Posted on 06/10/2010 12:08:52 PM PDT by Dallas59
Sunderland, who had been attempting to sail around the world alone, endured multiple knockdowns in 60-knot winds Thursday before conditions briefly abated.
However, her parents lost satellite phone contact early this morning and an hour later were notified by the Australian Coast Guard that both of Sunderland's EPIRB satellite devices had been activated.
One is apparently is attached to a survival suit or a life raft and meant to be used when a person is in the water or aboard a life raft.
Abby's father struggled with emotions and said he didn't know if his daughter was in a life raft or aboard the boat, or whether the boat was upside down.
"Everything seemed to be under control," Laurence Sunderland said. "But then our call dropped and a hour later the Coast Guard called."
Abby is hundreds of miles from land. The nearest ship was about 400 miles away. The rescue effort is being coordinated by the French-controlled Reunion Islands and Australia. Sunderland had been sailing in 50- to 60-foot seas and it was dark when the EPIRB devices were activated.
(Excerpt) Read more at grindtv.com ...
May God protect her!
Pretty girl. I would hate to ber her parents now.
How close is she getting to pirate territory?
Is this the girl that the courts were trying to keep from doing this stunt?
see also:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2531872/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2531917/posts
With 60 knot winds, you don’t need pirates.
She had a good reception in Australia a while back. Hope she gets through this.
Amen, but how responsible is it to allow a 16 year old out on this kind of endeavor, no matter how accomplished she is?
Sixteen years old? And they let her try this without backup — a chase boat, something?
I hope the poor girl lives through this. Her parents should be horsewhipped.
Apparently the story is hot. I’d never let my 16 yo pull a stunt like this no matter how mature they were.
This stuff is great when it works out for that Aussie girl but when things go wrong it is not pretty. This is highly dangerous for an experienced adult.
I hope she is okay but you have to question the parents allowing her to do this.
From the Navy Hymn, verse 1:
Eternal Father, Strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid’st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea
Based on no information but her previous seamanship skills, I think she will come thru this and be rescued.
I hate to think this but the parents were maybe trying to use her as a meal ticket. First 16 year old girl goes around the world: the book, on talk shows, the lifetime movie, the product endorsements.
sad but you never know could be why they let her do it
I hate to think this but the parents were maybe trying to use her as a meal ticket. First 16 year old girl goes around the world: the book, on talk shows, the lifetime movie, the product endorsements.
sad but you never know could be why they let her do it
I hate to think this but the parents were maybe trying to use her as a meal ticket. First 16 year old girl goes around the world: the book, on talk shows, the lifetime movie, the product endorsements.
sad but you never know could be why they let her do it
60 foot seas, singlehanded with no rest for hours or days in the southern ocean
then along comes a rogue wave
hopefully she is in a raft and will hold out until they find her
Exactly true, I thought that when the sailor girl was welcomed like a heroine in Australia.
I was happy for her, because she was happy, and it was a big accomplishment. But I thought, what if she had drowned? She is not yet an adult.
If an adult decides to sail around the world, he or she is taking on the risk for themselves.
I don’t think 16 year olds should be allowed to do that.
Some feel we make nittering nannys of children by saying, “no.” Well, perhaps. But I just think they can wait until they are 18.
Furthermore, now that a 16 year old has the title, a 15 year old is going to try, and so on.
I believe she was already beaten by another 16 year old girl last year.
i thought that one was barred from going? not sure mind you but i thought that is what made the headlines
What happened to the 13 year old that wanted to do that, or is this her?
Her brother did it when he was 17.
And an Aussie girl just completed her journey at 16 a few months ago.
Abby would have been the youngest by a few months. But she would not have been the only teenager to do this.
Godspeed, kiddo.
You have Abby mixed up with Jessica Watson, the 16 year old Australian girl who successfully completed her solo around the world trip by sailing into Sydney Harbor in May.
Abby was on her way to Australia from South Africa this past week.
The Indian Ocean and anywhere near the tip of Africa are dangerous. They are all dangerous. I do not care how good a sailor she is. Man, woman, child - whatever. One mistake and the ocean will kill you and even no mistakes and it will get you.
“Abby was on her way to Australia from South Africa this past week.”
Not a good place. Very dangerous.
Navy Hymn
Mums and daddums should be dragged from their home and horse-whipped.
The sponsors of this debacle:
http://www.shoecity.com
http://www.ssaquafriends.com
http://www.kptmovies.com
http://www.ukhalsey.com/
http://www.mountainhouse.com/
http://www.satwest.com/
http://www.thrane.com/
http://www.wrapsbyrich.com/
http://www.vespermarine.com/
http://www.bayoumarine.com/
http://www.navionics.com/
http://www.bilgalarm.com/
http://www.goprocamera.com/
http://www.micro-mono.com/
http://www.oakley.com/
http://www.soleousa.com/
http://www.samys.com/
http://www.organicfoodbar.com/
http://www.patagonia.com/
http://www.navitasnaturals.com/
http://www.twomomsintheraw.com/
http://www.sproutliving.com/
http://www.e3live.com/
http://www.essentiallivingfoods.com/
http://www.superseaveg.com/
http://www.capegrace.com/
http://www.environ.co.za/
http://www.farmasea.com/
http://www.natenal.com/
Where can we find current Search and Rescue (SAR) about her? Any one know where the Rescue Coordination Center is working this case?
Sadly, if she is lost, they can still do that.
Oh, what if this was planned?
Update:
California teen girl in trouble on solo world sail
By JOHN ANTCZAK (AP) – 51 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES — A 16-year-old Southern California girl attempting a solo sail around the world was feared in trouble Thursday in the frigid, heaving southern Indian Ocean after her emergency beacons began signaling and communication was lost.
Abby Sunderland’s family was talking with U.S. and international governments about organizing a search of the remote ocean between southern Africa and Australia, family spokesman Christian Pinkston said.
Conditions can quickly become perilous for any sailor exposed to the elements in that part of the world.
“We’ve got to get a plane out there quick,” said Pinkston, who was in close contact with Sunderland’s family in Thousand Oaks.
“They are exhausting every resource to try to mobilize an air rescue including discussions with the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and various international rescue organizations,” he said.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iNcCJg-kSyZBjLhEB3fRtcYzaQOgD9G8JCQO0
Yep.
It seems to me there was a boy who did it when he was a teenager back when I was also a teen, about 35 years ago. His story was in National Geographic. Or do I have false memory syndrome?
Could not imagine circumnavigating the globe alone. When I fly over it, it looks enormous.....would never want to be alone in a boat in the middle of it.
Robin Lee Graham in 1965, at the age of 16, left on a five year round the world trip on the Dove.
Adventure = Bad things happening to someone else 1000 miles away.
With 60 knot winds, you don’t need pirates.
^^^
Amen.
...how responsible is it to allow a 16 year old out on this kind of endeavor, no matter how accomplished she is?
&&&
She knew what she was doing. She’s sixteen not 6.
Her parents should be horsewhipped.
&&
Why? She was pursuing a dream.
We need to let our young people see what they are made of. This kind of trip is not for everyone — I would never attempt it in a million years — but some people just feel compelled to do this sort of daredevil stuff.
Update from Abby’s Parents
http://soloround.blogspot.com/
We spoke with Abby early this morning and learned that she had had a very rough day with winds up to 60 knots and seas 20-25 feet. She had been knocked down several times but was handling things well. The wind had subsided to around 35 knots which she and Wild Eyes are quite comfortable with.
We were helping her troubleshoot her engine that she was trying to start to charge her systems. Satellite phone reception was patchy. She was able to get the water out of the engine and start her up. We were waiting to hear back from her when American Search & Rescue authorities called to report having received a signal from her emergency beacon (EPIRB). We initially thought that the signal was sent automatically from her water-activated EPIRB and that it had been activated during one of her knockdowns. As we pulled the paperwork from her EPIRB registration, we learned that the signal had come from her manually activated EPIRB.
We were referred to Australian Search & Rescue and while we were on the phone with them another signal came in from her handheld PLB (Personal Locator Beacon). Her water-activated EPIRB has not been activated so we are hopeful that the boat is still upright.
We are working closely with American, French and Australian Search & Rescue authorities to coordinate several ships in the area to divert to her location. There are several ships in her area, the earliest possible contact is 40 hours. We are actively seeking out some sort of air rescue but this is difficult due to the remoteness of her location. Australian Search & Rescue have arranged to have a Quantas Airbus fly over her location at first light (she is 11 hours later). They will not be able to help her other than to talk via marine radio if they are able to get close enough. Hopefully, they will be able to assess her situation and report back to us.
Abby has all of the equipment on board to survive a crisis situation like this. She has a dry suit, survival suit, life raft, and ditch bag with emergency supplies. If she can keep warm and hang on, help will be there as soon as possible. Wild Eyes is designed for travel in the Southern Ocean and is equipped with 5 air-tight bulkheads to keep her buoyant in the event of major hull damage. It is built to Category 0 standards and is designed to self-right in the event of capsize.
Thank you for all of your kind emails and calls. We appreciate your prayers and support.
We will update as soon as there is some news.
Laurence, Marianne and Team Abby
How close is she getting to pirate territory?
At this point, she would be lucky if pirates found her.
She is literally in the middle of nowhere!
...she was going west to east and down into the 40’s....
&&&
The Roaring Forties....
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