Abbey Sunderland Missing at sea-sailing the world

She's 16,sailing the world alone.

She was in 30 ft. swells last night.

Here is her blog
http://soloround.blogspot.com/

crazy girl man, hope they find her.

crazy girl man, hope they find her.

Crazy parent to let her go on this trip.   

-Allen

Yup, not only the seas, but those dam pirates roam the water too

These people have a different perspective on life.  It's hard to criticize it w/o first empathizing with the reality that it represents - these people raised another person who, at the age of 16, is not only totally capable, but totally focused on and obsessed with sailing a boat around the world!  I thought the same thing at first - how could they?!  But the magnitude of the task and the fact that she is ready and willing and eager, these things make it acceptable, to me, in terms of the risking of life.  Life is really getting lived right there, by the will of the people involved.

Did there son already do this?

I read multiple pages of argument on this girl on the hull truth a couple months back.  There were several that shared your view eric.  Given the magnitude of the challenge I don't think anyone on this planet has the maturity or perspective to make an informed decision on this when they're 16.  Those parents are freakin kooks.

I read multiple pages of argument on this girl on the hull truth a couple months back.  There were several that shared your view eric.  Given the magnitude of the challenge I don't think anyone on this planet has the maturity or perspective to make an informed decision on this when they're 16.  Those parents are freakin kooks.

Ditto that.  At 16, all I cared about was plinking with my pellet gun and pier fishing.  Sailing around the world alone... forgettaboutit!

Glad to hear she's OK.

I understand what you're saying, ab, but the issue I have with this is that it's a known fact that conditions in that part of the Indian Ocean this time of year are often extremely hazardous. Yet, they decided to do it anyway, most likely just so she could break a record (to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone without stopping). If they waited, she would've turned 17 and no world record. Poor judgment by the parents IMO. Her father is an experienced sailor, but a wise seaman wouldn't have made the decision to sail into those waters in that size of boat at this time.

I c

Ditto that.  At 16, all I cared about was plinking with my pellet gun and pier fishing.  Sailing around the world alone... forgettaboutit!

I think if it was me, at 16 & captain of my own 40ft sailing yacht it would probably take me years to finish the trip, if I ever did!

...sitting on the stern watching the sun set, fishing off the back of the boat in some beautiful tropical anchorage, thinking:
"Who cares about a world record? I've got international marine transportation and no parents around!"

Crazy stuff for sure, no way in hell I'd let my kid do that at 16 years old.  Not my kid, not my deal...just glad to hear she's alive.

Crazy stuff for sure, no way in hell I'd let my kid do that at 16 years old.  Not my kid, not my deal...just glad to hear she's alive.

+1

I get the idea of letting kids fulfill their potential. An over-protective parent can smother the adventure/creativity/ambitions/etc... right out of a kid. But that caution doesn't end your obligations as a parent. They can't (literally) fathom the full consequences of decisions until their twenties, and that's what parents are supposed to compensate for.

Ben

Happy shes alive and well!

crazy girl, shes got some big ass balls so to speak!

Happy shes alive and well!

crazy girl, shes got some big ass balls so to speak!

Yep, Big Ovaries! But small in the common sense dept., on the parents part. Crazzzy!
Again glad that she's okay but, I can only imagine what the parents were going through. Especially, when they heard no word from her on rough seas and the thought that, I was a parent who condoned her actions. I feel major guilt just thinking about it.

Can't these rich people do something more productive with their money?
This type of feat or "record" is completely meaningless to me. If you want to do something impressive, do it without the crutch of wealth. Or at least use it as a crutch to accomplish something that benefits other people too.
OK, I'm glad she is not dead, and I see how this type of 'accomplishment' could enable her to grow as a person. But it is 100% self-serving, so I honestly don't care if she sets a record or not. Seriously, who cares?

Those parents need to be thrown in jail.