French fishing boat rescues stranded Calif. teen (French captain fell into ocean during rescue)

Associated Press ^ | 6/12/10 | THOMAS WATKINS

[Michael.SF.]

She has been sailing since she was 13 years old and her older brother before then. It is highly unlikely that the family have sponsors back then.

Sailing is an expensive hobby.

They may not be independently wealthy, but they are not "poor".

[ejonesie22]

America is dying, mediocrity has even hit what was once the bold.

[VRWCTexan]

Indeed...

Which is all the MORE reason her parents should have insisted that she winter over in the So. African port -

....since she started out over two months later than first planned - thus posing great danger from storms in southern latitudes.

[ejonesie22]

How, please explain.

(This should be good.)

[dynoman]

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

"Citizenship in a Republic," Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Who are you? It's kind of pathetic for us to butt sit at computer screens and criticise someone like this girl for doing something more than butt sitting at a computer screen. Society needs more young people exactly like this.

[dynoman]

No kidding.

[VRWCTexan]

LOL - at the very least it’s “tie”....

[org.whodat]

Her parents could have put her in the boat removed all of the radio equipment and said we will see you when you get back. No problem!! It's the commercial BS, which is really a violation of child labor laws, with the end run of putting the cost off other people when things go wrong.

[thomas16]

Sending your kid, who doesn’t know any better, in a little boat, into hurricane force winds is tantamount to having them play on a freeway. Not bold, stupid.

[ThomasThomas]

Hmmm, What would a conservative nanny state government do?

Last year a woman died of water intoxication in a “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” contest. of water intoxication

Given the choice how would you want to die?

[jimbo123]

Flashback:

Zac Sunderland sailing speedily along as parents sink deeper into debt

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/04/zac-sunderland-sailing-speedily-along-as-parents-sink-further-into-debt.html

[org.whodat]

I see you are now trying for second place as well as the first. Show me a picture of the Mayflower radio rescue equipment and their no fail gps navigation system.

[DJ MacWoW]

America is dying, mediocrity has even hit what was once the bold.

This was a selfish endeavor and not some grand, noble cause. And it nearly cost the life of the Captain of the rescue boat. The Indian Ocean in winter is no place for any sailor.

"But veteran Australian sailor Ian Kiernan echoed the concerns of others that she would be sailing through the Indian Ocean when weather conditions would be at their most treacherous. "I don't know what she's doing in the Southern Ocean as a 16-year-old in the middle of winter," said Mr Kiernan, who himself has sailed solo around the world. "It's just foolhardy".

[ejonesie22]

No, nor were the pilgrims for that matter since the new world had already been discovered.

She was striking out on an adventure, the very spirit that built this land, and the lack of which has been killing it.

If she were some ignorant kid tossed on an expensive boat for her parents benefit she would not have survived this at all, she would not have activated her manual beacons not been able to calmly inform the rescue teams of her condition and such. There was no panic and she hunkered down and set he self up to survive for a time until rescue came in an environment where panic and ill preparedness will kill in in short order.

[Persevero]

I am sure that, statistically, driving a car is far safer than solo piloting a sail boat in the Indian Ocean in the southern hemisphere’s winter.

It’s not as though we have two choices:

1. keep our children bubble wrapped in front of a computer;

2. send them out solo on the high seas.

There is a middle ground!

I do not wish to see these parent prosecuted, but I don’t approve of their decision. I’d let my kid sail, take sailing lessons, race - but I wouldn’t let them solo camp, solo hike, solo fly, solo deep ocean sail - and I don’t think that makes me overprotective. I further believe my kids could live perfectly happy and adventurous lives without extreme solo stuff.

[traderrob6]

“Sending your kid, who doesn’t know any better, in a little boat, into hurricane force winds is tantamount to having them play on a freeway. Not bold, stupid.”

But, but, he’s a really fast kid and we believe he can beat the record for most near misses!

[DJ MacWoW]

See post 53.

[thomas16]

Darwin will take care of her

[DJ MacWoW]

LOL!!!

[ejonesie22]

You assume she did not know better. If she were that stupid she would be dead. It was only her on that boat during the dismasting and the following hours until rescue thousands of miles at sea. From reports there was no panic and she did everything a “pro” would do.

The only questionable decision was the timing of crossing the Southern Ocean.