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 ...
That’s a great quote. Thanks for sharing.
Ok. Wasn’t sure if you’d seen it.
What I was trying to address (and probably did so poorly) was that even if it was for a record, it doesn't demean what she was doing or risking. Some seem to think that if she wasn't contributing to society that somehow cheapened what she was doing. I disagree. The right to say at the end of the journey, "I did it," is one of the greatest freedoms we have. It doesn't matter if the critics don't understand it. It doesn't matter if the naysayers declare, "what waste." No, as individuals in a free society, we have the right to say, "we will challenge ourselves and in the end we will discover ourselves."
We disagree but that’s ok.
“Recklessness is not to be applauded. Neither is a society that encourages recklessness just for fame.”
Recklessness is your term. I don’t think she is reckless. She is well prepared, knowledgable, and willing.
Being daring and taking chances is a good thing. The typical teenager only challenges authority and not themselves.
Your post 455: Sure it is, freedom to be reckless or take chances because you want to.
Have a good day.
Dare to dream
She’s lucky to be alive!
“She’s lucky to be alive!”
We are all lucky to be alive.
Hey, that’s a good response! LOL!
A 16 yr. old is not yet an adult....studies of the brain have actually shown their ability to discern has not yet fully developed.....another good reason not to throw a 16 yr. old into the rages of the HighSeas alone.
I have a 22 year old brother and I like to say he’s 22 going on 12. If I was his parent, I wouldn’t let him operate a lawn mower let alone sail around the world by himself. He’d be dead in no time. LOL! So, I do see your point as well.
LOL!! We share a brother? :-)
No mere stunt takes place over 6 months with over a million dollars of equipment and years of planning, training and preparation. That girl is a sailor and the captain of her own craft. We shudder to think of the loss of such a young, beautiful and talented woman. It could happen to anyone at any age striving to accomplish such a magnificent adventure. God save her and thank God that people like her and her parents still exist.
I come down on the latter camp. Freedom to chose, freedom to dream, freedom to pursue... and an attempt to circumvent the globe and, maybe, set a record is not a wrong choice, but her choice that she should be allowed to make.
I can see both sides of the argument. The conservative side understands the need to overcome challenges. The parent side thinks, "what are her parents thinking?"
I really tried to refrain from being overly critical of her parents for facilitating this trip on the grounds that a 16 year old shouldn't be doing this. I did express (in error as it turns out) a general fear of (potential) pirate activity when the route chosen was well clear of any chance of that.
After much thought the only remaining 'druther' is the fact that this was being done in a hurried fashion to break a record. A record that she probably wouldn't have held for very long.
Circumnavigating the globe is difficult & dangerous enough without chosing a time of year to guarantee that you break the existing age record by a few days, weeks or months. Challenging the winter oceans in the southern Indian Ocean -- that was the unnecessary part.
Abby knew when she left South Africa that she couldn’t set a record. Another 16 year old girl from Australia beat her...
Doesn't that throw the timing of the attempt into question? I mean if she wasn't going to set the record, why attempt to transit the lower part of the southern hemisphere in Winter? That's BIG ocean.
Well it would be winter somewhere on the ocean. And the ocean’s big no matter what time you go.
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