Comments on: Abby Sunderland lost and found at sea

By: louisa

louisa — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:17:14 +0000

I think age and experience definitely come into it.
16 is too young.
The parents are idiots, and I think they should definitely cover the cost of her rescue.

By: life_awaits

life_awaits — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:15:05 +0000

see im 16 also and i feel age is but a nuber if you let it rule your life then you have no life!!!

By: You Don’t Have to be a Teenager to Almost Die at Sea

You Don’t Have to be a Teenager to Almost Die at Sea — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 11:27:40 +0000

[...] week, I wrote about 16-year-old Abby Sunderland’s failure to circumnavigate the planet by sailboat, which is causing a stir [...]

By: Eva

Eva — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:30:28 +0000

Yeah, Candice, there’s a lot more to this story I think. The reality TV show angle is super nasty, and then there’s the fact that her mother has suggested US taxpayers should repay Australia for the $300,000 (!!) rescue costs… The parents seem highly suspect in this case.

By: Candice Walsh

Candice Walsh — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 01:43:12 +0000

Thanks for weighing in, folks! I feel like a lot of resentment comes from people sitting around on their couches twiddling their thumbs, realizing they’ll never get an opportunity back to do something like that again in their lifetime. I’m jealous too.

Kate, I wasn’t aware of the fact that her or her parents had failed to properly prepare her…I’m not really sure what to believe, but apparently Sunderland is now signed on for a reality television show? Respect fading.

By: World Wide News Flash

World Wide News Flash — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:10:49 +0000

Abby Sunderland Lost and Found at Sea…

I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog …

By: Adventurous Kate

Adventurous Kate — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:58:59 +0000

I actually just blogged about this: http://www.adventurouskate.com/abby-sunderland-danger-and-solo-travel/

I am SO relieved that she was found safe, but I’m mad about the recklessness that both she and her parents had.

Rather than taking the time to train and prepare in the safest way possible, they focused on getting her out as early as possible.

I fully support her, but I think that this could have been done in a better way.

By: Jeff Bartlett

Jeff Bartlett — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:06:28 +0000

Everytime a teenager does something impressive, these comments seem to arise. Imagine a teenager climbing Mt Everest, sailing around the globe, or cycling the pan-american highway. Now look at the facts, its possible!

I would think that rescue personal would be thrilled to find her living and breathing. They likely met an experience young woman who had both the ability and experience to pull off the sail. Unfortunately, some bad luck ended the trip. I don’t see why people comment about the rescue personal wasting their time. Leave it up to the rescue personal to voice their opinion.

I’m glad to hear that things ended without fatality and think that she was more than right to attempt this feat. She should be applauded for bravery and sportsmanship.

By: Avio Brooklyn

Avio Brooklyn — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:47:00 +0000

First off, I want to say how happy I was to hear that Abby was ok.

As a Search and Rescue volunteer, an avid sailor, and an adventures teenager, I need to say that niether Abby’s age, nor the fact that she was attempting to do somthing of great difficulty should be held against her. Each year, around the world, a lot of money is spent and time is given by SAR agencies to find and help people. Much of that time and money is spent helping people who have no skill, training, or expirience.

I, as a SAR volunteer, would much rather spend my time looking for and helping who was put into a sticky situation following their dreams, rather than searching for a day tripper who went of on a jaunt in the woods for the thrill of it.

In response to the comments about her parents being irresponsible, I think that it would have been of greater harm to Abby had they denied her dream to sail around the world. I have been lucky in that my parents have always supported me in my ventures. I applaud Abby’s parents for supporting her in this adventure. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for them to let their daughter sail away from the dock.

As a sailor, it is my opinion that the ocean does things that suprise us all, even in the day of radio weather reports, and advanced weather radars. The area where Abby ran into trouble is notorious for it’s sudden, and harsh, storms. Many sailors, both much more expirienced and much older have run into trouble in that area. She was unlucky, not at fault.

I think that Abby should be looked at as a hero, an inspiration. I am inspired by her.

I hope that this accident doesnt keep her from sailing again.

So to you Abby, fair winds!

By: Mike Collins

Mike Collins — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:29:20 +0000

As someone who has circumnavigated the globe, and has more than 40 years at sea, I feel qualified to say that age has nothing to do with it. My worst sea disasters have been well within sight of land and well out of my teens. If I had been 16 I probably would have reacted quicker in some circumstances.

I was off the Grand Bahama Bank during Hurricane Fran when I was washed overboard. Luckily my very able 12 year old son used his expert sailing skills to gain control of the boat and use the winch to pull me back aboard by my attached lifeline.

Never underestimate teenagers. The pirate Johnny Bleard was 13 and the famous pirate John King was only 11. Captain Guy Earl became a licensed sea captain in 1935 at the age of 16. They did ok for themselves at sea.