The Parents Should be Jailed....

I hope for this teenager's sake she's found alive and if she is her parents should be JAILED

Emergency rescue effort is launched for teen sailor Abby Sunderland



A rescue effort has been launched in hope of finding Abby Sunderland, 16, who set off her emergency beacon locating devices from the southern Indian Ocean early this morning.

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.

The Sunderlands are asking people to pray for their daughter, a high-school junior from Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Charlie Nobles, executive director of the American Sailing Assn., said, "We're all praying for her and our thoughts are with her. If she's got the survival suit, and she's got the EPIRB and she's in pretty good shape, she's just got to try to hang on. And when they get there, these guys... they're going to hopefully send the best that they've got to try to do a rescue and it's definitely possible. They're amazing people who do those rescues. They know exactly what they're heading into."

Nobles said a scenario whereby a sailor has to abandon ship might go like this: Water flooding the vessel automatically inflates the life raft, which is tethered to the sailboat. The sailor, if the sailboat is sinking, would grab the boat's EPIRB device and stuff it into a ditch kit, take the ditch kit and deploy and climb aboard the life raft. The sailor would only cut the tether if the sailboat is sinking, pulling down the lifeboat.

Abby was for several months one of two 16-year-olds attempting to sail around the world alone. Australia's Jessica Watson completed her journey last month, just days before turning 17.

Abby's brother Zac, who graduated from high school, completed a solo-circumnavigation last summer at 17.

The timing of Abby's trip was criticized by some because it was going to place her in the middle of the Indian Ocean when the stormy Southern Hemisphere winter was at hand.

 

Maybe not the best decision, but some of us are slaves to our passions. You cannot hold someone back from something like that. I've gone off into the wilderness by myself a hundred miles away from any civilization, though I was a legal adult. The season was not the smartest time, but otherwise they took all proper precautions.

 

I hope they find her but if not I don't really feel bad. It was a dumb decision to do something like that. I was watching ESPN a couple weeks ago and they were talking about her. I think they said the trip take like 9 months. Its not something that you can do in a month or so there really isn't a good season to try a feat like that.

I don't think the parents should be jailed because if she is dead the guilt would let crush the parents alone. No need to kick them while their down.

 

Australian Jessica Watson, 16 years of age just finished her round the world sailing in may

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100515/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_young_sailor

before her, was Jesse Martin who at 17 did the same thing...again, Australian

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Martin

 

This is the era of the woman. You cannot tell these young women what they cannot do.

 

Damn, I hope they find her. She's brave for going out there, especially by herself.

 

Jailed for what? I beleive they warned her before she even planned out the trip...she persisted, then her parents supported the idea and she went.... Also I think she was trying to abandon the whole trip and come back home a few weeks ago, then she changed her mind and continued

 

Warned her???? She persisted??? LAUGH WAAAY THE FUCK OUT LOUD. What is she on equal terms with her parents? Their NUMBER ONE PRIORITY is to protect and look out for the welfare of their child. Their arrogance fueled by the asinine decision of allowing their 17 year old to do the same thing a year ago, is the reason why the unfortunate has probably occurred.

Why would you allow your 16 year old to be in the middle of the Indian Ocean ALONE, several hundreds of miles in every direction away from land. The isolation, the fear, the weather, facing mortality ALONE in ravaging seas.

UNFORGIVABLE...............

 

When they're a minor and you're their parent, yes you can and should IMO. I believe in supporting my kids, however a 16 yo just has no business in the middle of the ocean by herself. If they wanted to allow her to do this, they should have followed her in another boat, at least they would have been close enough to help her in the event something went amiss. That's being supportive of your child's dream, letting them sail around the world alone is asinine.

 

Agreed. And thankfully, she's okay.

 

I saw that too Bookie and was relieved. I hope her parent's get some sense.

 

she is 16 and the parents were on tv condoning her actions and helped her do the expedition.....they need their asses whipped.

 

In a few months there will be a "made for TV" movie or some crap out with her parents approval.

You can be a "slave to your passions" as bonsaii said but it is probably best to wait til you are of legal age and your brain and emotions are more mature to make such decisions. Until then her parents are entrusted with looking after her welfare and not exploiting her for fame or whatever. The novelty of doing this when you are so young is enticing but the consequence could have been death.

 

exactly and then they would have been crying aligator tears...my baby is dead

 

Pirates would have loved to have gotten their hands on that fresh young lady.

 

i am in awe of these young women...a new generation of leaders...if the other had not been in distress we wouldn't be talking about it...persecuting her parents...when bad things happen we can always say that we would have never allowed it with our children...the fact of the matter is that we can only shelter them so much and then you have to let them grown into themselves...anything can happen at any time so i always try to make sure he knows that he is loved...

 

agreed. there's been talk of 'cotton wool', 'helicopter' and 'free range' parenting recently here in australia, and comparing our childhood to that our children are experiencing. i think parents today are so scared of something happening to their kids that children are not living life to the fullest. now i don't know if i'd be comfortable with one of my children sailing round the world solo at the age of 16...it would have to depend on their level of maturity, how long they've been sailing and their level of experience, but i would like to think that i wouldn't hold them back. who knows until i'm put in that situation.

oh and jesse martin had a documentary made of his journey which was very interesting...a great watch. you saw him in the depth of despair and fear. it's called lionheart

 

I agree Tarshi that you have to let children explore and learn, childhood is the time for that as too often there are other more pressing issues like earning a living that take precedence later on, and I believe in fully supporting my children's dreams. However, I can unequivocally state that I would never have allowed either of my children to make a solo trip like this, regardless of their skill level. I would have no problem allowing them to do so with someone following nearby in a separate boat, to assist in the event they ran into trouble. I don't see that as restricting them, I see that as supportive. I think the key is to find a compromise that allows them to express themselves and follow their dreams, without putting their life at risk.

 

I agree. You can support them but in a safe manner.

Is it true that the parents were going to use her story for a reality TV show? If so, well, there are no words for that.

 

Here are a few. There are plenty more news outlets out there that support her parents wanton disregard for her safety all in the name of reality tv/book deal.

Still think they are letting her "follow her dream". I think they are letting her follow their dream of exploiting her for money. They are despicable.




http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/realty-tv-book-might-next-for-abby-sunderland.html





In addition to a possible book, Sunderland and her family might also be stars of a new television show. On its website, Magnetic Entertainment said it is producing a reality TV show featuring the family.

"We follow the family in their day-to-day lives as shipbuilder Laurence Sunderland and mother/teacher Marianne try to balance work and family," the show description says. "Their philosophy on building strong, well-rounded adults is to mentor their seven home schooled children into setting goals, creating a plan to reach those goals, and implementing them ... allowing each of them to pursue their dreams of becoming world class adventurers."

More details about the proposed show were not available.

-- Shelby Grad

Photo: Al Seib / L.A. Times




http://www.newser.com/story/92833/dad-sent-abby-on-risky-route-for-tvs-sake.html

(Newser) – More fuel for the contingent calling for Abby Sunderland’s parents to be shot: Turns out her trip was even more dangerous than previously reported, and all in the name of reality TV. A cinematographer who worked with the Sunderlands tells HollywoodLife.com Abby was forced to leave at a dangerous time in order to keep a major sponsor—and that her dad was “cutting corners.”