Posted on 07/10/2009 10:48:33 AM PDT by La Enchiladita
Like a lot of 17-year -olds, Zac Sunderland can get a bit tongue-tied at times. Only for Sunderland, it's not on account of hormones or nerves.
"I've been out at sea for a long time," says Sunderland, who has nearly reached his goal of becoming the youngest sailor to single-handedly circumnavigate the earth in a sailboat. "You kinda forget how to talk. Sometimes I'll get into a port and it'll take a week before the words I'm wanting to say can come out of my mouth the right way. It's annoying."
Sunderland, who has yet to get his driver's license, has spent the past year braving treacherous seas, outrunning Indonesian pirates and being bloodied by hailstones during his 26,000-mile voyage. He is currently working his way northward to California, sailing up the coast of Mexico's Baja peninsula. "If I catch a good wind, I hope to be there by July 14," he says, speaking by satellite phone from the cabin of his 36-foot Intrepid.
Sunderland left on his voyage June 14, 2008, from Marina Del Rey, Calif., heading toward the Marshall Islands in Micronesia. Asked if he thinks his parents (who live in Thousand Oaks, Calif.) are nuts for letting him embark on such a high-risk adventure, he can be heard laughing over the static and crackle of his phone. "I've been sailing all my life," says Sunderland, who grew up on boats with his shipwright father, mother and six siblings. "This is a natural thing for me to be doing. I feel comfortable out at sea, but things can get crazy at times."
Sunderland met up with pirates last October off the coast of Indonesia...
(Excerpt) Read more at people.com ...
Latest updates available at Zac’s Blog: http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog/index.html
He must have wealthy parents.
That was my first thought.
Wow! What an amazing young man. I can’t imagine doing what he’s doing at any age. My limited sailing is Pensacola Sound
in Fla. and Lake Martin in Ala. and I still stunk at it.
God bless him and his parents and family.
From what I have read, he and his family sunk their life savings and all resources into this venture and are now in debt, were not that wealthy to start with.
Ping.
COOL! Hey, thanks for the ping, thanks for remembering!
Good for them, I guess.
Ms Watson is a
What COULD these peoples folks be thinking?!?!?!?!
They are not thinking in terms of personal limitations, as I do, that’s for sure!!:)
I think I heard of Jessica... it’s all Zac’s fault she has this idea, of course.
He is in Panama right now waiting to go through the Panama Canal. That should cost him (his parents) a lot of money.
He will then sail up the west coast up to his parents home in California.
I think think he’s nuts. It is a wonder he is alive.
Thank you, SonnyBubba, I’ll tell him if I get a chance.
His adjusted ETA is now 16th July, next Thursday.
Did you stink enough at sailing that you stopped, or do you still go out?
Oh no, honey, it’s been a while since he sailed through the Panama Canal... that was our last thread.... He’s been sailing alongside Baja California (Mexico) for a week now and will be re-entering U.S. waters (woo hoo) at any moment:)
It is truly a wonder he is alive.... absolutely.
Oh...okay...We got the news late here. Very late!!! I didn’t realize it was that old.
The person who printed it sometimes has trouble knowing what day it is.
Thank you for the correction.
I want to know how much it cost his family to go through the Panama Canal. We are talking thousands and thousands of dollars.
Thanks again.
They aren’t poor that’s for sure if they reside in Thousand Oaks , Californy . Median home prices around 750,000 bucks . Supposed to be one of the best places to live in the USA .
You know, I didn’t think of cost re the Panama Canal. Um, what would the expenses specific to that be? May I ask: Are you a sailor also?
You are from Panama, aren’t you?!! (I just came across the name Lake Gatun) Maybe even the Canal Zone?
Here is the passage from Zac’s blog re passage through the canal, quite a complicated affair to say the least!!
http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog/2009/05/lengthy-laurence-blog.html
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