ amigo!
I would say that pretty much covered it.
“Now go suck an egg, smartass.”
OK
bump
“
He’s broke, got 7 kids and a pregnant wife. I assume that the taxpayers
are supporting this lowlife and his family?
“
Having lived in West Los Angeles during 1995-2005...not likely,
BUT, not impossible.
I always remember being behind a couple (likely from the former USSR)
using food stamps, then climbing into a nice Mercedes.
This was on Wilshire Blvd., about on the line between West LA and
Santa Monica.
The Russians and illegal Mexicans have the welfare schtick down cold. The illegal Mexicans all drive SUV’s tho ;-)
The good news is that the dad has been fully exposed. His financial irresponsibility almost cost his daughter’s life. Reputable sponsors will not touch this family with a ten foot pole. This reality show won’t be aired. He should get back to work building boats and stop prostituting his family.
“They rarely leave their house, and they rarely talk to neighbors,” local resident Brian Gonzales said.
In the short space of just a few days, this poor girl has gone from lost at sea to a money-cadging ne’er-do-well; how fickle the public image...
Not the girl. The parents.
Is anyone asking to be paid?
The last that I read was that the French vessel hadn’t made a decision yet.
Sounds like he should have done that 7 kids ago.
Can't trust those "isolationist" homeschoolers. Letting a young person take risks or pursue his/her dreams is "indoctrination" or worse "child endangerment." The State needs to crack down on these terribly dangerous parents, take all their children into the caring arms of child protective services, possibly farming out some of the kids to loving homosexual couples/tripples/whatever.
Especially in the EPIRB era, where you can push the emergency button at any time, knowing that the entire world will mobilize to rescue you, even sending an Airbus just to do a half-million-dollar fly-by.
Prior to EPIRBs, if you went voyaging, it was all on you. Sink or swim. Your life, your choice.
In the EPIRB era, extreme risk takers on mad voyages to the southern ocean in winter know that Mommy Government will rescue them, and pay for it!
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