Coming Soon: An Abby Sunderland Reality Show?
The world agrees: thank goodness Abby Sunderland is safe and sound.
Following the rescue of this 16-year old sailor, though, a new debate has emerged: were her parents irresponsible for allowing her to sail around the globe in the first place?
If you’re of the opinion that Abby’s parents should never have let their teenage child embark on such a dangerous mission, the following piece of news won’t exactly change your mind about Mr. and Mrs. Sunderland:
The New York Post reports they are broke and Laurence Sunderland had signed a deal to film a reality show (Adventures in Sunderland) weeks after Abby set off on her doomed sail.
“The show might be about family, it might be about Abigail’s trip. It’s something that was shopped around,” he told the newspaper. “We thought it might be a good idea if it was encouraging to kids to get out there and do things.”
Mr. Sunderland insists, however, that his daughter’s dangerous trip was not a PR stunt for the series, which he says was “the last thing on my mind” when Abby lost contact with her family for 20 hours last week.
“That’s absolutely ridiculous. My passion is first and foremost for my children and their endeavors. And it’s absolutely, totally ridiculous and totally unfounded,” Sunderland told Larry King of last night of allegations he staged Abby’s trip for publicity.
Abby agrees. She blogged yesterday that her solo navigation was “the best thing I have ever done or been through and I don’t ever want to forget all the great times… or the bad ones for that matter.”
Abby Sunderland Blogs: I Am Safe and Sound
Following almost a full day in which the loved ones of Abby Sunderland feared this 16-year sailor was lost at sea, a search plane made contact with Sutherland last week and assured the world:
Abby is alive and well.
Reports indicate a giant wave knocked Abby unconscious for a short period of time on Thursday before she recovered and activiated a pair of emergency satellite beacons. Since then, a French fishing vessel has scooped up Sunderland and rescued her from the harsh conditions of the Indian Ocean.
Aboard this new boat, Sunderland found time to update her blog and wrote:
“As you probably already know I had a pretty rough couple of days. The long and short of it is one long wave, and one short mast (short meaning a two-inch stub)…. I just wanted to let everyone know I am safe and sound on a great big fishing boat headed I am not exactly sure where.”
Abby has spoken to her parents and the family is trying to figure out the most logistical way of getting her home to California.
In her blog entry, the teenager - who was attempting to become the youngest person to ever navigate the globe on a solo sail - also addressed critics who believed she was too young to take on such an adventure.
“The truth is, I was in a storm and you don’t sail through the Indian Ocean without getting in at least one storm,” she wrote. “Storms are part of the deal when [you] set out to sail around the world alone.
“Since when does age create gigantic waves and storms?”
You tell us, readers: Should Abby Sunderland ever have been on the ocean by herself in the first place?
Abby Sunderland: Alive and Well!
Abby Sunderland is okay.
The 16-year old sailor lost a satellite phone call with her parents yesterday morning, an hour before she set of a distress signal and was feared lost in the Indian Ocean.
But a search plane launched from Australia made radio contact with Sunderland almost 24 hours later, as it was discovered her boat was continually knocked down by huge waves, causing its mast to break and a sail to drag in the water.
Said search coordinator Mick Kinley, acting chief of the Australia Maritime Safety Authority:
“The aircraft (crew) spoke to her. They told her help was on the way and she sounds like she’s in good health. She’s going to hang in there until a vessel can get to her.”
Sunderland had been attempting to become the youngest person to navigate the globe solo, though some critics believe she departed for her trip during a dangerous time of the year.
Abby told the rescue crew, via radio, that she was doing fine, using a space heater to keep warm, and possessed at least two weeks’ worth of food.
The French regional administration on the island of Reunion said it had sent a trio boats in her direction and should be able to reach her some time tomorrow. Thank goodness.
Abby Sunderland Feared Lost at Sea, Rescue Efforts Underway
Authorities have begun a search for Abby Sunderland.
The 16-year old is attempting to sail around the world on her own, but her parents lost contact with her this morning, soon before the teenager set off a distress signal. She’s believed to be in the southern part of the Indian Ocean.
“Everything seemed to be under control,” father Laurence Sunderland told The Los Angeles Times. “But then our call dropped and a hour later the coast guard called.”
A rescue effort, coordinated by the French-controlled Reunion Islands and Australia, is underway. However, Sunderland is likely hundreds of miles away from land and there’s concern over how long it would take a boat to reach her.
Said family spokesman Christian Pinkston: “We’ve got to get a plane out there quick… They are exhausting every resource to try to mobilize an air rescue including discussions with the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and various international rescue organizations.”
Meanwhile, Abby’s parents have updated their blog with this statement:
Abby has all of the equipment on board to survive a crisis situation like this. She has a dry suit, survival suit, life raft, and ditch bag with emergency supplies. If she can keep warm and hang on, help will be there as soon as possible. Wild Eyes is designed for travel in the Southern Ocean and is equipped with 5 air-tight bulkheads to keep her buoyant in the event of major hull damage. It is built to Category 0 standards and is designed to self-right in the event of capsize.
Thank you for all of your kind emails and calls. We appreciate your prayers and support.
Let’s all hope Abby Sunderland is found alive and well.