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 ...
Um, she likely died. She’s a minor. It was a stunt.
I suppose the entire idea of death bothers you when the topic is about someone dying. All I can say is, suck it. Too bad.
What?
Classic Lib incapable of leaving your box. Why don't you send a prayer to Jesus to help her? I certainly have.
Don’t think you need a decoder ring for what I wrote.
If you do, then I am not sure you are capable of understanding what America was about. And I do say ‘was’. We have lost it.
Tolsti2 is on borrowed time.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2532350/posts?page=1
Digest on that hope and change for awhile. Find your faith and your freedom.
My prayers were answered. Were yours?
Ping. Dumbass liberal who hates everything.
RE: “This is the dumbest decision a set of parents have ever made and now they are going to have to live with the knowledge that they and only they were responsible for sending their own daughter to her death.........”
***********************
Pssst............she’s not dead!
Great news if she’s alive. Really hope she is.
“That is not what I said. This is at best simply an adventure. It contributes nothing to society. No great discovery. No benefit to society. It is only a personal achievement for her. “
Isn’t that enough in a free society? Does everything we do have to be for the good of the state?
The search plane made contact with her via radio. She lost her mast and rigging.
Go back to Hell.
http://www.watoday.com.au/world/shes-fine-teen-sailor-abby-sunderland-found-alive-20100611-y0tq.html
You have a different opinion.
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