Okay, this is how I see it.
It's not easy to sail a boat, and what Abby wanted to do would be a challenge even for seasoned sailors with many years of experience.
But one thing that seems undisputed is that Abby is a seasoned sailor with many years of experience. Apparently she's been sailing since she could walk, and had been preparing for this voyage in particular since she was 13. It's said (although obviously I have no idea whether it's true) that her father tested her skills for those years, and finally made the decision to allow her to undertake the voyage during an unusually challenging day of sailing, with him on board.
"Do you still want to sail around the world?" He's said to have asked. Abby's response reportedly was, "Where's my boat?"
I know little about Abby's sailing skills except that what she did accomplish was more than I expect I could. But one thing I haven't heard alleged is that her sailing skills were deficient. Now, that says nothing about her judgment, maturity, emotional fitness, or any other factors that none of us are in a position to judge unless we know her. But by all accounts she is an accomplished sailor with a great deal of experience, much of it acquired when she was a little child, when newly-learned skills quickly become second nature.
So what is the issue, really, other than what Henning and others have pointed out about the inherent risks of the voyage regardless of who would undertake it? It's that she's only 16. If she were 18, her predicament would barely have attracted the passing notice of the media because she would be an adult.
I submit that the controversy at hand has nothing to do with Abby's sailing skills. I further submit that speculation about her maturity level is just that, because none of us know her (as far as I know, anyway). So all that's left is whether it was acceptable for a 16-year-old who is an accomplished sailor to be allowed by her parents to undertake a dangerous voyage, all by herself.
My opinion is this: I have no idea because I don't know Abby. But...
- I know that I had dangerous hobbies at that age. I climbed mountains and explored caves, two fairly dangerous outdoor activities.
- I know that 16-year-olds are allowed to drive (probably the most dangerous thing most people do, statistically speaking).
- I know 16-year-old student pilots are allowed to fly their cross-country solos, which requires a pretty substantial degree of emotional maturity and responsibility, and carries a fair degree of risk.
- I know I made a decision to join the military when I was 16, and went on active duty when I was 17.
- I know that 16-year-olds are often prosecuted as adults by the justice system.
So assuming that she has the skills, which seems beyond dispute, I really have to refrain from second-guessing her parents. Apparently the whole family is an adventurous lot. Would I let my daughter do it? Were her passion for the sea and her skills were up to the voyage, it's possible I might have.
Not likely, but possible.
But that's me, and I don't claim to be any sort of an authority on parenting. I did a less-than-perfect job of it, quite frankly, which is perhaps another reason I'm reluctant to criticize the Sunderlands.
As for the book, the movie, the reality show, or whatever else they have up their sleeves, why not? It's a fascinating story with many lessons to be learned from it. So why not share it? I doubt they just decided one day, "Hey, let's stick Abby in a sloop and send her around the world as a publicity stunt."
In summary, I think there's been too much of a rush to condemn these parents, when it seems to me they did a pretty splendid job raising a very mature, competent, and capable young lady.
-Rich
Oh CRAP!! I fly an AA1-A!!!
The answer though is no, they don't.
