Teen sailor rescued in Indian Ocean

[cal04]

Mast collapse ended Calif. girl's around-the-world dream
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37650809/ns/us_news-life/

A French fishing vessel rescued a California teenager Saturday from her crippled sailboat in the turbulent southern Indian Ocean, her family and rescue officials said.

Laurence Sunderland, the father of 16-year-old Abby Sunderland, told reporters outside his home that maritime authorities had contacted him to confirm the rescue.

Sunderland has been stranded in heavy seas since Thursday, when she set off a distress signal after the mast collapsed, knocking out her satellite communications.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the French ship Ile De La Reunion used one of its boats to bring Sunderland on board from her stricken craft Saturday afternoon (about 5:45 a.m. ET).


French fishing boat rescues stranded Calif. teen
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100612/ap_on_sp_ot/lost_sailor_found

[DiverDave]

1. So when can the rescuers expect a check?

When people are REALLY in trouble, will they have to just suck it up?

This whole thing is a monumental waste.

16 should be in school, not going out to die.

[calico1]

3. I agree.

What idiot parent allows their teenager to sail around the world alone? I just don't get this mentality. This young girl is very lucky.

[MiniMe]

6. Their son did the same trip last year when he was 17

So that was OK because he made it OK? Or was it OK because he was a boy?

[Scout]

11. it wasn't ok for him either n/t

[calico1]

43. Exactly. I don't understand why some posters are

making this a male vs. female thing. I don't get any parent letting a child sail the world by themselves. Aren't there pirates out there? And even if they don't run into any, there are so many dangers they can face.

[calico1]

42. I think it is foolish for a parent to let any child do this. n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

21. From a physical perspective there is little difference in this situation between 16 andf 26

If she has the nautical skills then there is no difference at all at a practical level

[Gormy Cuss]

22. How about from a maturity perspective?

[Occulus]

28. I would take an attempt to sail around the world as a mark of maturity

Aren't cars kind of dangerous, too?

[Gormy Cuss]

31. Yes they are, especially for teenagers.

The father comparing the danger to that of driving a car was ludicrous. She may be a very capable sailor but at 16 she is very unlikely to have the maturity that comes with experience and quite frankly the fact that her brother and the Aussie teen made the journey successfully doesn't mean it was a sound decision for any of them or their parents. I'm happy for them all that their children survived the experience.

[Heidi]

33. I knew a bunch of kids who attempted to outrun a freight train.

Six or seven kids, all jam packed into the cab and bed of a pickup trck after a Friday night football game. All classmates of my little brother. All dead on the same evening. Attempting something challenging is not necessarily a sign of maturity. Sometimes, it's just outright irrational.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

32. Depends heavily on the person

I know so called adults who are not mature enough to drive to another part of the country and 13 yo who can take themselves on international travel without a problem.

A post further down said she was lacking in experience. I have no way to confirm that one way or the other

[snagglepuss]

9. +1

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Thank you. I've been saying for days that her parents need to have their heads examined.

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. I should hope we never start charging innocent people for being rescued.

if she were some asshole tourist in Hawaii getting lost in the mountain jungle because they climbed over the safety fence or ignored the signs that say "DON'T STRAY FROM THE PATH!", then charge 'em. Or some other dipshit going into something that is inherently and almost without fail going to lead to disaster, then charge them for rescue.

But if someone is doing something legitimate, with all safety precautions possible and not being an stupid asshole about it, those people should never be charged for rescue. That's just part of life - sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men don't work out as planned.

The girl was beyond adequately trained, had everything she needed, and did everything correct that she could possibly be expected to do. She ran afoul of bad weather in an unexpected way. Sometimes that happens.

I'd think human compassion would lead us to go help those people.

Or now that we've managed to turn healthcare into a for-profit business, maybe we should turn rescue operations, and perhaps even the police and fire departments, into for-profit operations.

Christ.

[treestar]

17. I don't care about her age

But the cost this imposes on society. We could have used that money to help the poor.

It's just a hobby, and it's over the top. She could sail around near home all day for all I care, but in the middle of the ocean 2000 miles away from anything - that's imposing a potential cost on the rest of us.

[starroute]

27. "Could have used that money to help the poor" is always a sham

When they canceled the moon program in the 70's, it was with the argument that there were more urgent needs back home and the money should be going to help the poor. I assume you've noticed how well that's worked out.

[treestar]

45. No, it's not, it's a waste of money to have to go and rescue

someone who voluntarily put themselves in the middle of the sea.

I don't know if landing on the moon did all that much good for society, but at least it was done for the benefit of all society, not just for one person's fun and adventure.

[dixiegrrrrl]

38. Are you saying that all the rescues that do NOT happen

mean poor people get the money?

[treestar]

46. Well, something more useful to society does

[HooptieWagon]

20. I see you don't know anything about sailing.

No she wasn't prepared. She had only made a couple short sails (photo-ops) on the boat before departing. The boat was a poor choice to make for the trip - the family selected a faster, but more fragile and difficult to sail racing boat, in an effort to break a record. The boat also relied heavily on electric systems, which failed during the trip and necessitated two stops for repairs. The late start, along with the delays for repairs, meant Abby was sailing in the Southern Ocean during the beginning of winter. That is no place to be, even for a greatly experienced sailor in a strong boat, let alone a teenager on a fragile boat.
In essence, there were all the red flags (or "Safety Fence" signs, if you will), which the family ignored.

[jazzelle]

2. I'm glad shes fine..

but i have some serious questions about a 16 yo going around the world on a boat....alone.

[MyNameGoesHere]

4. I don't know she is only less than 2 years from being

eligible to get blown up in somebodies war. I guess I would rather she take a chance on dying at sea.

[Kahuna]

18. And a ten year old is only 8 years from being eligible to get blown

up in a war. Does that make it okay for the ten year old to perform such a stunt? I don't get the correlation or your point. :shrug:

[MyNameGoesHere]

24. That's ok I don't get all the poutrage.

So it's ok that you don't get my point. It's funny the youngest ever just did this weeks before, a 16 year old from Australia. She was successful and there was no poutrage from that.

[Kahuna]

29. When you send your own kid (if you even have any) in a boat

around the world then endorse it. Until then, you sound like a phony on a message board spouting off without any real sense of the issue. And that goes for everybody else who thinks it's such a terrific idea. Let's hear what grand adventures you let YOUR kids gone on.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[RC]

8. What does this have to do with Balloon Boy?

Balloon Boy was a hokes. The girl was actually out there trying to do something.

[ashling]

13. hoax

just sayin

[RC]

19. Thanks. I tried every which way I could to spell it and none came close enough

for the spell checker to give me the correct spelling.
Maybe I should start drinking coffee so I'll have an excuse for dumb mistakes in the morning. (...haven't had my coffee yet...)

[ashling]

26. I'm not sure she's not better off standed

Than with 12 horny French fishermen. :rofl:

[entanglement]

40. You are teh evil

:spank:

[Sienna86]

7. I think the charge of child endangerment is appropriate

What are her parents trying to prove? A 16-year old's brain is not fully developed and I personally do not believe a teenager can fully appreciate the risks at hand.

In the Netherlands, authorities went to court to prevent a 13-year old from making a similar trip and were successful in stopping it.

[iamjoy]

12. Oh, I Don't Know

I mean, she's only two years away from what we legally consider an adult, and we all know people develop at different levels. She's old enough to drive (at least in the US). I think she was well aware of the risks, as were her parents.

We have kids younger than 16 participating in dangerous sports. No one says boo. A hospital nearby isn't always enough to save the kid from serious injury or death

Personally, I don't think anyone should boat around the world alone. But then, I'm a timid thing.

[Rabrrrrrr]

15. Oh, please. I heard about the girl and applauded her for wanting to do something exciting

and applauded the parents for being willing to help her out and let her do it.

People who want life to be perfectly safe are the people who should be hassled for endangerment of the rest of us, by trying to keep us from living full and interesting lives.

Fer God's sake.

[Webster Green]

23. I agree, but we're obviously in the minority here.

Have we become so cynical that we can no longer appreciate courage and adventurous spirit in others, and cheer them on?

So what if she's only 16? Experience and maturity should be part of the equation as well.

I think it's rather petty to insist that the parents should pay for the rescue.

If this young woman inspires other young people to get out from in front of the TeeVee and get a life, then we all benefit.

I was almost in tears watching Jessica Watson pull into Sydney Harbor with thousands of Australians there to welcome her home.

[KonaKane]

39. I agree. It's outrageous what these parents did.

If I announced that I was letting my 16 year be the first one of his age to walk solo across the Negev desert, there would rightfully be charges filed against me.

[TexasObserver]

10. I can never sleep when a white girl goes missing.

Thank God our long national nightmare is over. The privileged brat with bad judgment and a huge ego has been found.


I'm glad she's safe, but I'd be a lot happier if she and her parents behaved like responsible adults.

If she wants adventure at sea, join the Navy when she's 18.

[cbayer]

25. So glad that she has been rescued and will soon be back with her family.

And to all you arm chair sailors here, who's most courageous and inspiring act today will be to issue some baseless slam against Abby Sunderland and her family...

pathetic.

:toast: to Abby

[HooptieWagon]

30. Arm chair sailors? Many experienced sailors have been critical of the poor preparation

and decisions made by the family.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/rescued-abby-sunderland-wants-second-go-at-sailing-record/story-e6frfq80-1225878946554

The man who built Wild Eyes, Queensland boat-builder Jon Sayer, said that Abby was not up to the trip.

"She wasn't physically or mentally strong enough to handle a 40-foot boat in those winter storm conditions."

Round-the-world yachtsman Ian Kiernan also criticised Abby for failing to respect the sea.

"I don't know what she's doing in the southern Indian Ocean in the middle of the winter. We need adventurers but adventurers who do foolhardy things and put their rescuers at risk, it should not be allowed."

As for myself, I've been sailing for 45 years, have done several thousand miles of ocean sailing on races, cruises, and deliveries, won several championships in dinghy racing, have worked as a boat-builder, yacht design consultant, and sailmaker. I was critical of the boat selection and other poor decisions of the family (none age-related since I don't know Abby), and I predicted that this attempt would not be successful. Thank goodness she's still alive, but she shouldn't have been out there putting rescuers lives at risk, or incurring costs of her search and rescue on Australian tax-payers.

[cbayer]

34. I am surrounded by experienced sailors on a daily basis, many of whom have

circumnavigated and put tens of thousands of miles of sea behind them. I can't give you a link to any of them, but would opine that the goal of news sources is generally not to give you the good news or opinion.

If you are also a member of this community, and it seems you are, then you will know that the variety of opinion on this is as wide as the ocean itself. I respect your opinions about her choice of boat and share some of them, but not with your opinion about preparation and I can also tell you that decisions were made by a highly qualified team.

Many people predicted failure by Zac Sunderland and Jessica Watson, too. All of them had the chance to be right, but those who support these brave and inspirational young people are glad they were wrong.

Lastly, the fact that Abby is alive and well after being dismasted under the conditions she found herself in is a testament to her training, preparation, fortitude and overall strength of her boat.

I wish you fair winds and following seas.

:hi:

[whistler162]

37. Soon to be required wearing until 21....

http://www.collegehumor.com/picture:1760694

[cbayer]

41. By the way, I would love to talk to you more about your experiences. Perhaps in the

outdoor life forum. Sounds like you have done a lot. I hope you are still on the water.

:hi:

[TexasObserver]

35. Such harsh names for those here who don't share your point of view.

I believe there's a rule against that.

[KonaKane]

36. You must be new here.

I see some of the ugliest things posted on a near daily basis targeting people of faith here on DU. The mod has it right.

[TexasObserver]

44. No, but I have read Animal Farm.