Posted on 06/10/2010 11:11:42 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Abby Sunderland, 16, who is attempting to become the youngest sailor ever to circumnavigate the globe, was feared lost at sea today after her crew lost contact with her boat.
Jeff Casher, an engineer on Sunderland's support team, said two emergency beacons on her boat are now signaling she is in trouble.
Abby's mother, MaryAnne Sunderland, told ABC News that Abby manually activated two beacons around 6 a.m. Pacific Time Thursday.
A beacon designed to automatically go off when it contacts water had not been activated, she said.
Abby was in 20-25 foot waves at the time of last contact, with 35-knot winds, said MaryAnne Sunderland, who is due to give birth at the end of the month. She was shaken but focused on trying to get a rescue effort together.
The closest land to Abby's boat was Reunion Island, which is east of Madagascar. The nearest ship was 400 miles away. Rescuers were trying to contact the ship.
Casher told ABC News that he last spoke with the 16-year-old sailor around 6 a.m. PDT after she had been knocked down twice during the night because of strong winds -- meaning that her sail had touched the water.
One of those knock-downs, Casher said, ripped the radar off the boat. She had been speaking with Casher on a satellite telephone earlier because of engine problems and was in the process of fixing those problems when she told Casher she'd call right back.
She has not been heard from since, except for the distress signals.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
OK so the water activated EPIRB hasn't gone of yet. That's a fairly positive sign. Prayers up for this young lady.
Sad but it was a stupid idea.
Tragic...and, unnecessary. But that’s just my opinion.
The ocean is a cruel master/mistress.
Agree in prayer.
At 16 - kids are supposed to be irresponsible. No excuse for the parents.
Hopefully she lost electronics, communications but not her life
Lord have mercy.
Aspiring to anything out of the ordinary is stupid.
Better to live as a vegetable and be safe. Or at least think you are.
Agreed, the parents should be prosecuted.
She only was able to do this because of her parents. So if she dies it is their responsibility to live with her death.
...but stupid parents are worst...she IS a minor.
Two questions:
1. Why doesn’t she have an escort?
2. What are her “parents” smoking?
She’s a 16 year old child.
It was a stupid idea for her parents to let her do it.
I admire her courage. The future belongs to the bold and the daring.
This is a very sad story. The young lady apparently had a lot of courage.
But what kind of parent would allow a child to undertake such an endeavor? It is madness.
When I was a child, I was on board a 600-foot ocean liner off the North Carolina coast in 25 to 30 foot waves. The ship was tossed around like a kickboard.
Poor kid. I’ll pray for her.
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