16 year old circumnavigating the globe lost at sea

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Time to take a break from all the conspiracy theories, what if's, and highly charged debates.

Here is a story that is full of the hopes and dreams of a young girl trying to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe on a sailboat.

Her story and adventures should be a testimony to all that is right and good in this world. It is about hopes, dreams, inspiration and courage.

Earlier today her personal distress beacon went off and she is presumed lost at sea, away from her boat and 40 hours from any type of search and rescue. SHe is most probably alive and alone in the middle of the ocean. For those of you that believe she needs your prayers.

Let's all hope she comes out of this ordeal with one heck of a story.



[edit on 10-6-2010 by photobug]

Here is a story that is full of the hopes and dreams of a young girl trying to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe on a sailboat.

Her story and adventures should be a testimony to all that is right and good in this world. It is about hopes, dreams, inspiration and courage.

Crew Receives Repeated Distress Signals, Loses Contact With 16-Year-Old Attempting Circumnavigation~

I hope she is okay. Why is she alone? Why not sail with a friend??

I hope she is found alive and well.

I cant understand her parents for letting her sale around the world alone! really, I dont care how skilled she is, she's only 16. Poor girl must be terrified.

back in the 90's there was a young girl trying to fly across america and crashed and was killed with her instructor. Kids are full of wild dreams, is it worth there life?

Originally posted by James Battleworthy
back in the 90's there was a young girl trying to fly across america and crashed and was killed with her instructor. Kids are full of wild dreams, is it worth there life?

Depends on whom you ask: those who succeeded, or the families of those who failed. You will get diametrically opposed answers.

I hope she is alive,well and will be found soon. But I have a hard time believing she would be allowed to do this alone. Keep us posted if you hear any other news. Thank you!

She is trying it because another 16 year old girl already did it. I had to google it because the 16 year old Australian girl, Jessica Watson, made it around and home a while ago. Her 17th birthday was mid May. That is around when she got home. The only reason she didn't make the record books was because she didn't travel north enough on the Atlantic. This newest one is from California.

bad things happen when you have something to prove and try to become famous doing foolish and useless ventures.

now if she tried to become the first female sniper to get 900 kills, thats something i can respect.

I think the parents should be charged with endangerment..

and if she does die (or lost at sea)

they should be charged with manslaughter..
any other children in their care should be removed from thehome..



my sons want to be the youngest kids to drive my 4x4 across country.
-my oldest is 9 years old -

will I let him try.. HELL NOES........



[edit on 6/10/2010 by KATSUO]

The bad news is that she is usually in contact through satellite phone. The beacon shows she's drifting at 1 mile per hour which means exactly that, Drifting and not sailing. She probably lost her mast or got injured but the fact that she can't make contact means her sat phone is down or she was chucked over board and the only thing left is an EPIRB distress beacon. Not good....

Sailing around the world as a grown man is tough enough. Just read some old books like Joshua Slocum, 1st man to circumnavigate the world in 1900.

My daughter is also almost 16 and named Abby, so I wish her God speed, and pray for her safety, couldn't hit closer to home, may the waters bring her to safety somehow, and I hope to hear of the miraculous rescue soon....

Circumnavigating the globe solo is a crazy thing to do....it takes over 200 days to do it, I wouldn't think a 16 year old has all the physical and mental abilities to pull it off. Hope this ends well.


[edit on 10-6-2010 by pavil]

From her blog.....

soloround.blogspot.com...


Thursday, June 10, 2010
Update on Abby
We spoke with Abby early this morning and learned that she had had a very rough day with winds up to 60 knots and seas 20-25 feet. She had been knocked down several times but was handling things well. The wind had subsided to around 35 knots which she and Wild Eyes are quite comfortable with.

We were helping her troubleshoot her engine that she was trying to start to charge her systems. Satellite phone reception was patchy. She was able to get the water out of the engine and start her up. We were waiting to hear back from her when American Search & Rescue authorities called to report having received a signal from her emergency beacon (EPIRB). We initially thought that the signal was sent automatically from her water-activated EPIRB and that it had been activated during one of her knockdowns. As we pulled the paperwork from her EPIRB registration, we learned that the signal had come from her manually activated EPIRB.

We were referred to Australian Search & Rescue and while we were on the phone with them another signal came in from her handheld PLB (Personal Locator Beacon). Her water-activated EPIRB has not been activated so we are hopeful that the boat is still upright.

We are working closely with American, French and Australian Search & Rescue authorities to coordinate several ships in the area to divert to her location. There are several ships in her area, the earliest possible contact is 40 hours. We are actively seeking out some sort of air rescue but this is difficult due to the remoteness of her location. Australian Search & Rescue have arranged to have a Quantas Airbus fly over her location at first light (she is 11 hours later). They will not be able to help her other than to talk via marine radio if they are able to get close enough. Hopefully, they will be able to assess her situation and report back to us.

Abby has all of the equipment on board to survive a crisis situation like this. She has a dry suit, survival suit, life raft, and ditch bag with emergency supplies. If she can keep warm and hang on, help will be there as soon as possible. Wild Eyes is designed for travel in the Southern Ocean and is equipped with 5 air-tight bulkheads to keep her buoyant in the event of major hull damage. It is built to Category 0 standards and is designed to self-right in the event of capsize.

Thank you for all of your kind emails and calls. We appreciate your prayers and support.

We will update as soon as there is some news.

Laurence, Marianne and Team Abby

[edit on 10-6-2010 by freetree64]

Alone to pray for her I will now go. Along with all the hope of a safe return I send to this sweetheart. May someone find her well.

I've heard this on the radio a bit today(Australian), no web link's sorry.

But the guy who designed Jessica Watson's ship, and a few others was commenting on the fact that Jessica and zac sunderland (previous record holder)
There ships were purpose built for solo world travel.
Abbys ship wasn't set up for solo, making it just that bit more dangerous. and the parents were aware of this fact

G'day All,

She was found alive and well,

look's like the Goddess was on her side....

reply to post by Kernoonos


A link maybe? Great news if true! I can't imagine being in the middle of the ocean all alone like that, doesn't sound like a ton of fun.

Originally posted by Lady_Tuatha
I hope she is found alive and well.
I cant understand her parents for letting her sale around the world alone! really, I dont care how skilled she is, she's only 16. Poor girl must be terrified.

The parents should be charged with child abuse or neglect.
Although, sadly, I understand the dysfunction of family dynamics, one parent is overwhelmed with grief, while the other is not.
I pray she is found OK.

[edit on 11-6-2010 by Violater1]

Lit some joss sticks and prayed as well when heard.
Quite remarkable her courage in undertaking the voyage hope that she is found .. Theres nothing wrong with people pursuing their dreams.. She seemed quite mature and capable.. It all depends upon the individual some enjoy and thrive on challenges.. Without needing "big brother" to "protect" them from the world..

She has been found, alive and well They dispatched help and found her, OK, in the Indian Ocean. They didn't say anything about bringing her back though, and they might not, because the Australian girl, Jessica Watson, did the trip and made it home Mid may. She was also 16 when she set out.