Emergency rescue effort is launched for teen sailor Abby Sunderland *Found alive*

[Kevinicus]

I love how so many responses in this thread make it seem as though a 16 year old is ******** and can't make a good decision at all, but at 18 they are magically endowed with all the wisdom in the world.

Truth is, this 16 year old may have far more wisdom, experience, and necessary knowledge to make this kind of decision than any of you, no matter how old you are.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/sail_kid_parents_set_cour_for_tv_crGRuKCVBcBCM5v3s23ULK

Abby Sunderland's dad had TV deal as girl risked life at sea


y ANITA BENNETT in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and ANNIE KARNI in New York

Last Updated: 1:44 PM, June 14, 2010
Posted: 3:13 AM, June 14, 2010


Here's a dose of reality.

The father of teen sailor Abby Sunderland told The Post yesterday that he's broke and had signed a contract to do a reality show, "Adventures in Sunderland," about his family of daredevil kids weeks after she set off on her doomed and dangerous solo sail around the globe.

Laurence Sunderland, a sailing instructor who lives in the middle-class Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks with his pregnant wife and seven kids, opened their home to film crews four months ago.

"The show might be about family, it might be about Abigail's trip. It's something that was shopped around," he said.
CUT OF HIS JIB: Laurence Sunderland with kids (from l.) Lydia, Katherine, Toby, Zac and Jessie yesterday. Daughter Abby is aboard the ship that retrieved her from her battered sailboat.
JOHN CHAPPLE
CUT OF HIS JIB: Laurence Sunderland with kids (from l.) Lydia, Katherine, Toby, Zac and Jessie yesterday. Daughter Abby is aboard the ship that retrieved her from her battered sailboat.
Photos: Solo-sail girl Abby Sunderland
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Abby, 16, set sail last January, but got stranded in the Indian Ocean last week after storms smashed the mast of her sailboat, Wild Eyes, knocking out satellite-phone reception. The near-disaster triggered a frantic international rescue effort.

The solo voyage ran into heavy criticism for its high risk and the allegedly poor planning that put Abby in the treacherous Indian Ocean right in the middle of storm season.

Yesterday, she remained aboard the French vessel that rescued her, according to the ship's captain, and was making her slow voyage home.

The boat, Ile de la Reunion, is scheduled to transfer the teen to another ship tonight. It will take her about a week to get to land, the captain said.

Standing in the driveway outside his home, Sunderland explained the theme he envisioned for the show.

"We thought it might be a good idea if it was encouraging to kids to get out there and do things," he said. Sunderland said he didn't initially get many bites.

But Magnetic Entertainment of Studio City, Calif., is already promoting "Adventures in Sunderland" and "Abby's Journey," a documentary, on its Web site.

The studio didn't reply to e-mails and calls for comment yesterday.

Sunderland insists Abby's trip wasn't just a stunt.

The reality show was, he said, "the last thing on my mind.

"The wheels in motion for this trip had actually started when Abigail was 13 years old," he added.

Sunderland also defended his decision to let his daughter take the risky journey.

"I love my daughter dearly," he said. "I love the passion of sailing dearly, and this was about Abigail following her dream. She followed the criteria that I had set out, and met all the requirements to embark on this trip."

Yesterday, Abby blogged that she was undaunted by her misadventure, and was considering writing a book.

She called her wild ride on Wild Eyes "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."

The large family has long been a curiosity in the community, neighbors said. All seven children are home-schooled.

"They rarely leave their house, and they rarely talk to neighbors," local resident Brian Gonzales said.

Additional reporting by Ginger Adams Otis

 

[Maikeru-sama]

He's probably going to need the TV deal because while working out this mourning, I saw on the TV that he claims he can't afford to pay for the rescue effort.

I bet some folks that thinks this girl is a hero will start a fund and pay it off for them.

 

[arglebargle]

I love how so many responses in this thread make it seem as though a 16 year old is ******** and can't make a good decision at all, but at 18 they are magically endowed with all the wisdom in the world.

Truth is, this 16 year old may have far more wisdom, experience, and necessary knowledge to make this kind of decision than any of you, no matter how old you are.

Don't you know?? If she had been 18, that wave wouldn't have dismasted her boat!

 

[Hoofbite]

He's probably going to need the TV deal because while working out this mourning, I saw on the TV that he claims he can't afford to pay for the rescue effort.

I bet some folks that thinks this girl is a hero will start a fund and pay it off for them.

Sorrow filled workout?

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Sorrow filled workout?

What a wierdo.

You are such a waste of time.

I'm sure the girls you talk to will say the same.



Sorry man, I had to repost this, it's such a bizarre response that it cracks me up.

 

[Hoofbite]

What a wierdo.

You are such a waste of time.

I'm sure the girls you talk to will say the same.



Sorry man, I had to repost this, it's such a bizarre response that it cracks me up.

Yeah, whatever that was.

Dude probably snuck into theo's liquor cabinet.

 

[CowboyWay]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/sail_kid_parents_set_cour_for_tv_crGRuKCVBcBCM5v3s23ULK

Abby Sunderland's dad had TV deal as girl risked life at sea



[/I]

Nice find ABQ.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

He's probably going to need the TV deal because while working out this mourning, I saw on the TV that he claims he can't afford to pay for the rescue effort.

I bet some folks that thinks this girl is a hero will start a fund and pay it off for them.

Why would he need to do that? What about the Coast Guard?

 

[Hoofbite]

Why would he need to do that? What about the Coast Guard?

She wasn't rescued by the coast guard.

IIRC, she was rescued by a fishing boat after being spotted by a private plane.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

She wasn't rescued by the coast guard.

IIRC, she was rescued by a fishing boat after being spotted by a private plane.

Then if I were her dad, I'd tell her to jump back in the water and hail a Coast Guard cutter.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Abby Sunderland's dad had TV deal as girl risked life at sea

That's just what we need.

 

[VietCowboy]

After letting this story unfold, I'm firmly in the camp that believe this specific girl should NOT have been allowed on this ill-timed adventure. I have nothing against her personally, and feel if she wants to do it again she should, but having read the reports regarding the planning of this expedition, that it was extremely foolhardy to have embarked on it, and for her parents to allow or encourage her to do so.

There are still risks, but to ask a child to do so when you know that the weather and seas are particularly damaging during this time of year just to have a TV deal and a record is bordering neglect.

 

[CliffnDallas]

Boat Girl = Balloon Boy.