butitsadryheat wrote:Brad Marshall wrote:Outside wrote:Consider how the world would have reacted if either of these kids had died.
This is a very good point. However, the girl took care of herself out there, handled a situation that many of us wouldn't have wanted to be in, nor could probably have handle as well as she did, and activated her beacons to effect a rescue. I think she was trained pretty well to handle herself out there and who knows how that training will manifiest itself later in life. Maybe when she hits the talk show scene she'll tell us all how her parents twisted her arm to go.
She was very well trained (since her dad ran a yacht club, she'd prolly been sailing since she was in diapers). Also remember, her brother set the record at 17 just awhile back. They have this in their blood. They would do as well as anyone, I would think.
That being said, I think it was too risky to put a kid in that position. I'm glad she is OK, like I am with Romero.
The ocean is no place for a child, or an adult, to be playing around in/on, especially in the Indian Ocean in the winter
In response to the first post, yep, the world's opinion would've been pretty harsh if she had lost it. But, doesn't mean that the people quickest to offer the loudest criticisms and harshest critiques are necessarily right, even half the time, if they're lucky. . .
As for the next two posts by Brad and BIADH, well, I've swing around on this one, and, I tend to agree. She's experienced, and she showed it in her composure. (Also helps to have a state of the art, hard-to sink boat).
I grew up sailing, and dreamt once of breaking the record for sailing to Hawaii, which I would have had to have done when I was 15. Must have dreamt it at about 13 or so. I was nowhere skilled enough to pull ito off, and I'm not sure my parents would've let me, but, I was competent enough to at least imagine it, dream about it and talk it over with my parents. They didn't laugh at me, and were intrigued a bit, I think.
Reading this girl's story, and listening to the various arguments, brought to mind my own long-ago fantasy, and the potential quest to break this guy's record, who was
the first. Some of you may have heard of him:
Robin Lee Graham.
Yep, took off from LA. when he was but 16, and returned 5yrs. later. (He took his time, played around, hiked islands, swam with dolphins, worked, and fell in love. Also, technically, he didn't sail the whole thing solo, as his girlfriend accompanied him for a short leg. But, wouldn't you have done the same?
).
Then, stumbled across this interesting chart. Looks as though a few, (some I knew of), have been sailing at the same young, tender ages in recent years.
I hand it to this girl, for hanging in their under dire circumstance. A dismasting in any ocean is scary as hell, and a potentially life-threatening event. Enough to freak out anyone. She hung in there, remained calm, and activated her safety measures. She's smart, and competent. No record for her, but she probably doesn't care. . .
May she sail again.
Link to the history of young circumnavigators:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Lee_Graham