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 ...
You got stones. Something too many people these days lack, and really don’t like seeing in others, because it reminds them of their shortcomings.
This girl is Amelia Earhart. She is Helen Thayer. Isabelle Eberhardt. Marie Curie. She isn’t willing to sit at home and do ‘normal’ things. Good for her! She reached for the stars. If she survives (which I hope she does), she will be the better for it.
Without a doubt, we deserve the government we got. And if these Abby Sunderland threads are any indication, we deserve Obama, the dems, and the nanny state. It’s what has been collectively asked for by the ones who want to be ‘safe’.
May their chains rest lightly. You’re unchained. Live large!
That was need and necessity. This is foolish ego at work. She's fighting no enemy. She's living a fantasy that could, and may still, kill her and it serves no purpose. All she gets are bragging rights. Is that worth her young life?
Exactly.
She still could have done her SOLO and had a boat following her (at a respectable distance).
Amen, brother.
A few years ago the hue and cry was, “American kids are growing up too fast”, and I wonder if all this current din isn’t an overreaction to that overreaction.
I don’t like pigeonholing everyone. Most folks fit in the middle of the bell curve, but not all.
You are completely wrong, I just don’t know how much I can tell you. I think all of us support manned space missions and so on. Adults vs children doing things are entirely seperate. If she was 18 and legal, fine. Her parents are still *legal guardians* however. It’s just the way things are, and it’s so ridiculous to compare this to any form of weakness.
The people saying 16 year olds should go off and brave the wilds without any support on here are embarrassments. It proves you can’t make any assumptions on anyone just because they chat on a website. Ever. Maybe back in the day kids did high wire acts without nets, but would there really be any reason to now?
Human achievement serves no purpose?
How old were those women?
Amelia Earhart Age 40 at disappearnce
Helen Thayer Age 50 when she first soloed the pole.
Isabelle Eberhardt Age 20 when she went to Africa with Mom
Marie Curie Age 39 when she started to teach.
Nope. Not one of them was 16. And the 20 year old was with Mom.
What purpose does a 16 year old, lost in the ocean in a storm serve? Do you think it's noble for a 16 year old to die? A few freepers do. I'm sure if she drowns, she'll do so knowing as she gasps for her last breath that she's an inspiration, right? Won't that be a comfort to the kid?
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.
Was it really necessary to send 16 year olds off to die for their country?
Or did they serve out of desire?
I realize that. It was a general comment about the circumnavigation attempt. Sooner or later you hit areas that you describe.
She's not serving or defending anything. This is an ego trip for bragging rights and it is NOT worth her life!
Even if it’s not just ego trip, her parents were supposed to protect her. They failed to. It’s a real shame.
It has value to her. She’s been preparing for this for years. Why do individual acts have to have value to other people?
Is there no sense of accomplishment in achievement for achievement’s sake?
How could it not be an ego trip? What is she accomplishing? And yes, her parents should have said “no”. Just because a kid wants something doesn’t mean that you have to indulge them. We’re supposed to keep them safe until adulthood.
She also had a list of sponsors who contributed to the trip in which case her parents would likely have been contractually obligated to send her. I can understand how some people believe her parents should be prosecuted.
I know it was an ego trip, and possibly a real sense of adventure to risk her life.
I was basically saying it doesn’t matter, the parents failed to provide a rescue boat within close range. Anyone that’s ok with this basically supports killing this girl, cause it was a death sentence.
She's only 16! Years my left foot!
Why do individual acts have to have value to other people?
Why allow a child to do something so dangerous? Just because she WANTS to? That's ridiculous. She's just a KID. Her age is what makes this outrageous. If an adult wants to do something like this, great. But a child? YOU pointed out that 16 year olds driving is dangerous. So send one out on the ocean? ALONE? Yeah. There's sense.
My kids life or lose a contract? Hmmmm. We both know what we'd choose.
I can understand how some people believe her parents should be prosecuted.
IF they lose her, I believe that's punishment enough.
And that just blows me away. That and sending her in winter.
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