Teen Sailor Nears End of Round-the-World Solo Voyage

People Magazine ^ | July 9, 2009 | Johnny Dodd

[La Enchiladita]

Like a lot of 17-year -olds, Zac Sunderland can get a bit tongue-tied at times. Only for Sunderland, it's not on account of hormones or nerves.

"I've been out at sea for a long time," says Sunderland, who has nearly reached his goal of becoming the youngest sailor to single-handedly circumnavigate the earth in a sailboat. "You kinda forget how to talk. Sometimes I'll get into a port and it'll take a week before the words I'm wanting to say can come out of my mouth the right way. It's annoying."

Sunderland, who has yet to get his driver's license, has spent the past year braving treacherous seas, outrunning Indonesian pirates and being bloodied by hailstones during his 26,000-mile voyage. He is currently working his way northward to California, sailing up the coast of Mexico's Baja peninsula. "If I catch a good wind, I hope to be there by July 14," he says, speaking by satellite phone from the cabin of his 36-foot Intrepid.

Sunderland left on his voyage June 14, 2008, from Marina Del Rey, Calif., heading toward the Marshall Islands in Micronesia. Asked if he thinks his parents (who live in Thousand Oaks, Calif.) are nuts for letting him embark on such a high-risk adventure, he can be heard laughing over the static and crackle of his phone. "I've been sailing all my life," says Sunderland, who grew up on boats with his shipwright father, mother and six siblings. "This is a natural thing for me to be doing. I feel comfortable out at sea, but things can get crazy at times."

Sunderland met up with pirates last October off the coast of Indonesia...

[advertising guy]

it’s all good !

[stuartcr]

At least we’re human. cheers

[La Enchiladita]

Hey, glad you all worked that out. I also was puzzled re stuart’s obsession with cost, and ... wardaddy ... your point about class envy is noted and well taken. I have seen this also, it’s so .... leftist. I wanted to put up the picture of the guy going “Geez, not this (headache) again.”

There is plenty of information on Zac’s website re the sponsors who have been helping out financially.

Anyway, the Sunderlands are Christian and put that out front in an admirable way. It’s not my business to know what the father’s profession is. Living in Thousand Oaks, although it is a nice suburb, is not proof of wealth by any means. And the family is now admittedly in debt.

So, can we get back on topic? LOL. Zac’s most recent leg of the journey, which he blogged last night, is a real hair-raiser: http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog/2009/07/ship-in-night.html

He came within 1/4 mile of being totalled by a Danish freighter and USCG, out of San Diego, intervened in his behalf (while still in Mexican waters).

[La Enchiladita]

it’s a blast...I sailed my 33 ft Hans Christian sloop from Ventura/Oxnard (Channel Islands Marina) to Hawaii and back single handed. Took 17 days to get there and 25 to get back

Awesome, advertising guy! Hugh High Five!!!!!:)

Don't know your location, whether you can be in Marina del Rey next Thursday 7/16 but hopefully the webcam will be up and running.

[La Enchiladita]

Gatun, May 25th was just a little over a month ago... time flies, as we all know. Zig Zag Zac is on the homeward tack, latest update linked in post 43 if you are so inclined.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

Thank you, but you did not read my post to you yesterday where I have been confused for all these couple of months.

I got that little guy confused with another little guy who was right behind him. He is a few months younger. Please read the following, and please give me your take on it: (Thank you.)

http://www.panama-guide.com/article.php/20090710154206876

[La Enchiladita]

They are very biased against Zac and for Mike. I don’t see the need for that.

[advertising guy]

freepmail

[Travis McGee]

He must have wealthy parents.

Not really, not if his dad is a shipwright. You can get a 20 year old 36 footer for under 30K, and put some sweat equity into it, and have a very capable world cruiser. As a "book deal investment" it's a pretty good bet.

I know plenty of "non-wealthy" folks who have rehabbed older (but sound) fiberglass boat. The worse the initial condition, the cheaper they can be had, if your skills are up th the rehab project.

In fact, I know somebody who built a 48' steel world cruiser from scratch in a horse pasture in Virginia. No single materials "payout" between long boatbuilding stints was over $10K. That guy has crossed several oceans in that boat. That guy is me.

[Travis McGee]

It is truly a wonder he is alive.... absolutely.

Why? A sailboat crosses oceans at 6mph, and you can see ships etc miles and miles away. (Or your radar alarm when you are sleeping.)

What is death-defying is driving on two-lane highways, with tractor trailers going 65MPH the other way, six feet across a yellow line from you. That is instant death in one second, with no chance to avoid him. Give me the ocean any day.

[Travis McGee]

I have been though the canal three times on sailboats. Twice under the “PCC” or Panama Canal Company, and once recently under Panamanian control. It’s a few hundred bucks for a 36 footer. Panama is a great country, not “third world” any more by any means. Like thousands of American expats, I’d move there in a heartbeat if I was single.

[Travis McGee]

Anybody who thinks only the “wealthy” can afford a 36’ sailboat either doesn’t read much, or has never considered the value of “sweat equity” in rehabbing an older boat. The article says his dad is a shipwright. The boat probably cost less than one year at a private college. Is college only for the wealthy then?

[stuartcr]

That’s great.

[stuartcr]

Kudos on the burn.

[La Enchiladita]

I am no sailor, but love being out on the ocean myself. It feels like home. Wondering if you read Zac’s recent entry where he came within 1/4 mile of being smashed by a Danish freighter that was not monitoring their radio.....

[Travis McGee]

I’ve had some near misses with freighters. I assume they are not listening to the radio nor looking at their radar. I consider them unmanned monsters, like a natural hazard. They are much worse near pinch-points, when the skipper is also forced to get very little sleep. A radar alarm is a must.

[La Enchiladita]

A radar alarm is a must.

You mean your sailboat should have one, right? Or, the ship....

[Travis McGee]

The sailboat must have various types of radar alarms for solo voyaging. The skipper simply has to sleep. When approaching and in shipping lanes, this becomes very dangerous. A ship’s radar is set to see land and other ships. Even with a “radar reflector” up in the mast to enhance a sailboat’s radar echo, ships commonly don’t “see” sailboats. I have seen the lights of a ship clearly at night, called them on VHF 16, and asked if the “see” me on radar, and often, they say no, even when I have my nav lights on and give them my GPS coordinates.

So the sailboat must at least have a “radar detector,” so when a ship’s radar signal is sweeping the sailboat, the radar will be detected, setting off an audible alarm to wake up the sleeping skipper.

In the middle of the ocean, it doesn’t matter much. I have literally gone for weeks at a time without seeing one single ship on the horizon or closer. But in shipping lanes, or tight areas like the Caribbean, you can see ten ships a day.

[Theo]

Great story! He did buy the boat himself, used, and with the help of friends and family rebuilt it from the ground up. Seems like a great guy, demonstrating what young adults are capable of.

[La Enchiladita]

I have literally gone for weeks at a time without seeing one single ship on the horizon or closer.

Sounds like you have had some wonderful times out there!:)