So? What is the big deal? I was in college at 15 and doing what others might consider crazy.
I once swam 1/3 of a mile to a bouy in the Monterey Bay on a dare and on my return got caught in a riptide.
I won’t say it wasn’t scary but I did know how to deal with it and making my body perpendicular to the shore, ended swimming another 1/2 mile south to keep from being towed under.
I didn’t think I would have to swim that far to get out of it.
Oh, I was 16 on that one.
Still, there are plenty of surfers of ages 14 and up who regularly drive a wave towards the cliffs and do so safely everyday.
I also use to walk off into the woods for a couple of days, ALONE and still do.
At 16 she can drive but be responsible for sailing a boat around the world?
Heck, we put kids on airplanes, alone, to some other destination, sometimes to a foreign land.
I also, snowboard and will go through trees racing downhill and jump off a cliff if it looks fun.
What one considers dangerous may not be for another and what one considers mature may not be true for others.
How many kids are in college at 16(I was at 15)?
She is probably more experienced than many, including a friend of mine who wants to sail around the world, from port to port and I don’t think he is ready. He does and just needs a boat of his own.
Many are not prepared for adventure and some are.
I think that sums up the comments on Abby and her family quite well. Those who are not wired for this kind of thing can't understand it and post negative comments projecting their opinions on Abby or the parents. The rest of us say "GO ABBY!" (and never the twain shall meet.")