I would just like to remind everyone that the media has their own biased agenda and they are doing a number on this family. Abby isn’t giving press interviews yet (and I don’t blame her - she’d be thrown to the wolves) so the media is jumping on every decision, remark or plan ever contemplated by her family and unlucky enough (in retrospect) to find its way into print. In addition, the Sunderlands have a large family, they’re homeschoolers, and they are born-again Christians. They are targets for media attacks on all fronts.
I’ve followed Zac and Abby’s voyages, faithfully reading their blogs every day, and have been repeatedly impressed by their maturity, resourcefulness, and sailing skills. It’s completely unfair to judge them by their chronological ages, and I believe their parents deserve accolades, not condemnation.
Seeing what the media is doing to the Sunderland family is reminiscent of the villification the Palins received at their hands. Neither family is deserving of such treatment, and it’s heartbreaking to see so many people rushing to join the lynch mob.