Why did she have to sail at 16 rather than 18 or 19? The answer is to set a record. How important was that to the parents I wonder. If she set this record then the next shot would be at 15 or 10 or 8!
I put people like this in the same boat (pardon pun) as the lil teen miss pageant parents. Most often it for their own personal aggrandizement. The child is simply a means to that end.
There was just a young kid that summitted Everest. I remember hearing about it just before the attempt, just like Abby Sutherland.
Unfortunately we live in a world with very few opportunities to distinguish one’s self in terms of exploration. We’re reduced to being the “Youngest” or “Oldest” to do something that’s already been done dozens, scores or even hundreds of times by others.