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16 Year Old to Sail Around the World Alone

ucfgrad93 said:
Agreed. No way would I let my 16 year old do something like this.
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Yes but your 16 year old does not have years worth of sailing experience.
Statistically this is not a high risk trip unless she's going for a record time. Whiout the racing aspect she can wait for good weather on each leg. The longest leg would bt from here (I live near here starting point) and Hawaii. That s a three week trip. But I don't know here rount. Most start by heading south to Mexico and then turn west at Cetral America. Lower rist because you do the first leg along the coast where ports are close by. I said "no race" but she will not be the yongest if yo times the typical one or two years
 
Some responses surprise me. They appear to be in the best interest of the child. I don't think so. Well, whatever.

It seems to me that children should be encouraged to follow their calling. Most kids won't want to do this anyway, so we aren't at risk of a massive generational loss. One thing I stand for is the human spirit. Children should not be stopped from participating in the 'real' world.

Disclaimer: I don't have children.
 
RayStar said:
I think allowing a teenager to do this should be illegal. Is there another boat following her? I just don't like it.
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At what age SHOULD it be legal to sail around the world solo then? 17? 18? What occurs on the night of that birthday that renders the trip acceptable to you?

An inexperience 40 year old runs far more risk than an experiences 16 your old on this adventure.
 
They give 16 year olds driver licenses and even their own cars after what, 20 hours training in drivers ed? I'd wager driving on the interstate on a daily basis would be running a comparable risk to sailing across the ocean, particularly for someone who's likely had a lot more training at sailing than your average young driver has at driving. And like with driving, she'll either live through the event, or she won't. The major difference is the sense of accomplishment she'll have once she reaches her destination, and that's something she'll carry with her forever.
 
Darth.Titan said:
I just don't get it. She's a minor. Where I live minors can't even work a job where they're required to use hazardous equipment, and that "hazardous equipment" can be something as simple as a tomato slicer. This voyage seems decidedly more dangerous.

I don't see how this could possibly not result in the parents going to jail for violating child abuse and neglect laws, especially if (God forbid) something happens to her.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that she is trained and I admire her bravery. That being said, what's to stop a 15 year old who is not so well trained from trying to emulate her feat?
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I was thinking exactly the same thing. I don't know what the law in their country says about this sort of thing. What I do know is that if a child does this with her parents' permission, and the child were to die, I would have thought that the parents would be thrown in jail for negligence. :confused:

Personally, I don't mind that she's going. It's her decision, and if she dies, I would feel only a fraction of the sympathy than if she had died by accident, or murder. This is an extreme "sport", and extreme activities come with risks. However, it doesn't matter whether I think this child should be allowed to go. What does the law say? :confused: That's what determines jail time for the parents. If she dies, could this be considered manslaughter? The courts may have the viewpoint that the risk of death is the equivalent of throwing their child into shark infested waters. Even if it was the child's wish, it would obviously be illegal.
 
Things are not looking too good for Abby. I hope she is ok.

FoxNews.com said:
The parents of a 16-year-old Southern California girl feared missing while attempting a solo sail around the world are working closely with international rescue agencies to locate their daughter.

The search began for Abby Sunderland somewhere between Africa and Australia after emergency beacons were manually activated by the teen and there was a loss of communication.
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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06/10/california-teen-solo-sail-bid-lost-sea/


And from her blog, which her parents are updating.

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.
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http://soloround.blogspot.com/
 
Let the girl live for gods sake. Sure it's dangerous, but all the greatest feats in life are. All you people talking about child abuse... I think you've been living inside a box for too long. What she's doing is amazing.
 
Erendiox said:
Let the girl live for gods sake. Sure it's dangerous, but all the greatest feats in life are. All you people talking about child abuse... I think you've been living inside a box for too long. What she's doing is amazing.
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You obviously didn't read the update.
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
Even with the update i wouldn't call it abuse nor blame the parents. No matter how this all turns out she did something pretty amazing.
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While I wouldn't call it abuse either, I do think that the parents would be partly to blame if something does happen to her. In my opinion, something like this is just too dangerous for a 16-year-old to be doing.
 
We tend to caudle kids a bit too much these days, this is a more constructive activity than say learning parenthood the hard way by becoming pregnant, or learning business by becoming a crack dealer. I say let her sail rather than being stuck here where her career opportunities are limited.
 
I got my car a little before I got my license. I deserved it. I won't say what car. It's better than yours. But with many horrible immature people in this world I think only 1/3 of the world should have driver's license. Accidents would reduced greatly.
 
Darth.Titan said:
I just don't get it. She's a minor. Where I live minors can't even work a job where they're required to use hazardous equipment, and that "hazardous equipment" can be something as simple as a tomato slicer. This voyage seems decidedly more dangerous.

I don't see how this could possibly not result in the parents going to jail for violating child abuse and neglect laws, especially if (God forbid) something happens to her.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that she is trained and I admire her bravery. That being said, what's to stop a 15 year old who is not so well trained from trying to emulate her feat?

I just hope that through the use of technology that this trip will be closely monitored.
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Why would a 16 year old be classed a minor? I was able to marry, have sex and get my own home as soon as i turned 16. I know England its 18 i think but still i would hardly call a 16 year old a kid.
 
babyjenniferLB said:
Why would a 16 year old be classed a minor? I was able to marry, have sex and get my own home as soon as i turned 16. I know England its 18 i think but still i would hardly call a 16 year old a kid.
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Sure, but you wouldn't be able to go to a pub for your Stag/Hen party. You wouldn't be able to vote or watch an 18 rated film in a cinema. You would also be hard pushed to being able to buy the materials and tools to be able to do any home improvement when you're under 18 too.
 
According to that blog she is fine.

What intriques me is the sense of individual potential an achievement like this might create at such a young age.

I sailed out of sight of land frequently when at a similiar age, but it was merely in a little dinghy off the coast of cornwall where visibility is frequently low.
 
longball11 said:
I got my car a little before I got my license. I deserved it. I won't say what car. It's better than yours. But with many horrible immature people in this world I think only 1/3 of the world should have driver's license. Accidents would reduced greatly.
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Wow. Just wow.
DOH.gif
 
i think the only thing this girl has done wrong (based on another article), is that she set sail at the wrong time of year. Apparently the Indian Sea can be simply treacherous this time of year b/c it's the winter in the southern hemisphere.

Other than that, she may be chronologically 16, but we all know most girls are far more mature than males so she's probably beyond her years.

Someone else said it best, if she's got years of experience, she's better off than most adults giving it a shot.

And, even though she didn't succeed, she can look at a globe (once they have her safe and sound) and realize she travelled all that way by herself.

There are plenty of 16 yr olds who can't even tie their own shoes, let alone sail around the world. Some kids won't even get a job b/c 'high school' is too much stress blah blah blah... Safe to say this generation of youth has alot handed to them without them trying and some of them expect even more (maybe our generation was like and our parents said the same thing).

Personally, I applaud her efforts and wish her well.

Achieving even part of her goal is something that 99.934347343472% of other kids have never done.

GOOD FOR HER!
 
babyjenniferLB said:
... i would hardly call a 16 year old a kid.
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Neuroscience would. In fact, your brain is still maturing into your twenties.

longball11 said:
I got my car a little before I got my license. I deserved it. I won't say what car. It's better than yours.
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Well, if you choose a car as a status symbol to mask your insecurities...
I buy a car to get me from point A to point B. :rolleyes:
 
Glad to hear that she is ok. Hopefully the weather will remain calm and she is picked up without and further incidents.
 
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