you are exactly Ross probly the same as the Abarigines were doing in OZ when the Queen of England sent the penal population to that continent as well :cussing: and they also may have said "There Goes The Neighborhood"
regards
woody
Abby Sunderland found alive
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regards
woody
So, a few days ago, I saw this article
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...rland-sets-sights-on-new-sailing-attempt.html
And I noticed the odd block and tackle in the forefront. Running backstays..really??
Then I searched her blog.
June 2
"Back outside, it was pouring buckets of rain. I hadn't bothered to get my foul weather gear on. I didn't have time to. I didn't notice the cold. Wild Eyes was nearly flat on her side and the running back stay was stuck the wrong side of the boom. I clipped onto the boom and climbed onto the end. I would rather not have done that, but under the circumstances there was no other choice."
http://soloround.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html
I would never..never.. dream of taking a boat with running backstays out on the ocean. It sounds to me like right there, on June 2, she probably suffered severe rig damage. Who know how many times it actually happened, but I do know that if you gybe and the backstays aren't in place, the mast does things it's not supposed to do..like fall in the water.
Is the extra 8 inches of boom really worth it, Abby? I'm glad they got her, but this seems like something that was a major problem from the start. Accidental gybes are always bad - but in a running backstay rig, they are downright destructive.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...rland-sets-sights-on-new-sailing-attempt.html
And I noticed the odd block and tackle in the forefront. Running backstays..really??
Then I searched her blog.
June 2
"Back outside, it was pouring buckets of rain. I hadn't bothered to get my foul weather gear on. I didn't have time to. I didn't notice the cold. Wild Eyes was nearly flat on her side and the running back stay was stuck the wrong side of the boom. I clipped onto the boom and climbed onto the end. I would rather not have done that, but under the circumstances there was no other choice."
http://soloround.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html
I would never..never.. dream of taking a boat with running backstays out on the ocean. It sounds to me like right there, on June 2, she probably suffered severe rig damage. Who know how many times it actually happened, but I do know that if you gybe and the backstays aren't in place, the mast does things it's not supposed to do..like fall in the water.
Is the extra 8 inches of boom really worth it, Abby? I'm glad they got her, but this seems like something that was a major problem from the start. Accidental gybes are always bad - but in a running backstay rig, they are downright destructive.
As the story was told by the man that owned the Westsail in the Perfect storm, Because a "Mayday" went out over the radio. he was told by the Coastguard in charge on the heli that if he refused the order to abandon his ship he would loose the Documentation for that vessel . That is why he abandoned the boat. After the two Woman were off he wanted to stay with his boat..
He then spent over $10,000.00 trying to find it. It washed up on the beach in Ocrakoke NC. i think
You can find HIS side of the story on the web.
Brian
Picture says a thousand words
Here is a picture of the last immigration guys who screwed up.
Attachments
Abby starting to work her way home....
Here's an excerpt from Abby's blog written yesterday aboard the French fishing boat that picked her up:
"The story of Wild Eyes is over, but my story is still going. I'm still out on the ocean headed to a little island called Kerguelen and then will be on another boat for ten days up to an island near Madagascar. From there I will eventually make it home." http://soloround.blogspot.com/ read the whole thing... it's interesting.
Looks like it will be a while before she gets back.... I wasn't the end of the world...but you could see it from there. Thank god for the mariner's code.... she was definitely on "the far side of the world"... (thanks Patrick OB)
Here's an excerpt from Abby's blog written yesterday aboard the French fishing boat that picked her up:
"The story of Wild Eyes is over, but my story is still going. I'm still out on the ocean headed to a little island called Kerguelen and then will be on another boat for ten days up to an island near Madagascar. From there I will eventually make it home." http://soloround.blogspot.com/ read the whole thing... it's interesting.
Looks like it will be a while before she gets back.... I wasn't the end of the world...but you could see it from there. Thank god for the mariner's code.... she was definitely on "the far side of the world"... (thanks Patrick OB)
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interesting comment...
Thanks for the info.... I realize the serious implications of a "mayday" call.... I thought that it was a request for assistance where there is an injury of severe danger to the boat... I was not aware that a skipper is required to abandon his boat because there may be a crewmember severely injured on board.... that would not make sense to me....
Has anyone ever dropped anchor before abandoning ship, hoping it hooks before the boat washes ashore?
Abby, and in particular her parents, have come in for some pretty savage criticism... Maybe it was an ill-conceived attempt, but I'll tell you what, Abby is a lot more resourceful and self-reliant than your typical adult of twice her years. I'm very impressed.
It is a good thing that she was found. I know that a lot of us in the community were quite concerned.
Honestly, it really doesn't do any good to second guess her decisions or her parents' decisions to allow her to do this. At least she is none worse for the wear and she will make it home. There are thousands and thousands of others whose final resting place is the bottom of the ocean. There are lots of families out there that will never know what actually happened to their loved ones.
The sea is a wonderful place but you have to respect her. When you stop respecting her and think that you own her you will end up getting yourself in big trouble.
It is a shame that this happened but not a tragedy....She will get to sail another day, if she chooses.
Honestly, it really doesn't do any good to second guess her decisions or her parents' decisions to allow her to do this. At least she is none worse for the wear and she will make it home. There are thousands and thousands of others whose final resting place is the bottom of the ocean. There are lots of families out there that will never know what actually happened to their loved ones.
The sea is a wonderful place but you have to respect her. When you stop respecting her and think that you own her you will end up getting yourself in big trouble.
It is a shame that this happened but not a tragedy....She will get to sail another day, if she chooses.
if i were to bet on that i would say that she will sail again ....anyone with that much moxey wont let a little rain discourage them..and she will be stronger in the long run ...knowing what not to do next time around.... after all she is a salt and comes from a whole family of salt's.....
regards
woody
In fact, they're broke. That's why they sent their daughter into the Southern Ocean in the winter...they had a deal with a reality show. These two articles tell the story:
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2010-06-11&dayid=438
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2010-06-14&dayid=439#Story4
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2010-06-14&dayid=439#Story4
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2010-06-11&dayid=438
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2010-06-14&dayid=439#Story4
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2010-06-14&dayid=439#Story4
Holy CR*P.. Have they been consulting with the Baloon Boy's folks ?? Those are interesting articles, Peggy.. I guess we'll see her (if one were to watch) on Dancing with Starz and Dr. Phil.. and maybe even Jerry Springer.. all shows aimed toward the sailing folks !! Yeah
My fundamentalist friend who flies a good bit has a sign in his plane about God is his Co-pilot, but he also has gas gauges and a GPS !
I wondered about the choice of vessel as well.. seems like Ms. Watson's advisors had a better understanding of the kind of boat that would be more useful to a young solo sailor..
Ahh Well.. My boys were on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras.. Just about as risky !
My fundamentalist friend who flies a good bit has a sign in his plane about God is his Co-pilot, but he also has gas gauges and a GPS !
I wondered about the choice of vessel as well.. seems like Ms. Watson's advisors had a better understanding of the kind of boat that would be more useful to a young solo sailor..
Ahh Well.. My boys were on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras.. Just about as risky !
I'm going to jump in here and say a few things, because I think they've been missed.
First of all, there is a big difference between Abby and Jessica leaving, and Mike and Zac doing this same thing. The boys were 17 at the time, not 16. That's a huge difference in many ways. Also, society, at least here in America, tends to be a bit more protective of girls than boys.
Second, I think the choice of boat was really poorly thought out. Open 40s are pure racing machines and most ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR SHORT-HANDED SAILING. If the boat had been a CLASS 40, which is specifically designed for solo racing, then it might have been a very different story. The problems with an OPEN 40 are many. They are not very seakindly boats—they're high performance, beamy, racing machines and the motion they have is pretty tough on most people. Liz Clark, of s/v Swell fame, says that her Cal 40 is a problem in heavy weather, and it is a far more conservative design than any OPEN 40 is.... The boat was too reliant on complex electronics—it couldn't be steered using a wind vane because the design, like many multihulls, causes problems for windvane self-steering and makes it less than reliable. The reliance on electricity and electronics was readily apparent when she aborted her first attempt and ended up in Cabo San Lucas.
Third, the timing of the trip was all wrong. She was sailing to a schedule, and doing so is stupid. She was supposed to leave in November originally. She didn't leave until January, but aborted that attempt and really didn't start until February. That put her THREE MONTHS behind schedule. She couldn't postpone because her birthday was forcing her departure date. STUPID. That's almost as bad as Ronnie Simpson leaving for his voyage based on making the evening newscast.
Fourth, Abby didn't have the experience with the boat. The Sunderlands bought Wild Eyes in October of 2009, just three months before Abby left. Granted, Abby helped sail the boat from NY to Florida IIRC. However, much of the time Wild Eyes was either being refitted, without much participation from Abby by all accounts I've seen, or being transported between Florida and California. So, exactly how much time did Abby have to sail on Wild Eyes alone? How much time did she have to learn the new systems on this highly complex and technical boat? By all accounts it was less than two months. Yeah, my point exactly. I'd point out that Jessica Watson was fully involved and in charge of refitting her S&S 34, Ella's Pink Lady. She chose the gear that she was going to use on her circumnavigation and spent most of a year refitting and sailing the boat according to the articles I've read. The difference in their experience and familiarity with the boats shows. Abby didn't know how to mount or use the backup antenna for the satellite phone... which is why she had to pull the trigger on the EPIRBs. She didn't know how to jury rig the boat.
Fifth, IMHO Abby didn't have that much sailing experience. While Jessica and Mike Perham have fairly well-documented sailing resumes, Zac and Abby do not. Jessica captained a 34' boat on a Tasman sea crossing of 1300 NM or so when she was 15. Mike soloed across the Atlantic in a 28' sailboat prior to his circumnavigation attempt. I haven't seen much of anything from a source other than the Sunderland family that Zac and Abby were both accomplished sailors for the most part. I'd point out that much of the reason Zac was successful in his circumnavigation is that his boat was far more seakindly, less reliant on electronics, his route was far easier, if longer, and he had far more experience with his boat and knew it far better than Abby knew Wild Eyes by all accounts.
While I wish Abby well, and am glad that she will be home safely soon... it is fairly telling that in her first interviews she came out whiny and did NOT MENTION all the people who had put their lives at risk to rescue her, especially the captain of the ship, who had actually fallen overboard in his attempt to help retrieve Ms. Sunderland, that actually picked her up.
I'd point out that according to some articles, the boat Wild Eyes cost almost $900,000 between its purchase price and the amount that went into refitting her. According to one article, Ella's Pink Lady cost a bit over $100,000 to purchase and outfit... Given how much money the Sunderlands have raised in sponsorship, I hope the rescuers send them a bill.
First of all, there is a big difference between Abby and Jessica leaving, and Mike and Zac doing this same thing. The boys were 17 at the time, not 16. That's a huge difference in many ways. Also, society, at least here in America, tends to be a bit more protective of girls than boys.
Second, I think the choice of boat was really poorly thought out. Open 40s are pure racing machines and most ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR SHORT-HANDED SAILING. If the boat had been a CLASS 40, which is specifically designed for solo racing, then it might have been a very different story. The problems with an OPEN 40 are many. They are not very seakindly boats—they're high performance, beamy, racing machines and the motion they have is pretty tough on most people. Liz Clark, of s/v Swell fame, says that her Cal 40 is a problem in heavy weather, and it is a far more conservative design than any OPEN 40 is.... The boat was too reliant on complex electronics—it couldn't be steered using a wind vane because the design, like many multihulls, causes problems for windvane self-steering and makes it less than reliable. The reliance on electricity and electronics was readily apparent when she aborted her first attempt and ended up in Cabo San Lucas.
Third, the timing of the trip was all wrong. She was sailing to a schedule, and doing so is stupid. She was supposed to leave in November originally. She didn't leave until January, but aborted that attempt and really didn't start until February. That put her THREE MONTHS behind schedule. She couldn't postpone because her birthday was forcing her departure date. STUPID. That's almost as bad as Ronnie Simpson leaving for his voyage based on making the evening newscast.
Fourth, Abby didn't have the experience with the boat. The Sunderlands bought Wild Eyes in October of 2009, just three months before Abby left. Granted, Abby helped sail the boat from NY to Florida IIRC. However, much of the time Wild Eyes was either being refitted, without much participation from Abby by all accounts I've seen, or being transported between Florida and California. So, exactly how much time did Abby have to sail on Wild Eyes alone? How much time did she have to learn the new systems on this highly complex and technical boat? By all accounts it was less than two months. Yeah, my point exactly. I'd point out that Jessica Watson was fully involved and in charge of refitting her S&S 34, Ella's Pink Lady. She chose the gear that she was going to use on her circumnavigation and spent most of a year refitting and sailing the boat according to the articles I've read. The difference in their experience and familiarity with the boats shows. Abby didn't know how to mount or use the backup antenna for the satellite phone... which is why she had to pull the trigger on the EPIRBs. She didn't know how to jury rig the boat.
Fifth, IMHO Abby didn't have that much sailing experience. While Jessica and Mike Perham have fairly well-documented sailing resumes, Zac and Abby do not. Jessica captained a 34' boat on a Tasman sea crossing of 1300 NM or so when she was 15. Mike soloed across the Atlantic in a 28' sailboat prior to his circumnavigation attempt. I haven't seen much of anything from a source other than the Sunderland family that Zac and Abby were both accomplished sailors for the most part. I'd point out that much of the reason Zac was successful in his circumnavigation is that his boat was far more seakindly, less reliant on electronics, his route was far easier, if longer, and he had far more experience with his boat and knew it far better than Abby knew Wild Eyes by all accounts.
While I wish Abby well, and am glad that she will be home safely soon... it is fairly telling that in her first interviews she came out whiny and did NOT MENTION all the people who had put their lives at risk to rescue her, especially the captain of the ship, who had actually fallen overboard in his attempt to help retrieve Ms. Sunderland, that actually picked her up.
I'd point out that according to some articles, the boat Wild Eyes cost almost $900,000 between its purchase price and the amount that went into refitting her. According to one article, Ella's Pink Lady cost a bit over $100,000 to purchase and outfit... Given how much money the Sunderlands have raised in sponsorship, I hope the rescuers send them a bill.
I absolutely don't think of girls being "mear" its the parents that are wimpy, that was my point.
I can't say that I disagree with all the folks criticizing the choice of the boat, route, etc... I don't have enough sailing experience to know any better. I defer to the experienced sailors on the forum. Everyone is making good points.
I'm just curious where were all of the outspoken critics when she took off for the trip? Was anyone saying everything was all wrong then? I'm not being critical of the critics, because I can see both sides of the situation. I'm just genuinely curious.
If I had any criticism it would be that her purpose in the trip was all wrong. Perhaps I am biased, because I just got through reading Robin Lee Graham's book "Dove", but in my opinion you shouldn't be sailing around the world as fast as you can just to beat somebody else, you should be sailing around the world to experience the world. Take time to eat a roasted pig on the beach in the south pacific, swim with the seals in the Galapagos islands.
Robin's trip was much less planned than Abby's and he had much less sailing experience, but you hardly ever hear any criticism of him or his parents. Of course he made it all the way around despite being dismasted twice and sailing through a terrible storm. I think he had $70 in his pocket when he sailed from Hawaii after taking on provisions.
That's all the money he had... He traded used clothing for provisions... That's freedom.
I'm just curious where were all of the outspoken critics when she took off for the trip? Was anyone saying everything was all wrong then? I'm not being critical of the critics, because I can see both sides of the situation. I'm just genuinely curious.
If I had any criticism it would be that her purpose in the trip was all wrong. Perhaps I am biased, because I just got through reading Robin Lee Graham's book "Dove", but in my opinion you shouldn't be sailing around the world as fast as you can just to beat somebody else, you should be sailing around the world to experience the world. Take time to eat a roasted pig on the beach in the south pacific, swim with the seals in the Galapagos islands.
Robin's trip was much less planned than Abby's and he had much less sailing experience, but you hardly ever hear any criticism of him or his parents. Of course he made it all the way around despite being dismasted twice and sailing through a terrible storm. I think he had $70 in his pocket when he sailed from Hawaii after taking on provisions.
That's all the money he had... He traded used clothing for provisions... That's freedom.- Status