An open 40 is designed to plane downwind, or in otherwords skim across the surface. While not as glorious or fancy, a deep keeled tank if a boat would be safer for someone like her. Just my opinion.
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There's something to be said about a boat that can outrun or get the hell out of the way of weather systems comfortably. Wild Eyes can do that.

I've been in both. I like being able to avoid sub 1000mb systems, less time considering taking up gardening.

There's an airbus on its way to the boat (another 2 hours or so).

The current sailworld articles are PURE SPECULATION AND UNFOUNDED. Please do not believe them until its all actually been confirmed.

frickin blowboaters http://www.saltwaterplugs.com/saltyf...eys/tongue.gif

Australian authorities contact missing American teen sailor - CNN.com

She is the worlds largest aircraft carrier sir.

74.48E 40.48S paste that into google map. Her last know location. Thank God they have contacted her. Now God willing they will rescue her. Robin Graham was 17, he was my hero as well.

I heard they made contact and that she's OK, thank God. In my opinion (just one man's humble opinion),I hope this scvare gives parents pause about things like this, climbing Everest, etc...

Eben, as I said before, you are certainly someone who knows how disagree thoughtfully, and I think that's rare and very respectable. And I hear you about stifling kids, and I agree that if you suffocate teenagers too much, they might rebel that much more wildly when they are eventually on their own...I could not agree more.

I try to find the balance. We let our 15 year-old do more and more things on her own every year, and I have let her sip wine a couple of times so there's not as much mystery about alcohol.

Hard for me to say where I draw the line, but suffice to say no unsupervised overnights to NYC, and no way I'd let her live on her own, in potentially life-threatening situations, for months and months.

I did 2 tours in Iraq with the USMC, I was in for-real combat a few times. I'd bet a 1 year hitch with the Marines is statistically much safer that a soloo circumnavigation, although I'd love to see the statistics on mortality rates among teenagers who try it (I'm an actuary, I always need statistics).

Good debate.

it starts in elementary school when kids are told to STOP day dreaming

Regardless of the number of people who go around the world solo non-stop being a pretty small and exclusive group, you'd be right. Most are still alive and well and going around the marble still.

I honestly cannot recall a single person under the age of 20 that has died making a RTW attempt.

But how many kids die per year getting drunk and driving a car?

By the way Duke, we purposely drive the big 70+ foot race boats, ORMA 60 trimarans, IMOCA 60's to the top of big low pressure systems to find lots of wind and cover more ground than even the Enterprise can in 24 hours.

Actually, kids learn primarily by example.

Great News! This whole situation will stoke her fire to complete this journey more. I'll bet she'll be planning her next trip soon and going over the details of what happened and use that knowledge & experience to try it again. All indications of this incident point to how well prepared she was going in to a trip of this magnitude and that her safety measures worked according to design. It takes a clear head, intelligence and, bravery to be able to do what she has done in those seas. I really respect her and her family. I can't wait to hear her interview when she is safely on land.

should be interestin

Growing up on sailboats and now going to sea for a profession, granted my work is 2+ football fields long, I have always regarded people who want to go solo around the world as mostly nuts whether your 16 or 60 on a great built boat or pos. To each his own.

Boats head to teen sailor drifting in Indian Ocean - Yahoo! News

planes, ships ... all for a kid wanting some recoginition from the sailing community.
Send the bill to:
Mr & Mrs. Sunderland

I'm sick of the extreme culture - somebody needs to poison some Mountain Dew.

Make sure to bitch at the guys wetsuiting MTK and Brenton Reef. :rotf2:

In today's crazy society. One could argue that being on alone on a boat in the middle of the ocean is a lot safer than being alone in a city at 16. And to say that a stint in Iraq is safer than a round the world trip is just not comparable. No one is shooting at you, no one is trying to blow you up. I still think the choice of boat was a mistake. That's a lot of boat to handle.
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Question.

If this girl were really "qualified" to make this trip, wouldn't she set a sea anchor, ride out the storm, clear the mess, then rig an an A-frame, use her boom as a jury rig, then turn and head downwind for safety.

Dragging other people into danger to save your own skin from trouble of your own making hardly seems like a great life lesson. Isn't the real value of a solo circumnavigation to test one's self-sufficiency?

Not even close to the truth. She openly says she doesn't care about records, etc. Plus the record wasn't even going to be broken because she stopped at Cape Town for repairs. She could have ended the quest there if it was all about the recognition and records. She's doing it for your passion of the sea and accomplishing and testing her inner strength. It's got nothing to do with recognition from the sailing community IMO. In regards to the bill....that's why we have rescue services for this. Does the Coast Guard charge for their rescues around here?

Then why do it this time of year?



The should for some of them

I remember being 16 and telling my dad I wanted to join the Army on my first possible opportunity. He never tried to talk me out of it. I was passionate and focused on making it happen. I did all my homework on early entry, pro's and con's covered and I had a recruiter come over for dinner. My mom was sick about it. At 17 I joined with parental consent. My Mom kept asking will he be safe, etc. The recruiter pointed out at 17 when I go out with my friends in their cars, etc will my parents know what I'm doing, where I'm going, etc. At least they would know exactly where I am and the training I am receiving would empower me for my future. I was so focused on making that happen in my life. That summer before my senior year I did basic and then after graduation I completed my MOS training and went to college. How many parents today would let their 17 year old join the military while still in high school? I give my parents credit for having faith in my dreams. That and I think it also helped that my dad was a Vietanm era vet and I was a royal PIA back then, so he thought I could use the dicipline from good ole uncle sam! I respect your views on this big time but I can relate to this kid somehow and also to the parents now that I have a kid approaching that age.

Oh, and thanks for your service man! I never saw or experienced what you did in Iraq and I'm thankful for guys and gals like you that served during troubled times. Thanks man!

[QUOTE=RIROCKHOUND;773170]Then why do it this time of year?



It had to do with her school work and being able to graduate with her class. Otherwise her graduation would have been delayed a year. She took her school work for the rest of the year with her on board so she could get credit to complete her Junior year.

Again, her boat is sound and afloat. Why is anyone going to get her? Shouldn't she set a jury rig and limp home? She loves the ocean, she wanted to test herself, ....well here is her test....and she is opting out at significant expense, danger, and inconvience to others. Any test you can opt out of is child's play.......which is exactly what this stunt is.

Respectfully, I couldn't disagree with you more. She wants help why do you have to chastize her for that?

Nobody has been dragged into it, the fishing vessel VOLUNTEERED to divert to her location as did the other vessels. The Airbus was PRIVATELY chartered.

Marshcappa, in the military, you're part of a team, and help is almost always minutes away. Not so in the case of what this girl and her parents exposed her to.

Furthermore, in my own experience, even in combat, we were able to control a lot of what took place, so that we could minimize the real danger. I'm not a sailor, but I'm guessing she is (or potentially is) exposed to a lot of things she casn't control.

Finally, even if you concede that being in the military is riskier than what this girl did (and I don't concede that), those risks are taken to ensure national security. This girl's motivation is irrefutably a lot more self-serving.

Likwid, you say the rescuers aren't "forced" to try to help her. True. Nor are rescuers forced to climb Mt McKinley to help folks who get stuck up there. But in my opinion, taking advantage of the bravery of those who work in rescue, in pursuit of a reckless, purely self-serving goal, is very selfish.

No one forced me to join the Marines. I felt that for a worthy mission, I'd take the risks. I would not have wanted to risk the lives of kids under my command, to save some teenager who went off half-cocked on some thrill ride.

Some people go to war, some people go to sea. Its as simple as that.

Btw, the Coast Guard will not render assistance unless its a life or death situation.

Agreed. But another simple concept is that parents are supposed to be wiser and more experienced than their teenage kids, and thus are in a better position to decide what's good for a kid and what's not. I'm sure you agree with that, we just disagree on the appropriateness of this particular adventure.

Thank God for the outcome...

Given the number of soldiers that have died the past few years in Iraq and Afghanistan, is it ignorant for parents to let their kids go into the military?

If the kid proved she could handle the boat then why would you deny her doing what she wanted?

And these stupid little things race across the Atlantic every year:

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i1...ing/open01.jpg

Bigger being safer is a myth.