just me wrote:I did hear this on the news tonight and thought of you, Ray. I sure hope she is rescued!!!
All of my thoughts are with her, JM, and I've been following the latest updates since about 5am (to the neglect of just about everything else). Regardless of criticisms, I still think they are very brave young people. Having read just about every report, there still seems hope that Abby is trapped in a "bubble" on her yatch (which appears to be upside down). The rescue effort is going to be somewhat complicated, but hopefully she will come out alive.
yes, I have been following this, mostly on line as BBC News has not been very fullsome with this young lady's heroic attempt. We can only watch and 'pray' that the search and rescue guys reach her in time. Abby has been on my mind quite a bit since we heard this sad news. If she is still roped to the craft and in an air pocket, there is still hope.
We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. T.S.Eliot
Well the good news is that Abby has been found alive, and tomorrow rescue vessels should pick her up. Her boat has been demasted, and inoperable, but the main thing is that she is safe. Like so many thousands (millions?) of others, I have been hoping for her safety. A Qantas 767, despatched from Perth by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, located Abby and had radio contact with her, and ascertained that she is alive and well. That must have been such a relief to her parents. Australians have a particular empathy with solo sailors like Abby, because of solo sailors like Jessica Watson, and concern for Abby was flashed acrossed every newspaper in the country, and constantly keep online, and News.com.au finally expressed it well: "She's Alive!"
It looks like Abby's father's prayers have been answered, as he said "it's in God's hands". How close she came to death is not hard to imagine, and she was well aware of this from the outset.
When Jess sailed into Sydney Harbour on May 15, perhaps few of us really realised the enormous dangers she faced. Some cynics described her boat as "unsinkable", and filled with all the comforts of the Internet, etc., but how many of them would have been prepared to face rocking and rolling for 210 days at sea, and the lonliness of a 16 year old at sea, I don't know. It's so easy to criticise when you're in a comfy armchair. Abby's ordeal is just a reminder of how dangerous solo sailing can be, no matter what your age, and as Abby said at the outset, she realised that this could end in her death.
These two young ladies revive my hope that there is, perhaps, a solid future for humanity, and that extreme bravery is not a thing of the past. They both demonstrated a heroism that is becoming more and more outdated. My guess is that if either of them lived in 1914, they would have been first among those to enlist to serve in the battlefronts of Europe, and placed their lives on the altar of sacrifce for a greater cause. The current monetary rewards are only incidental to their personal dreams and ambitions. I doubt that either of them said, "I think I can make some money by sailing around the world". They were driven by lofty goals and personal ambition, and prepared to risk their lives to fulfil their dreams.
Abby has so poignantly reminded us of the dangers, and that, in the end, no life is worth any sum of money.
Just heard on the 11am UK time News Bulletin that Abby is alive and still aboard her yacht. GREAT NEWS.
It is said that a French craft will take her in tow and to safety.
We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. T.S.Eliot
I too have been following Abby's story. She is amazing and inspiring to me and I'm so glad she is safe. To me, both her and Jessica Watson represent all the inner hopes and dreams that I have somewhere deep inside. To face the wide-open seas, fight adversity, defy death, relying only on your own skills, experience, fortitude and luck. If only I was half as brave and strong as these girls, I too would love such an adventure!
sailgirl7 wrote:To me, both her and Jessica Watson represent all the inner hopes and dreams that I have somewhere deep inside. To face the wide-open seas, fight adversity, defy death, relying only on your own skills, experience, fortitude and luck. If only I was half as brave and strong as these girls, I too would love such an adventure!
Any connection between that ambition and your moniker?
Meanwhile, I think this is one of the better and more objective articles I've read:
I’m kind of surprised at the number of views this thread has had, and I’m not sure where they’re coming from. In any case, Abby Sunderland is now home and safe, and you can read her newest blog entry at Abby’s Blog.
Jessica Watson is now being accused of setting out on her personal dream and adventure for “profit”. But I think Carlos Alcos put it all in prespective:
I really don’t know where our future lies, with so much cynicism displayed by public commentary to our young achievers. Everything seems to be about money and greed. The fact is that Jessica could have lost her life in this pursuit, as Abby nearly did, and it’s unrealistic not to expect them to regain some capital from their dangerous voyages. With all of the financial corruption going on in the world, the focus on two 16 year old girls seems almost bizarre.
Sadly we live in times where money seems to be the common denominator in most things, particularly through Media eyes. No doubt Jessica, Abby and Mike Perham will be accused of jumping on the financial bandwagon. Mike already has a book out about his exploits, but whatever, small monetary gain he may make will be ploughed back in to his next adventure.
They will be invited to the lecture and after-dinner speaker circuit too, but if they do make any money, all well and good. They risked their lives to put them into that position, while the detractors sat at home and whinged. Good Luck to all three of them, and in their finances too. These gutsy young people deserve our admiration.
We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. T.S.Eliot
Hi Ray, I was sitting chewing on my Marmite toast this morning, when the local Three Counties radio station said that Mike Perham will be announcing his next challenge, at the RAF Farnborough Air Show today. Apparently, 18 year old Mike is to fly solo round the world. He say's he now wants an even bigger challenge. We already know his most recent feat, and his earlier one at aged 14 when he sailed the Atlantic single handedly.
Shall the youth of Zion falter? Well perhaps. But there is nothing holding back Mike, Jessica and Abby.
My link is not working so Google Mike Perham News for his own telling of this new challenge. Perhaps this may put any Mike & Jessica romance on hold?
We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. T.S.Eliot
