16-year old solo round-the-world Abby Sunderland lost at sea

[Lindley]

In our world of finite resources where unemployed people are being cut off from benefits, spending $200,000 (or whatever the cost was) on finding a kid who should NOT have been out there in the first place is an insult AND an injury to people who really NEED those resources.

First, what qualifies you to say she should not have been out there in the first place? Are you a sailor of sufficient experience to make expert commentary on her route, equipment, and chosen time of travel?

Second, some resources are finite, but this search and rescue did not consume even a drop in the bucket. An Airbus was sent 2000 miles in each direction; that's maybe 7-8 hours in the air, assuming they could home in the PLB and didn't need to search much. The fuel expended on such a flight is perhaps 1/30000th of that used every day during normal operations. The pilots' pay isn't all that significant (and if they're on salary, irrelevant). The cost of renting the plane's time would probably be substantial, but still small by government standards. So that only leaves the cost of diverting the fishing boat to pick her up----again, probably small by government standards.

Search and rescue is part of the government budget. They plan for it.

 

[gturner]

^ But don't you see the double standard?

Expensive sailboat on an around-the-world journey warrants a rescue.

The SS Minnow - not so much.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

In our world of finite resources where unemployed people are being cut off from benefits, spending $200,000 (or whatever the cost was) on finding a kid who should NOT have been out there in the first place is an insult AND an injury to people who really NEED those resources.

First, what qualifies you to say she should not have been out there in the first place? Are you a sailor of sufficient experience to make expert commentary on her route, equipment, and chosen time of travel?

It's not a question of her skills (or lack thereof), it's a question of the morality and utility of the ACTIVITY. This was nothing more than ego-boo on her part. Nothing worthwhile was EVER going to come from this other than her own "self-image".

I could live for 3 YEARS on $50,000...and this bimbo's parents wasted that kind of money on a fucking boat...

That would make out to about $16.6K a year, You would be struggling big time in most cities in the US. 30K a year isn't much here in the DC area. That's why my fiancee isn't going to get an apartment until we get married after graduation so I'd be working, so there would be dual income....

Midwest, not in a "major" city. $16.6k a year clear would cover rent, food, etc for one person. They wouldn't be living high on the hog, per se, but they'd be doing about average for my area.

 

[Lindley]

It's not a question of her skills (or lack thereof), it's a question of the morality and utility of the ACTIVITY. This was nothing more than ego-boo on her part. Nothing worthwhile was EVER going to come from this other than her own "self-image".

....So what? If she has the means, and the skills, that's enough of a reason to do almost anything.

Heck, that's what hobbies are all about. Most people have them. Many aren't that ambitious, but that doesn't make them any more or less valid.

I'm probably going to pay at least $600 tomorrow to fly a plane around northern Viginia for a bit before returning to where I started. I'll be fulfilling a requirement towards my instrument rating, but is that enough of a reason? Should I be staying in at home just because I have no practical plans for putting my pilot's license to work in the immediate future?

 

[Finn]

In our world of finite resources where unemployed people are being cut off from benefits, spending $200,000 (or whatever the cost was) on finding a kid who should NOT have been out there in the first place is an insult AND an injury to people who really NEED those resources.

First, what qualifies you to say she should not have been out there in the first place? Are you a sailor of sufficient experience to make expert commentary on her route, equipment, and chosen time of travel?

It's not a question of her skills (or lack thereof), it's a question of the morality and utility of the ACTIVITY. This was nothing more than ego-boo on her part. Nothing worthwhile was EVER going to come from this other than her own "self-image".

I could live for 3 YEARS on $50,000...and this bimbo's parents wasted that kind of money on a fucking boat...

That would make out to about $16.6K a year, You would be struggling big time in most cities in the US. 30K a year isn't much here in the DC area. That's why my fiancee isn't going to get an apartment until we get married after graduation so I'd be working, so there would be dual income....

Midwest, not in a "major" city. $16.6k a year clear would cover rent, food, etc for one person. They wouldn't be living high on the hog, per se, but they'd be doing about average for my area.

I lived in the Midwest for several years, making $20 a yeKar, and I couldn't do much beyond the rent and bills for a long while. Depends on the area. I was told that one could live very comfortably at $20K in Alabama, and that's was from a native Tennesseean who loved to trash Alabama.

 

[Trekker4747]

There's places where you can live on $20 a year? Sign me up!

 

[Capn Flukie]

I could live for five years @ $50k/yr, and I live in NY.

 

[Amaris]

^Who gives a rat-fuck?

This is an exercise in pure narcissism. "Hey! Look at what I did!"

The global economy in the tank, millions out of work, Congress letting UE benefits expire because of political bullshit and everyone's making a big deal worrying about some bored little rich girl who got in trouble playing with one of Daddy's boats...it's disgusting.

Her parents have done their kids no favors indulging them in this bullshit.

*edit* I just did a quick check on-line, and a boat in the same size range as hers goes from anywhere from $50,000-$150,000 depending on type, fittings, etc USED.

I could live for 3 YEARS on $50,000...and this bimbo's parents wasted that kind of money on a fucking boat...

You are being very derogatory toward a person who affects you negatively in no way, and being decidedly reductionist toward not only her and the relationship between her parents, but also her skills and her experiences of which you have no real knowledge. So, in answer to your question, it seems you do care about this a great deal. As most care about Abby's safety, your posts seem to be focusing on a money aspect that doesn't concern you.

I care about her safety as a human being, but that's ALL I care about here.

It's sickening to see kids like this with too much money and too little sense. It's the worst kind of narcissistic conspicuous consumption. In our world of finite resources where unemployed people are being cut off from benefits, spending $200,000 (or whatever the cost was) on finding a kid who should NOT have been out there in the first place is an insult AND an injury to people who really NEED those resources.

From what source do you draw upon your stereotype of affluent children and teens?

 

[Trekker4747]

Someone want to get the crane and help Darkwing get back on the rails?

DWD, these people spent thier own money to do this, money they can spend however they choose. As for unemployment benifits there's only so much money in the system, and cannot last and run forever. And further, one has nothing to do with the other.

While I agree that too many in this country are too focused on amassing great wealth just to have piles of cash sitting in their accounts pretty much doing nothing but making more money and live glamorous lifestyles with multiple homes I think that's more of a problem with the "me first" mentality many in this country have or the "be your own man, make your own way" mentality, rather these billionaire CEOs taking those excess profits or obscenely high salaries for the top-tiers and making their lower ranks have better lives and more secure jobs.

Still, we know little about this family or how they spend their money and if they want to buy an expensive boat for their teenage daughter to sink into the ocean that's their call. It has nothing to do with unemployment and has nothing to do with the mentality many have in this country.

 

[Misfit Toy]

This "hobby" is just a private person's version of spending money on "the arts" or NASA by the government. It's wasteful and immoral and shouldn't be allowed.

Immoral?? Really?

Wow. You really aren't in a position to judge anyone else's morality.

 

[Amaris]

This "hobby" is just a private person's version of spending money on "the arts" or NASA by the government. It's wasteful and immoral and shouldn't be allowed.

Immoral?? Really?

Wow. You really aren't in a position to judge anyone else's morality.

I also find it interesting that he feels people shouldn't be allowed to spend their own money however they want, saying it shouldn't be allowed. That would require a "Moral Police", which his posts indicate he would be in favor of such an established order.

For me, I dislike the idea of a "moral police" with the full backing of the government. I value liberty. I value the tenets of the Constitution, with which a "moral police" would most certainly clash.

 

[nevermore]

Anyway, sailors have a different mindset than the rest of us.

This is very true. I grew up in Annapolis where you learn to sail practically before you learn to walk; given the level of skill and daring I've seen 8-year-olds demonstrate in Sunfish regattas, I imagine there are a lot of parents there who wouldn't even blink if their kids wanted to do this. I've certainly known kids who did Annapolis-to-Bermuda solos and such.

Why? Being young, almost by definition, means being under skilled.

I'm sorry, but what skill do you have that even comes close to the mastery this girl demonstrated by making it half-way around the world on a sailboat? Do you have any conception at all the level of skill and preparation any open ocean voyage entails, let alone a solo trip? I'm betting you don't. In fact, I'm betting you've never been on a sailboat.

No teenager is skilled enough for such a challenge.

Apparently they are, as others have done it successfully before.

Hell, when I was sixteen my parents wouldn't let me go on the friggin' interstate by myself.

That's your own problem.

Oh, she had a standard emergency beacon all boats must carry and a satellite phone. She was so prepared to go!

She was completely prepared and had more than the minimum safety precautions. In addition, she was clearly both sufficiently skilled to prevent catastrophic capsizing and sufficiently prepared to take the appropriate action in an emergency.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I could live for 3 YEARS on $50,000...and this bimbo's parents wasted that kind of money on a fucking boat...

That would make out to about $16.6K a year, You would be struggling big time in most cities in the US. 30K a year isn't much here in the DC area. That's why my fiancee isn't going to get an apartment until we get married after graduation so I'd be working, so there would be dual income....

Wow...that sure brings back memories of when I used to live near DC. If I still lived there, I bet you I would STILL be living in my parents' place.

Even here I think it would be very tough.

I imagine the only way to live on $16,600 a year would be in a rural area, or to live with someone else.

 

[gturner]

No, you'd be suprised how cheaply you can live in an urban area if you're willing to hunt pets.

 

[Trekker4747]

She was completely prepared and had more than the minimum safety precautions. In addition, she was clearly both sufficiently skilled to prevent catastrophic capsizing and sufficiently prepared to take the appropriate action in an emergency.

She still left at a time a year when many adult sailors told her it wasn't a good idea.

And what the fuck difference does it make what I've accomplished in my life and can and cannot do? Are you people who're defending this girl really saying that a sixteen year old girl no matter how "well trained" she is able to circumnavigate the globe completely by herself?!

Seriously?! So being sixteen, then, is all the time it takes to get all of the training and life expereince needed to do such an incredible task? Wow, we should be putting sixteen-year-olds in Congress, in NASA and int he CIA! Sixteen year olds are teh awesome! And canz do anything!



Sheesh.

She was SIXTEEN FUCKING YEARS OLD!!!. Really. Really she had enough experience to travel around the world by herself something most adults struggle to do in even ideal conditions?

Really?!

I mean, most people who do this at the very least do it with a chasing support vessel, this girl didn't. Because there's not like pirates and stuff out there who'd board her or something.

Yep. Sixteen-year-old girls can do anything! They are teh awesome! Girl power! They've have... a few years worth of training to do these things! Fuck all common sense and logic, go, go ahead and sail around the world by yourself for the better part of the next year or so! We'll sit here and wait. Bye!

 

[Lindley]

Are you people who're defending this girl really saying that a sixteen year old girl no matter how "well trained" she is able to circumnavigate the globe completely by herself?!

I have no idea. I don't know her. However, I think it's well within the realm of possibility.

A lot of people are capable of incredible tasks. Many times all that's lacking is the motivation and self-confidence.

She still left at a time a year when many adult sailors told her it wasn't a good idea.

Is there anything to back that up? I've only seen experts sounding dubious about it in the context of commentary after her accident. And we all know how hindsight works.

There's a rule in aviation: No matter what advisories you get from Flight Service or ATC, ultimately the Pilot in Command is responsible for the go/no go decision. I imagine it's the same in boating. Maybe she didn't make the right decision this time, but as the sailor, it was her call to make.

 

[scotpens]

. . . you'd be suprised how cheaply you can live in an urban area if you're willing to hunt pets.

And don't forget squirrels.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2008/03/03/squirrel_eating_feature.shtml

 

[John Picard]

She was completely prepared and had more than the minimum safety precautions. In addition, she was clearly both sufficiently skilled to prevent catastrophic capsizing and sufficiently prepared to take the appropriate action in an emergency.

She still left at a time a year when many adult sailors told her it wasn't a good idea.

And what the fuck difference does it make what I've accomplished in my life and can and cannot do? Are you people who're defending this girl really saying that a sixteen year old girl no matter how "well trained" she is able to circumnavigate the globe completely by herself?!

Seriously?! So being sixteen, then, is all the time it takes to get all of the training and life expereince needed to do such an incredible task? Wow, we should be putting sixteen-year-olds in Congress, in NASA and int he CIA! Sixteen year olds are teh awesome! And canz do anything!



Sheesh.

She was SIXTEEN FUCKING YEARS OLD!!!. Really. Really she had enough experience to travel around the world by herself something most adults struggle to do in even ideal conditions?

Really?!

I mean, most people who do this at the very least do it with a chasing support vessel, this girl didn't. Because there's not like pirates and stuff out there who'd board her or something.

Yep. Sixteen-year-old girls can do anything! They are teh awesome! Girl power! They've have... a few years worth of training to do these things! Fuck all common sense and logic, go, go ahead and sail around the world by yourself for the better part of the next year or so! We'll sit here and wait. Bye!

Have you ever left Kansas? Seriously.

 

[Trekker4747]

She was completely prepared and had more than the minimum safety precautions. In addition, she was clearly both sufficiently skilled to prevent catastrophic capsizing and sufficiently prepared to take the appropriate action in an emergency.

She still left at a time a year when many adult sailors told her it wasn't a good idea.

And what the fuck difference does it make what I've accomplished in my life and can and cannot do? Are you people who're defending this girl really saying that a sixteen year old girl no matter how "well trained" she is able to circumnavigate the globe completely by herself?!

Seriously?! So being sixteen, then, is all the time it takes to get all of the training and life expereince needed to do such an incredible task? Wow, we should be putting sixteen-year-olds in Congress, in NASA and int he CIA! Sixteen year olds are teh awesome! And canz do anything!



Sheesh.

She was SIXTEEN FUCKING YEARS OLD!!!. Really. Really she had enough experience to travel around the world by herself something most adults struggle to do in even ideal conditions?

Really?!

I mean, most people who do this at the very least do it with a chasing support vessel, this girl didn't. Because there's not like pirates and stuff out there who'd board her or something.

Yep. Sixteen-year-old girls can do anything! They are teh awesome! Girl power! They've have... a few years worth of training to do these things! Fuck all common sense and logic, go, go ahead and sail around the world by yourself for the better part of the next year or so! We'll sit here and wait. Bye!

Have you ever left Kansas? Seriously.

:yawn:

 

[nevermore]

She was completely prepared and had more than the minimum safety precautions. In addition, she was clearly both sufficiently skilled to prevent catastrophic capsizing and sufficiently prepared to take the appropriate action in an emergency.

She still left at a time a year when many adult sailors told her it wasn't a good idea.

And what the fuck difference does it make what I've accomplished in my life and can and cannot do? Are you people who're defending this girl really saying that a sixteen year old girl no matter how "well trained" she is able to circumnavigate the globe completely by herself?!

Seriously?! So being sixteen, then, is all the time it takes to get all of the training and life expereince needed to do such an incredible task? Wow, we should be putting sixteen-year-olds in Congress, in NASA and int he CIA! Sixteen year olds are teh awesome! And canz do anything!



Sheesh.

She was SIXTEEN FUCKING YEARS OLD!!!. Really. Really she had enough experience to travel around the world by herself something most adults struggle to do in even ideal conditions?

Really?!

I mean, most people who do this at the very least do it with a chasing support vessel, this girl didn't. Because there's not like pirates and stuff out there who'd board her or something.

Yep. Sixteen-year-old girls can do anything! They are teh awesome! Girl power! They've have... a few years worth of training to do these things! Fuck all common sense and logic, go, go ahead and sail around the world by yourself for the better part of the next year or so! We'll sit here and wait. Bye!

You seem to be under the impression that open water crossings are a super-rare occurrence. That's what this is - a series of open water crossings, and they're not uncommon. My parents have done it. They know dozens of people who have done it. This was just a more ambitious trip, and given that others, including her own brother at age 17, have done it, there is no reason for anyone to assume based solely on age, that she is incapable of doing it.