Parents, would you allow your 16-yr old daughter to...

[Asu]

they found her!Abby is alive and well,and the boat is upright.They still don''t know much,but apparently,either something broke that she couldn''t repair or she lost a boat piece in the middle of the storm.If really that''s the case,and she activated the alarms for this reason,I think she did the best thing.She putted her own safety before making the record.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Date: 6/10/2010 9:57:52 PM
Author: Maria D
Honestly, this doesn''t stir up much emotion for me. Of course I hope that this girl is alive and well. If she''s not alive, I hope she died quickly and painlessly. I have a daughter the same age. Asking myself whether or not I''d let my own daughter try this is kind of pointless because I know she would never want to in the first place. We are not a sailing family, my daughter doesn''t have a driving ambition to set a any kind of world-record and our family doesn''t have the ''faith in god'' that maybe allows people to take these kind of risks.

I see the question of ''would you allow your kid'' to really mean ''should they have allowed their kid?'' Is it really so terrible? Lots of people think I''m crazy to let my cats wander freely outside, especially since I''ve had one never come home, but I would rather a cat live the life I feel is right for a cat even if it means risking a shorter life for the cat. Some would say, how can you compare a CAT to a child -- well that''s another thread, right? This family obviously feels that their daughter should be able to pursue her dream. If she doesn''t make it, I believe they will not regret their decision.

As for rescue costs -- whatever. More money will be wasted on far less important things!

Yeah i bet you are not an Australian Taxpayer who paid for it either.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Date: 6/10/2010 10:09:36 PM
Author: Maria D
I''m not following the story too closely, but I would think that the rescuers are volunteers, no? Is anyone being forced to risk their life to save this girl? I would imagine it''s not as if they are like the 18 (17 with parental permission) year old boys who signed up for the Army National Guard and ended up risking their lives ''fighting for freedom'' in Iraq.

No they are not volunteers. A French fishing vessel will be the first to reach her and they are taking her to an Island in the region of La Reunion. So yeah, you could say they are being forced to rescue her. They are the only vessel in the region so its not like they are going to say no (and risking their own lives) when a 16 year old girl is in trouble.

 

[ksinger]

Date: 6/10/2010 11:38:17 PM
Author: anitabee
uh, isn''t there some sorta law against allowing your not yet 18-year-old CHILD do something stupid like this?!!

i also like the part where she gets the $90,000 boat at age 16. i guess it''s free reign in that household!

NOT OVER MY DEAD BODY (or my child might end up a dead body)... some people just don''t get it. sigh

Too much money, and too little sense. However, I don''t KNOW, but that boat could have been sponsored by someone/organization. But it just sounds like too much money to me.

I''m glad they found her. Regardless of the stupidity of her parents, she truly IS a remarkable - and LUCKY - young lady to have survived that.

A little clip from an article I just read. By an experienced sailor who has done it...

"He [Sunderland] and his wife had rejected criticism from some over their decision to allow her to make the attempt, saying she was prepared and mentally well-equipped to deal with the challenge.

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". "

Pretty much says it all.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

''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''. ''

Pretty much says it all.

It''s crazy for anyone to be sailing through the southern Indian Ocean at this time of the year, not just for a 16 year old girl.

 

[Ara Ann]

Date: 6/11/2010 6:30:19 AM
Author: ksinger

Date: 6/10/2010 11:38:17 PM

Author: anitabee

uh, isn''t there some sorta law against allowing your not yet 18-year-old CHILD do something stupid like this?!!


i also like the part where she gets the $90,000 boat at age 16. i guess it''s free reign in that household!


NOT OVER MY DEAD BODY (or my child might end up a dead body)... some people just don''t get it. sigh

Too much money, and too little sense. However, I don''t KNOW, but that boat could have been sponsored by someone/organization. But it just sounds like too much money to me.


I''m glad they found her. Regardless of the stupidity of her parents, she truly IS a remarkable - and LUCKY - young lady to have survived that.


A little clip from an article I just read. By an experienced sailor who has done it...


''He [Sunderland] and his wife had rejected criticism from some over their decision to allow her to make the attempt, saying she was prepared and mentally well-equipped to deal with the challenge.

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''. ''



Pretty much says it all.

I agree... I am happy she is alright, but after hearing her father speak, I almost feel like he is living vicariously through his kids with this sailing business. I mean, there is a point where your child''s safety should come first. If there are MANY experienced professional sailors saying this isn''t safe, what goes on in a parent''s brain to decide to to go against this kind of advice and allow their young teen to do something on this scale? The father just comes off as kind of glib and almost arrogant when questioned about allowing his daughter to make this trip. If you have hundreds if not thousands of people telling you something isn''t a good idea, maybe they are right.

 

[Asu]

Actually I read a lot of reports that say that the last time he spoke to her he tried to convince her to get to the first port she can find,even if that meaned get back and lose the record.Also,for as much people are telling that they shouldn''t have done it,there are just as much who are saying that she could do it.Her brother done the same thing last year,so I''m pretty sure they were definetely prepared and aware about the whole thing.She just got unlucky.This girl sailed half world alone in the last six months,give her some credit.

 

[Maria D]

hawaiianorangetree, I am sorry about the bill to Australian taxpayers but as an American taxpayer helping to foot the bill for all kinds of things I don''t agree with I just can''t get too worked up over whatever this rescue will cost. As for the fisherman, yes, they could have said no. If I were in a position to help this girl and doing so would mean risking my own life I would certainly say no. Who could possibly fault them for not risking their own lives?

Looks like all''s well that ends well. If attention was the main motivator, this outcome was for the best. I had never heard of her brother or the girl who set the record after he did, but I''ll remember the name Abby Sunderland for a while. It will probably only be a short while though -- my memory isn''t what it used to be!

 

[Asu]

Team Abby posted on her blog that the rigging is down.I don''t know anything about sailing,so I have no idea of what it can cause,but apparently that''s the reason she set the alarm on.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Date: 6/11/2010 7:54:30 AM
Author: Maria D
hawaiianorangetree, I am sorry about the bill to Australian taxpayers but as an American taxpayer helping to foot the bill for all kinds of things I don''t agree with I just can''t get too worked up over whatever this rescue will cost. As for the fisherman, yes, they could have said no. If I were in a position to help this girl and doing so would mean risking my own life I would certainly say no. Who could possibly fault them for not risking their own lives?

Looks like all''s well that ends well. If attention was the main motivator, this outcome was for the best. I had never heard of her brother or the girl who set the record after he did, but I''ll remember the name Abby Sunderland for a while. It will probably only be a short while though -- my memory isn''t what it used to be!

Maria you are right, it doesn''t matter what it costs. You can''t put a price on a girls life and if it had been the Aussie girl who ended up needing help in the Northern Hemisphere I would hope that no one who had to pay for it would hold the cost against her (and that someone would be willing to risk their life to save her).

 

[RaiKai]

I am glad she is alive and I hope the French ship arrives soon and it looks like weather will hold.

Her mast came down it sounds like so she set off the devices manually as the boat is not sailable.

I still say sailing that part of the ocean at that time of year is stupid - whatever your age. It was a different route and conditions her brother or Jessica sailed. The ocean is not a static thing. And if something goes wrong help is usually days away. There are times of year that it is terribly dangerous and it is not like you can stop and hide out from the massive winds and waves. Even the best and most experienced die in those conditions. This is a case where there was such an urgency to get the record they pushed on after she had to stop for repairs and got off her original timeline and plan, rather than wait until summer conditions (where she would not have got record).

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Date: 6/11/2010 8:36:43 AM
Author: RaiKai
I am glad she is alive and I hope the French ship arrives soon and it looks like weather will hold.

Her mast came down it sounds like so she set off the devices manually as the boat is not sailable.

I still say sailing that part of the ocean at that time of year is stupid - whatever your age. It was a different route and conditions her brother or Jessica sailed. The ocean is not a static thing. And if something goes wrong help is usually days away. There are times of year that it is terribly dangerous and it is not like you can stop and hide out from the massive winds and waves. Even the best and most experienced die in those conditions. This is a case where there was such an urgency to get the record they pushed on after she had to stop for repairs and got off her original timeline and plan, rather than wait until summer conditions (where she would not have got record).

Did you know that she wasn''t eligible for a record? Thats the thing i don''t understand about the whole thing at all! Jessica Watson didn''t get a record either. The world sailing authority (who controls all sailing records etc) will no longer recognise a record if the sailor is under the age 18. So why on earth would these parents let their 16 year old go do something so dangerous? I know that its not all about the record but it did seem to be a driving factor in having her sail down this way in the middle of winter and not later on in the year.

 

[RaiKai]

Date: 6/11/2010 8:45:43 AM
Author: hawaiianorangetree

Date: 6/11/2010 8:36:43 AM

Author: RaiKai

I am glad she is alive and I hope the French ship arrives soon and it looks like weather will hold.



Her mast came down it sounds like so she set off the devices manually as the boat is not sailable.



I still say sailing that part of the ocean at that time of year is stupid - whatever your age. It was a different route and conditions her brother or Jessica sailed. The ocean is not a static thing. And if something goes wrong help is usually days away. There are times of year that it is terribly dangerous and it is not like you can stop and hide out from the massive winds and waves. Even the best and most experienced die in those conditions. This is a case where there was such an urgency to get the record they pushed on after she had to stop for repairs and got off her original timeline and plan, rather than wait until summer conditions (where she would not have got record).

Did you know that she wasn''t eligible for a record? Thats the thing i don''t understand about the whole thing at all! Jessica Watson didn''t get a record either. The world sailing authority (who controls all sailing records etc) will no longer recognise a record if the sailor is under the age 18. So why on earth would these parents let their 16 year old go do something so dangerous? I know that its not all about the record but it did seem to be a driving factor in having her sail down this way in the middle of winter and not later on in the year.

Yes, it is not an *official* record in that I do not think it is recorded officially, but rather unofficial. I think originally the plan was to go for the record with an unassisted, continous sail but due to an incident earlier (a collision with a whale or something? I do not remember) she had to stop and get repairs so that record was off. Instead it was youngest person to sail around the world - unofficially I guess!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Date: 6/11/2010 9:06:37 AM
Author: RaiKai


Yes, it is not an *official* record in that I do not think it is recorded officially, but rather unofficial. I think originally the plan was to go for the record with an unassisted, continous sail but due to an incident earlier (a collision with a whale or something? I do not remember) she had to stop and get repairs so that record was off. Instead it was youngest person to sail around the world - unofficially I guess!

She hit a whale?!?!

LOL Hang on, who hit a whale?

Jessica hit a cargo ship on her trial run from Queensland to Sydney. Apparently she fell asleep at the wheel. More proof that 16 year olds shouldn''t be allowed to sail solo around the world.

 

[RaiKai]

My whale comment was a bit tongue in cheek as I do not know what happened! I just know she had to stop for a couple weeks in Cape Town for repairs!

I did hear about Jessica and the cargo ship. Yikes.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Date: 6/11/2010 9:27:38 AM
Author: RaiKai
My whale comment was a bit tongue in cheek as I do not know what happened! I just know she had to stop for a couple weeks in Cape Town for repairs!

I did hear about Jessica and the cargo ship. Yikes.

HA HA she could have.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Good News

I hope once they bring her to shore they ship her back to California.

 

[kenny]

Glad she's okay . . .

BUT

The more I read on that sailing forum about the stupidity of what this family did, and their hunger for publicity, the more I think about a certain other nail-biting cliff hanger which turned out to be a hoax.

Conveniently, they'll probably sink the boat and there will be no evidence to inspect for intentional sabotage.

Just watch. She'll get book, movie and talk show deals galore.
A star is born.

 

[missydebby]

Totally agreed, Kenny.

My thoughts on this rash of kids going for "youngest" titles, such as the 13 year old climbing Everest... almost all the "First" adventurer titles have been caught. One can''t really be the first to do much, nowadays. About the only thing left is to do stuff that''s already been conquered but be the youngest. And with the help of excellent equipment and communications, some might just be able to pull it off. That''s a big enticement. Couple that with media attention. And potential money to be made. Not just from books or movies, but from speaking engagements.

As far as ability... I do think it''s possible for young kids to do amazing things. It wasn''t so long ago that 15 year olds went to war. I don''t mistrust the kids'' abilities. What I mistrust is the motivation. And I don''t think climbing Everest at 13 or doing this stunt is even remotely comparable to other endeavors that have risk. On Everest or on the open sea, the leeway for mistakes is so small. And your mistake can cost others their lives in their attempt to help you. The parents of this kid make it seem that it''s either all risk/reward or the nanny state. BS. For these guys, it''s all about risk and glory until they get in trouble.

I am beyond happy that she is alive. But I''m disgusted at the whole endeavor.

 

[kenny]

I hope my suspicion is wrong, but we'll never know for sure if they scuttle the boat.

 

[missydebby]

Well I don''t think they were faking anything like Balloon Boy.

Here''s a good short article wondering what''s up with all these people: Link

Ughh

 

[swingirl]

Thank goodness they have made contact with her and that she is alive.

 

[VRBeauty]

Date: 6/11/2010 7:30:51 AM
Author: Asu
Actually I read a lot of reports that say that the last time he spoke to her he tried to convince her to get to the first port she can find,even if that meaned get back and lose the record.Also,for as much people are telling that they shouldn't have done it,there are just as much who are saying that she could do it.Her brother done the same thing last year,so I'm pretty sure they were definetely prepared and aware about the whole thing.She just got unlucky.This girl sailed half world alone in the last six months,give her some credit.

Or maybe her brother just got lucky?

I'm glad she's OK, but I do hope this causes people to re-think this trend.

 

[Asu]

Sure,he shouldn't just be a great sailor,since he is young,right?He must have just got lucky

They are not exactly the first people to do this kind of things at this age.There are and have been a lot of young sailor doing incredible things on the sea.I don't think that age matter,when the abilities are there.

 

[VRBeauty]

Asu -- I'm not in any way downplaying their sailing skills. I'm sure they are well trained and very skilled. It's just that nature can't be totally predicted. There is bound to be an element of luck (good or bad) involved in such a long trip. That's all.

ETA age does matter in a situation like this. I'll admit this is a generalization, but... such an adventure takes mental and emotional rigor as well as skill, planning, and the right equipment. As I said this is a generalization, but... some of that mental and emotional rigor comes with age.

 

[RaiKai]

Date: 6/11/2010 11:47:23 AM
Author: VRBeauty
Asu -- I'm not in any way downplaying their sailing skills. I'm sure they are well trained and very skilled. It's just that nature can't be totally predicted. There is bound to be an element of luck (good or bad) involved in such a long trip. That's all.


ETA age does matter in a situation like this. I'll admit this is a generalization, but... such an adventure takes mental and emotional rigor as well as skill, planning, and the right equipment. As I said this is a generalization, but... some of that mental and emotional rigor comes with age.

Exactly.

This is not a matter of just being "well trained and great sailors". Great sailors even have bad luck, and find themselves dead. I think of events like the Vendee Globe, where sailors race around the world, where you arguably have the best of the best and things go wrong and they end up dead, or lost at sea, and so on. It is the same reason that even the best climbers die up on Everest, and are still there frozen in the mountain. There is a matter of luck - luck with the weather conditions, luck with the equipment, and so on. And bad luck can arise in SECONDS. Literally.

Jessica, the Aussie that just went around the world, as was said previously CRASHED INTO A CARGO SHIP during her trip as she fell asleep. She also had a few other scary incidents. She still made it out alive as she got LUCKY. She may have had skills, but it was also luck that did not have her RUN over by that cargo ship, or have her break her skull when she crashed, or so on.

Sending Abby/Abby going into this part of the world at this time of the year was just *stupid* no matter how wonderful of a sailor she may or may not have been. I have heard criticisms that as it was a boat on autopilot, they just plunked her in and sent her off....and her skill set is not as high as it should be for this kind of route. I am sure she does have skills, but that does not mean they are skills for THIS event. She has only been single-handing for 3 or so years. Even very experienced, talented sailors who HAVE traversed around the world are saying it was a very stupid and careless thing to do - whatever her age. I don't think this was a matter of bad luck as those conditions are entirely predictable there at this time of year. She is however LUCKY that all that happened was she lost the mast.

 

[RaiKai]

Date: 6/11/2010 11:42:57 AM
Author: Asu
Sure,he shouldn't just be a great sailor,since he is young,right?He must have just got lucky

They are not exactly the first people to do this kind of things at this age.There are and have been a lot of young sailor doing incredible things on the sea.I don't think that age matter,when the abilities are there.

Also different situations.....apparently her brother did it in stages, in a very different boat, on a different route. And he was not heading into the Southern Ocean in WINTER. It was quite a different trip.

 

[Asu]

I didn't meant to offend you,and if I've done I apologize,but it totally irks me when people minimize children and teenager accomplishments because of their age.Sure,it was a difficult challenge,and this time she didn't make it to the end.But at least she tried,and lived her dream for a while.Life is too short for always waiting for the "right moment" or the "right age",because the perfect moment is likely to never come.I don't believe in magic numbers,and I don't think that there is any difference between being 17 and 364 days old and 18.So I'm really sorry,but some comments really rub me the wrong way.Nothing personal

It's just that is something that is really close to me.I had to grown my own sister from when she was 6 months old,for reasons that I'm not going to explaine here(too personal).My parents are alive and well,but they were just too stuck in their personal hell to take proper care of her.I was 11 at the time.Even if I basically was like her mother during all her childood,taking care of her,feeding her,bathing her,changing diapers,everytime someone saw me around with her without our parents,they were all like "Oh my god,what the hell is a child doing alone with a newborn/toddler?You just can't be able do taking care of her,go home immediatly" I even had a perfect stranger going as far as putting up a huge mess at her kindergarten because they didn't believe that I had my mother permission for taking my sister away by myself.All of the time,I just wanted to scream that in fact I was the one taking almost full care of the baby,but what would have been the point?Because of my age,no one would have believed it anyway.And when I turned 18,and everyone started telling me that now I was an adult,I just asnwered that I have been an adult already for the seven years before,but because of my age,no one even tried to see it.
This too long thing (I always get carried away,lol) is just for saying that there are children and teenager out there that are fully mentally adult and capable of accomplish anything they want,even if no one see it,so there is no point in generalization.To you,her parents should appear like nuts,but only them know her enough to know if she is one of those person.
I edit to add that sure,it was a risky thing,but nothing in life is risk free at this time.Absolutely nothing.Adult fall asleep while driving every day,but no one even think of preventing adults to drive because of this,right?Jessica didn't fell asleep because she is a teen,but because she was exausted.It would probably have happened even if she was an adult (actually,I had more ebergy and could stayed up longer when I was 16 than now,and I'm still young enough)

 

[VRBeauty]

No offense taken, and I hope my comments didn''t offend you either. Kudos to you for what you did!

 

[RaiKai]

Date: 6/11/2010 12:18:16 PM
Author: VRBeauty
No offense taken, and I hope my comments didn''t offend you either. Kudos to you for what you did!

Agreed.