Abby Safely on Board French Long Liner

[MMNETSEA]

Abby has been located in the Southern Ocean, boat dis-masted - ship on its way.

[MMNETSEA]

Details :- CLICK ABBY

[JeanneP]

Curmudgeon here.

Our daughter is international marketing director for Viking, the maker of commercial life boats, rafts, and survival equipment. She is not a sailor, in fact she has always hated being on our boats. She just wrote to me with this comment about the Abby Sutherland drama: "I'm one of those who thinks it's irresponsible, for several reasons, to allow a 16 year old girl to sail around the world alone."

My reply (and you know what's coming, don't you?):

So am I. As far as I'm concerned, her parents are either opportunistic exploiters of their children or don't have the intellectual wherewithal to understand that the most mature teenager alive is still not even a moderately knowledgeable or experienced person. Solo sailing requires a lot more than having lots of money to throw at the situation and a few years of semi-adulthood. And luck figures into it as well. Looks as if she didn't have any luck, and she certainly didn't take the correct measures to protect herself from a dismasting. If they DARE blame the equipment I will be even more angry. And listen, she's abandoning her boat. Perfectly safe place to be, just requires a bit of work to jury-rig a sail and get back to a harbor on her own. But no, if her gear isn't perfect, the boat is abandoned. I am furious.

I have urged this before, and I say it again. Read about a brave and competent man, albeit unwilling in his courage and tenacity, in "THE TOTORORE VOYAGE" by Gerry Clark. It's probably out of print but can be bought used. He could have died, but he didn't, and he sailed his dismasted boat in the same waters as Abby finds herself, and got himself to safety, on his own. Granted, there was no other chance of his surviving, but one has to admire the courage AND EXPERIENCE that it took to survive. His book is a lot of things, including how not to do things, but it is a great log of a person's ingenuity and sense of purpose.

Just because I think her venture was folly does not mean that I wish her ill. I just heartily hope that Guinness Book of Records closes its pages to any more of these "records".

calming down now.

Fair winds and safe harbors,

J

[caljoe]

I dont care how old she is I'm just glad they found her before them stinkin pirates did... By the way, can somebody tell me what a knock down is?

[HaroldLee]

You know I can appreciate those that oppose youth doing things that are above their experiance level.

Regardless of that - I can appreciate that with the means to be picked up instead of attempting dismasted sailing being the best choice this family has decided to go with what they feel is best in the circumstances.

Glad to have any Sailor in distress appropriatly "rescued" as needed.

[JeanneP]

Originally Posted by HaroldLee' date='11 June 2010 - 01:46 PM

You know I can appreciate those that oppose youth doing things that are above their experiance level.

Regardless of that - I can appreciate that with the means to be picked up instead of attempting dismasted sailing being the best choice this family has decided to go with what they feel is best in the circumstances.

Glad to have any Sailor in distress appropriatly "rescued" as needed.

I don't think of this as a youth doing something above his/her experience level. Single-handed non-stop circumnavigation is not "something", it is a difficult, potentially life-threatening venture that challenges the most experienced blue-water sailor. Sending a child with coastal sailing experience out on such a venture is similar to a child driving cross-country on a motorcycle when all they've ever done before is ride to school on their bicycle or motor scooter.

This family has decided to let others do their job for them. This family has decided to ask strangers to put themselves at risk in order to care for their child. Yeah, in the circumstances that's pretty good. Get people to "sponsor" the girl so the financial burden is shouldered by others. When bad luck causes a knock-down, well, oops! time to go home at somebody else's effort and expense. What has the child learned? Push a button, sit in the cabin and wait for help to come and take her home. A child expecting the grownups to bail them out, not an adult accepting responsibility for their actions and attempting to get out of it on their own. Who is going to pay for the loss of the boat and to pay back all those sponsors? According to her sailing coach, the carbon fiber mast alone would cost $90,000 to replace. $90,000? Who paid for THAT? Source

A knock-down is when the boat is pushed over by wind or waves onto its side, often laying the mast and sails into the water. Not all knock-downs result in a dismasting - we've suffered several in our travels - but it is not a good thing.

When a child is sent off in a sailboat to travel thousands of miles from land, a venture that is a difficult and dangerous venture for an experienced adult, the risks are not simply a broken limb and a little embarrassment. It is not even the parents who are going to rescue the child, is it? They are asking for the good will of strangers to risk their own safety for their child. "Don't worry, honey, just push the button and somebody will come."

I hope that there is no insurance company to pay them for the loss of her boat; that would add insult to injury, IMO.

Still feeling curmudgeonly,

Jeanne

[caljoe]

Thanks for the info I'll try to stay away from those... Going out tomorow woo hoo!!!

[MMNETSEA]

When Abby Sunderland decided in April to give up the plan to set a new sailing record, the decision to continue sailing to Australia from Cape Town meant choosing a cruising route - one wonders who advised her to take on the Southern Ocean.

To get an appreciation of wind and wave on that part of the Southern Ocean, open Passage Weather go to Southern Indian Ocean (sic) and hit the Animate button.

C L I C K

[MMNETSEA]

Here is a picture of the French Long Liner "Ile de La Reuniom" (Courtesy AMSA Australia Search and Rescue)

The boat should be with Abby this afternoon Saturday 12th June - The Trawler looks in Pristine condition.

[MMNETSEA]

The Southern Ocean :-

Cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth.

Natural hazards: huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 m thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue

Sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius.

In winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius.

[MMNETSEA]

Latest News - Courtesy AMSA :-

AMSA Coordinating Search and Rescue - Wild Eyes

12 June 2010 - 7:30pm MEDIA RELEASE

The rescue of 16 year old US solo sailor, Abby Sunderland, from the yacht Wild Eyes to the fishing vessel Ile De La Reunion was successfully conducted at 7:45pm AEST today - approximately 2000 nautical miles off the West Australian coast.

The rescue, coordinated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s Rescue Coordination Centre – Australia (RCC Australia), was conducted with the support of a Global Express aircraft which provided top cover during the transfer and served as a communications relay between Wild Eyes and the Ile De La Reunion. The crew of the Ile De La Reunion conducted the rescue with a boat launched from the fishing vessel.

RCC Australia has notified Ms Sunderland’s family of the successful rescue. Arrangements to land Ms Sunderland will now be negotiated with the three ships that have responded to the distress situation.

International Maritime Organization guidelines indicate that such arrangements should avoid disruption to commercial shipping as far as possible. Since the fishing vessel would suffer a significant commercial penalty from leaving the fishing grounds, it is possible that Ms Sunderland will be transferred to one of the other two ships. One ship is bound for Australia and the other would likely return to its home port at La Reunion.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority wishes to acknowledge the cooperation of operators and authorities, both national and international, that have worked together to successfully conduct this rescue - these include Maritime RCC La Reunion, Qantas, WA Police, Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia, Defence and the three ships which are responding.

The Master of the Ile De La Reunion has reported Ms Sunderland is safe and in good health.

[Nusailor]

Jeanne, when I saw the story, I thought about you. You didn't let me down. I DO AGREE, I have two daughters and at 16 a record would not be that important. LIFE IS A WHOLE LOT MORE VALUABLE.

[Frank]

Point of order for starters.... she wasn't in the Southern Ocean... that starts at either the Antarctic Convergence or 60*S... take your pick.... she was in the Indian Ocean... said by Vito Dumas to be worse than either the Pacific or Atlantic in those latitudes..

She was south of 40S and south of Amsterdam and St Paul Islands having left Cape Town on May 21st.... winter. ( 'winter' for all practical purposes down here runs from April to September)

Stupid is the word that comes to mind... or at least the only one I can use on this forum..... and I think it is hereditary.... have you seen where she is talking to the press about doing it all again?????

Mind you I feel the same about the Watson girl.. the success of that voyage was down to good luck not good management.....

PS Jeanne... you know that Jerry Clark was eventually lost at sea off either the Antibode or Bounty Islands S of NZ...?

[Nausikaa]

I completely agree with Frank.

Of course I am very pleased that the girl has been rescued but what on earth was she doing south of Amsterdam Island? Those are really wild waters.

In my humble opinion, the Sunderlands should be made to pay for the rescue. Of course, I am all for free rescue services for people who put to see on a well found craft but utter stupidity should not be included.

As a rule, many would seem to forget that having a well found and seaworthy craft means not just that the boat is the right one for the job at hand but that the crew are well trained and experienced enough to cope with the problems that can be anticipated during the voyage. In this case, following the old sailing ship route when they were "running their eastings down" is not a sound idea at all. A quick read of any of the accounts of the square riggers will illustrate what troubles those big, well manned ships could get into. Why then, with the availability of sailing directions, weather charts and heaven knows how much other information, does someone send their teenage daughter out on what was almost certain to be a near death experience at best?

I feel sorry for Abby. I am certain that she is an adventurous girl and there is nothing wrong with that. The failure is on the part of her parents. They should be ashamed.

Aye // Stephen

[JeanneP]

Originally Posted by Nusailor' date='12 June 2010 - 01:03 PM

Jeanne, when I saw the story, I thought about you. You didn't let me down. I DO AGREE, I have two daughters and at 16 a record would not be that important. LIFE IS A WHOLE LOT MORE VALUABLE.

Yup, I just can't resist, can I?

Frank, did you notice I CAREFULLY avoided mentioning Southern Ocean? Takes a great deal of restraint for me not to lump all that scary seas and weather into one phrase, SOUTHERN OCEAN, no matter where it might be.

I am so sorry to hear that Gerry Clark was lost. We were still out that way when I heard that he was going out again, and I didn't have a good feeling about it, but thought he'd make it back again. Darn!

[Frank]

Originally Posted by JeanneP' date='12 June 2010 - 09:17 PM

Yup, I just can't resist, can I?

Frank, did you notice I CAREFULLY avoided mentioning Southern Ocean? Takes a great deal of restraint for me not to lump all that scary seas and weather into one phrase, SOUTHERN OCEAN, no matter where it might be.

I am so sorry to hear that Gerry Clark was lost. We were still out that way when I heard that he was going out again, and I didn't have a good feeling about it, but thought he'd make it back again. Darn!

Sorry Jeanne, not directed at you..... the southern ocean thing is just one of my little issues....

Cheers

Frank

[JeanneP]

I know, Frank, no offense taken. I needed an excuse to blather a bit, though, after my earlier rants.

[Frank]

Anybody seen this yet..? http://www.savewildeyes.com/

That is either a blatent scam or her parents have absolutely no idea what they are suggesting... OK who gave the 11c?

[MMNETSEA]

Originally Posted by Frank' date='13 June 2010 - 12:59 AM

Point of order for starters.... she wasn't in the Southern Ocean... that starts at either the Antarctic Convergence or 60*S... take your pick.... she was in the Indian Ocean... said by Vito Dumas to be worse than either the Pacific or Atlantic in those latitudes..

She was south of 40S and south of Amsterdam and St Paul Islands having left Cape Town on May 21st.... winter.

Frank, point taken, The reason for calling it the Southern Ocean relates to the AMSA reports of where the sailboat was found - The Australian's have the Southern Ocean in their part of the world as being that south of 40 degrees latitude.

I still ask the question "when in April the pursuit of a record was dropped, who in May decided the route of the new passage from From Capetown to Australia?"

[JeanneP]

Beggars! $2,460.11 given by 73 people. That's an average gift of $33.70. Abby Sunderland has not provided $33.70 worth of entertainment. Whoever said it, it seems to be true that there's a sucker born every minute.

They are all clueless. Those poor gullible, generous people haven't a clue that there is no possibility that they can get enough money to tow that boat anywhere. I am offended that they would have the nerve to beg that way. (I rather think that I do righteous indignation rather well)

Consequences. Consequences. How has any of these exercise taught Abby that very important lesson, that there are consequences to our actions.

I'm going to bed before I dig a deeper hole for myself.

Don't fall for it everybody. She and her family are not worth it!

Fair winds,

j