Oh, horse manure. I was brought up on sailing, and I was allowed to take chances. I haven’t sailed in the southern ocean, but I was allowed to go out and learn for myself how to get out of difficulties.
My uncle’s 50-foot sloop didn’t have safety rails, because it was his theory that people would be more careful if there was only a toe rail. That worked just fine.
I still do foredeck work in races, and I haven’t fallen overboard yet after 63 years at the helm or in the crew in all sorts of weather.
My cousin uses a sailboat to follow whales out at sea, and he’s been dismasted twice. It’s a nuisance, but it’s not really all that dangerous as long as the boat is sound and you know what you’re doing.
Obviously this young lady needed to be rescued, stuck in a dismasted boat many miles from anywhere, but it doesn’t sound as if she was in danger of dying. And she had the good sense to have a couple of radio beacons and make proper use of them.
People used to take chances in the old days, and I would guess that probably fewer of them were hurt back then than are damanged now by falling into drug use and other bad habits. You can’t live your whole life in a padded cell or a safety cage. Or at least I don’t think you should have to.
Thanks for your post. She seems to know what she’s doing. Her problems seem to be more from the delays from boat problems and missing better weather than her not being able to handle the trip. If it wasn’t for those delays, we’d all be marveling at such a plucky young girl’s solo trip instead of being in a righteous huff at her “idiot parents”.