16 Year-Old Sailer Missing In Indian Ocean

[Invictus ChiKen]

Oh, I'm terribly sorry, forgive me for reading:

For her actions the girl should never be placed in any history or record book and in addition laws should be passed to make sure this never happens again.

As you advocating that the girl should never be placed in any history or record book

Like I said I assume common sense on the part of readers, but we digress and derail here. So what do ya say to the idea of not placing her in records FOR this action? As she was going for a record and spot in the history books for this very reckless action.

[Sharp-kun]

Wasn't there some fuss about this last year where legal action was taken (and failed) to stop her btw?

So what do ya say to the idea of not placing her in records FOR this action? As she was going for a record and spot in the history books for this very reckless action.

I disagree with it. If she manages it she manages it and deserves to be recognised for it (assuming no foul play etc). Plenty of records could probably be described as far more reckless than this given she seems to be quite competent overall.

What she did could probably have been better planned, but I don't think it was the foolhardy suicide trip others seem to.

[RedImperator]

She wasn't going to make any record books anyway. She had to put into port a while ago with equipment problems, which 1) knocked her out of contention for an "unassisted, non-stop" trip, and 2) delayed her long enough she'd almost certainly return to California too late to break "youngest solo circumnavigation". Even if she gets her boat repaired at Reunion and resumes the trip, there's no chance at all of breaking any records now.

All that said, if she did break the record, not putting her in the record books because she broke truancy laws (protip: homeschooling) is stupid and impossible anyway. If she was actually the youngest person to sail around the world solo, then the fact she was truant doesn't change history. It wouldn't make any more sense to expunge her from the record books than it would to expunge Charles Lindbergh because he was a Nazi-loving jerk.

What would it accomplish anyway? It's not like you're about to see a rash of high schoolers quit school to sail around the world. The number of people in the world who could actually attempt this is a subset of a subset of a a group that's not very big to begin with--the children of very rich people who are highly technically proficient at sailing whose parents are actually willing to let them sail solo around the world. I'm really not expecting to see the Delaware Bay clotted with the sailboats of working and middle class kids skipping school to sail around the world.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Well, the Goddess kills and protects alike and if she wants to worship her death God at sea she does it at her own expense and risk of failure (just saying the ocean in a faux-poetic way), so if that makes her uncomfortable, whatever; her religion doesn't make her more or less of a sailor, it never has. Superstition and the sea go hand in hand for a lot of reasons. But of course it's true that giving her the keys to a car is a more dangerous act on the part of her parents than giving her this yacht, and I wonder just where the charmingly stupid attitude here is coming from. I wonder how long you'd last if you posted a thread in N&P saying how stupid it was every single time a teenager dies in a car wreck; what, sixteen, seventeen threads a day?

Also just because the average teenager shouldn't be doing things doesn't mean the exceptional teenager should actually be held to the limits, were it not for the fact that laws should remain in principle the same. She may be highly intelligent AND highly mentally developed for her age, no scratch that, she is, and she's certainly a unique individual in her development and talent. Again. She was in a Force 11 and her mast went over the side, and she kept her cool, cleared debris of the rigging from threatening the stability and integrity of the ship, activated her distress beacons, and then kept her bow into the waves for hours and hours on end without respite until the storm began to clear. None of those activities are easy. She earned the right to be out there by surviving, as her parents put her in a very Darwinian situation, and she wasn't winnowed. Now, I don't approve of that situation for anyone, but since her parents had been seeing her sail for years, they certainly already knew her mettle at the helm.

[Simon_Jester]

But of course it's true that giving her the keys to a car is a more dangerous act on the part of her parents than giving her this yacht...

Is it, really? How do the actuarial results compare? Certainly teenagers die in car accidents all the time, but there are a lot more teenagers driving on the freeways than sailing on the high seas.

None of those activities are easy. She earned the right to be out there by surviving, as her parents put her in a very Darwinian situation, and she wasn't winnowed. Now, I don't approve of that situation for anyone, but since her parents had been seeing her sail for years, they certainly already knew her mettle at the helm.

So. What do you think of the parenting involved here, Your Grace?

[Sky Captain]

I fail to see anything worth criminalizing here. She clearly is a competent sailor if she managed to get this far in the first place and survive that storm. Mast failure or any other breakdown can happen even to the most experienced sailor in the world. If she likes sailing so much and has the required experience and money and her parents are fine with it then why not let her to go. After all it is her own life she is putting in danger and while the loss of child would be very painful to parents it don't threaten lifes of other innocent people. An idiot teenager speeding down the highway is gazillion times more dangerous and occurs all the time than some kid sailing around the world.

As far as solo sailing goes it will always be a bit of Russian roulette no matter what is your sailing experience because you can't keep a constant watch and while you sleep a bad things can happen like being run over by cargo ship (actually one of the biggest dangers to small vessels especially in busy sea lines) or your boat can crash into some floating junk and sink in seconds.

[Simon_Jester]

As far as solo sailing goes it will always be a bit of Russian roulette no matter what is your sailing experience because you can't keep a constant watch and while you sleep a bad things can happen like being run over by cargo ship (actually one of the biggest dangers to small vessels especially in busy sea lines) or your boat can crash into some floating junk and sink in seconds.

Well to me, that's the real question. Were her parents justified in letting her go play Russian roulette at great cost of time and money?

And yes, I'd be equally skeptical about buying her a sports car at that age, or anything else she could easily get killed in. Yes, it turned out that she was able to do it, but I wouldn't be comfortable with letting her gamble on it when she hasn't reached majority yet.

[Uraniun235]

And yes, I'd be equally skeptical about buying her a sports car at that age, or anything else she could easily get killed in. Yes, it turned out that she was able to do it, but I wouldn't be comfortable with letting her gamble on it when she hasn't reached majority yet.

It's not like you magically level up your maturity, wisdom, and intelligence on your eighteenth birthday. There are many grown adults who would be less able to cope with the situation this girl did, there are many who will never be up to that task. As a society we generalize and say "well if they're 18 they should be able to handle themselves" but in reality there are people who will have the capacity to fend for themselves at younger (sometimes significantly younger!) ages and there are people who will never achieve the maturity that they really ought to have.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

There's a youtube video of a pilot boat in a Force 11, to give an idea of what she was going through for dozens of hours non-stop without respite, incidentally, and just why it took incredible skill to avoid capsizing with your mast over the side and dragging.

[Simon_Jester]

It's not like you magically level up your maturity, wisdom, and intelligence on your eighteenth birthday. There are many grown adults who would be less able to cope with the situation this girl did, there are many who will never be up to that task. As a society we generalize and say "well if they're 18 they should be able to handle themselves" but in reality there are people who will have the capacity to fend for themselves at younger (sometimes significantly younger!) ages and there are people who will never achieve the maturity that they really ought to have.

What bugs me here isn't anything about the girl herself. What bothers me is that I feel like her parents, while still responsible for her actions, said "All right, we will support your decision to sail around the world alone." They signed off on it, and I don't think they should have.

That's what changes at eighteen (or other ages, in other countries): other people are no longer responsible for restraining you from your own rash actions, including actions that you will probably survive. The fact that this girl can act rashly and succeed doesn't really change that in my eyes.

If you're eighteen and you want to play Russian roulette, it's your funeral. If you're seventeen, it's not, because someone else is responsible for your actions. They're the ones I'm critical of in this case.

[Broomstick]

I have a friend who is a sailing fanatic and I asked him about this today. He said that if his middle daughter (who is 16) had trained for two years and wanted to solo sail the world he'd let her. On the other hand, he wouldn't let his 14 year old son do that despite the fact the kid is as gonzo sailor as his dad and has already sailed alongside adults in competitive boat races like "The Mac" - because he hasn't trained specifically for such a solo voyage, and because of differences in the two kids.

I'm still not approving of minors solo-sailing around the world because in general I don't believe the average 16 year old has the good sense needed to handle emergencies. Well, clearly Ms. Sunderland is exceptional. Good for her. Perhaps an exception should be made for her. But I will continue to look VERY skeptically as minors undertaking significant risks particularly solo adventures. There is more danger than just the sea itself out there - pirates exist, she may be forced to put into port in a place where lone 16 year old girls are at significant risk that would not be faced by a group, or by a man, or could be better managed by an older woman.

In other words, the fact she is an exceptional and highly skilled sailor doesn't automatically make this OK in my book. I don't think her parents should face criminal charges, either, over this. I just don't approve. It's not what I would do or permit for my hypothetical children. I do, however, think it is in the realm of things I would let remain legal (because, let's face it, not a hell of a lot of 16 year olds even desire to do this, much less have the means to do so) even if I don't agree with them.

[FSTargetDrone]

I really have nothing further to say on this that isn't a repeat of what I've already stated, but I am happy to hear she was found safe. The fact that she was found alive doesn't change my opinion on this matter.

The parents are facing criticism:

Parents of teen sailor fend off criticism

Rescuers nearing disabled boat in Indian Ocean

By JOHN ROGERS

The Associated Press

updated 8:34 p.m. ET, Fri., June 11, 2010

LOS ANGELES - What were her parents thinking? Many people were asking that question as a 16-year-old girl sat adrift and alone in the frigid southern Indian Ocean, her ship's mast dashed along with her around-the-world sailing effort.

Abby Sunderland's ship was rolling in 20- to 30-foot waves as she waited to be rescued by a boat that was expected to arrive early Saturday morning Pacific time.

She set off a distress signal Thursday after rough seas disabled her ship and her satellite phone reception. There were 20 hours of tense silence before a search plane launched from Australia's west coast made brief radio contact with Sunderland and found her alive and well Friday morning.

"The aircraft (crew) spoke to her. They told her help was on the way and she sounds like she's in good health," said Mick Kinley, acting chief of the Australia Maritime Safety Authority, which chartered a commercial jet for the search.

"She's going to hang in there until a vessel can get to her," Kinley told reporters in Canberra.

Many people criticized Sunderland's parents for allowing the high-risk adventure, one of several by young people looking to make the record books. Some veteran sailors said it's all but irresponsible to send a teenager off alone in a small boat, knowing it will be tossed about like a toy for 30 or more hours at a time by the giant waves that rake the Southern Hemisphere's oceans this time of year.

"In Abby's case she was lucky," said Derrick Fries, a world sailing champion and author of the standard instruction manual "Learn to Sail." "It's only a matter of time until we end up with a tragedy on our hands."

'It's about a passion'

Sunderland's family defends her trek, saying that as a lifelong sailor she was as well prepared for the journey as anyone could be. Her brother successfully circled the globe last year when he was about the same age.

"Sailing and life in general is dangerous," her father, Laurence, told The Associated Press. "Teenagers drive cars. Does that mean teenagers shouldn't drive a car? I think people who hold that opinion have lost their zeal for life. They're living in a cotton-wool tunnel to make everything safe."

The driving analogy didn't impress many parents who lit up Internet message boards with criticism. One, Tammy Davis of Makanda, Ill., said in a subsequent interview there's no comparison between a car breaking down in a city and a person being trapped alone in the ocean.

"My 21-year-old son runs triathlons for the University of Illinois," Davis said. "Would I want him to run triathlons alone? No."

Abby Sunderland set sail from Los Angeles County's Marina del Rey in her boat, Wild Eyes, on Jan. 23, trying to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo. Her brother, Zac, held the record for a little more than a month last year until Briton Mike Perham completed his own journey. The record changed hands again last month, when 16-year-old Australian Jessica Watson completed her own around-the-world sail.

Sunderland, whose father is a shipwright and has a yacht management company, ran into equipment problems and had to stop for repairs soon after beginning her journey. She gave up the goal of setting the record in April, but continued, hoping to complete the journey.

Laurence Sunderland said Friday that he "gave her the option" of bowing out at that point in her trek.

"I said, 'This isn't about media. It's about a passion and a love for the sport of sailing,'" he said. "Her words to me was, 'Dad, I know what I'm capable of. I know what this vessel is capable of and I'd like to continue."

In the Indian Ocean, Sunderland had made several broken calls to her family in Thousand Oaks, reporting her yacht was being tossed by 30-foot waves — as tall as a 3-story building. An hour after her last call ended Thursday, her emergency beacons began signaling.

She was contacted by rescuers in a chartered Qantas Airbus A330 jet that made a 4,700-mile round trip from Perth to Sunderland's boat, which is near the limit of its range.

They spotted Sunderland on the back deck of her boat. Its mast had been broken, knocking out satellite communications. Its sail was dragging in the water but Sunderland appeared to be in good shape. Kinley said the keel was intact, the yacht was not taking on water and Sunderland was equipped for the conditions.

She told searchers Friday that she was doing fine with a space heater and at least two weeks' worth of food, family spokesman William Bennett said. Another family spokesman, Jeff Casher, said the boat had gotten knocked on its side several times.

The seas were rough late Friday, with 20- to 24-foot waves at Sunderland's last known location, according to Shaun Tanner, senior meteorologist at data provider Weather Underground.

The CROSS maritime rescue center on the island of Reunion, off Madagascar, said it had sent three boats in her direction. Center director Philippe Museux told French RFO television station in Reunion that it had asked a fishing boat to head to the zone.

Casher said the rescue would be Saturday afternoon at Sunderland's location, allowing for plenty of daylight. He said the weather appeared calmer, with some winds, but that with her vessel so badly damaged, her attempt to circle the globe was over.

"This is the end of the dream. There's no boat to sail," he said.

Fries said that although he doesn't doubt Sunderland's abilities as a sailor, he believes there's no way she could have gained enough experience in her 16 years to prepare for every possible emergency one faces on such a journey.

"Never would I allow my 16-year-old son to even attempt it," he said. "It's almost a death sentence."

Young adventurers

Young people who have attempted such feats have received a mix of adulation and disapproval. A day before Sunderland's boat became disabled, 13-year-old Jordan Romero of Big Bear, Calif., received a hero's welcome at his school after becoming the youngest person to scale the world's highest peak, 29,035-foot Mount Everest.

Other young adventurers don't make it home. Seven-year-old Jessica Dubroff was attempting to become the youngest person to fly a plane across the United States in 1996 when, after a day of celebrated stops throughout the West, she crashed shortly after taking off from a Wyoming airport in a driving rainstorm. Jessica, her father and her flight instructor were killed. Within months Congress passed a law banning such child flights.

A Dutch teen, meanwhile, saw her record-attempting journey end before it began. After the 13-year-old girl announced last year that she was going to try to become the youngest person to sail around the world, authorities in the Netherlands went to court to stop her.

International sailing bodies, meanwhile, have refused to recognize around-the-world trips by youngsters in an effort to discourage them.

University of Southern California sociologist Julie Albright attributes the rush to perform such feats of skill and endurance at least in part to parents pushing their kids to excel beyond all expectations.

"These kids are raised with the notion that every kid gets a trophy and every kid is more intelligent and better than all the others," said Albright, who is also a veteran sailor and former commodore of Southern California's South Bay Yacht Racing Club.

Even if Sunderland is physically capable of making the journey, Albright questions whether she or any 16-year-old really has the maturity to do so. She said studies show the human brain does not develop its full potential for reasoning until a person is in their 20s.

The Australian maritime authority did not say how much the rescue mission would cost but said it would not be seeking compensation for the search, which initially fell just outside of Australia's search and rescue region.

"That's the way the system runs," search coordinator Kinley said. "It's our obligation to do this."

Cheers to the Australians.

By the way, note the bolding in the article towards the end. There was never a chance of this being officially recognized as a record, in any case. Quite sensible, frankly.

[Sky Captain]

My only objection is the route and time of the year when she decided to make her journey. Southern ocean in the winter is basically like North Atlantic in winter with frequent storms. For example Wendy Globe solo yacht race around the world which includes circumnavigating Antarctica is set when there is summer in Southern hemisphere and storms like this one is less likely to happen.

Had she decided to sail in summer season or take more northern route chance of success would be much higher.

During winter conditions like shown in this video happen quite often in Southern Ocean

[FSTargetDrone]

My only objection is the route and time of the year when she decided to make her journey. Southern ocean in the winter is basically like North Atlantic in winter with frequent storms. For example Wendy Globe solo yacht race around the world which includes circumnavigating Antarctica is set when there is summer in Southern hemisphere and storms like this one is less likely to happen.

Had she decided to sail in summer season or take more northern route chance of success would be much higher.

Yeah, one would think someone who claims to have a lot of experience would naturally know this and be careful about the time of year to sail, or at least take advice from similarly-knowledgeable parents.

Anyway, a French fishing boat has reeled her in:

French fishing boat rescues stranded Calif. teen

By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer Thomas Watkins, Associated Press Writer 1 hr 5 mins ago

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – A French fishing vessel rescued a California teenager Saturday from her crippled sailboat in the turbulent southern Indian Ocean, bringing relief to her family but ending her around-the-world sailing effort.

Laurence Sunderland, the father of 16-year-old Abby Sunderland, told reporters outside his home that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority had contacted him to confirm the rescue more than 2,000 miles from the western Australia coast. Her boat abandoned, she'll spend at least a week on a series of boats headed for Reunion Island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

"She got out of her vessel with the clothes on her back, and we are just really excited and ecstatic that Abigail is in safe hands," he said. "She was in good spirits ... She talked to her mother."

"It was incredible to hear her and to hear she was still in good spirits," Mary Anne Sunderland said later on NBC's "Today" show.

Sunderland has been stranded in heavy seas since Thursday, when she set off a distress signal after the mast collapsed, knocking out her satellite communications. The elder Sunderland said the family was not going to elaborate on the problems that led to the emergency.

The Australian group said the French ship Ile De La Reunion brought Sunderland on board from her stricken craft Saturday afternoon at the site (about 2:45 a.m. PDT).

French authorities called it a "delicate operation" and at one point the fishing boat's captain fell into the ocean. "He was fished out in difficult conditions" and is in good health, said a statement from the French territory of Reunion Island. Laurence Sunderland said the crew used its dinghy in the transfer.

He said her boat will now likely be sunk because of the difficulty towing it a great distance.

Sunderland will leave the French fishing boat in about two days to board a maritime patrol boat that will take her to Reunion Island, according to a statement from the office of the French Indian Ocean island's top official. The transfer will take place off the Kerguelen Islands, with the exact timing depending on weather and ocean conditions.

The island's Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue said Sunderland likely would not arrive for at least a week.

Despite a lag in getting to see her, Laurence Sunderland said the family is "just ecstatic that she is alive and well and survived the ordeal."

Sunderland set out from Los Angeles County's Marina del Rey on Jan. 23, trying to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo and nonstop.

Soon after starting her trip, Sunderland ran into equipment problems and had to stop for repairs. She gave up the goal of setting the record in April, but continued, hoping to complete the journey.

Zac Sunderland, her brother, held the record for a little more than a month last year until Briton Mike Perham completed his own journey. The record changed hands again last month, when 16-year-old Australian Jessica Watson completed her own around-the-world voyage.

Outside the family home early Saturday, news crews gathered to hear word of the rescue from the family, which had been receiving updates by telephone from Australian rescue officials. Eight pink balloons were tethered to the white picket fence in front of the single-story house and beneath them was placed a large, hand-painted sign that read: "Thank God Abby's alive."

She had been keeping in contact with her parents through satellite communications and had made several broken calls to her family in Thousand Oaks, reporting her yacht was being tossed by 30-foot (9-meter) waves — as tall as a 3-story building. An hour after her last call ended Thursday, her emergency beacons began signaling.

Rescuers in a chartered jet flew from Perth on Australia's west coast and spotted Sunderland's boat, Wild Eyes, on Thursday. She was able to radio to the plane to say she was in good health and had plenty of food supplies.

Her parents have come under criticism from some observers for allowing the high-risk adventure.

Veteran sailors questioned the wisdom of sending a teenager off alone in a small boat, knowing it would be tossed about for 30 or more hours at a time by the giant waves that rake the Southern Hemisphere's oceans this time of year.

Her father defended the voyage.

"I never questioned my decision in letting her go," he told reporters Friday. "In this day and age we get overprotective with our children. If you want to look at statistics, look at how many teenagers die in cars every year. Should we let teenagers drive cars? I think it'd be silly if we didn't."

She was contacted by rescuers in a chartered Qantas Airbus A330 jet that made a 4,700-mile (7,600-kilometer) round trip from Perth to Sunderland's boat, which is near the limit of its range.

They spotted Sunderland on the back deck of her boat. Its sail was dragging in the water but Sunderland appeared to be in good shape.

She told searchers Friday that she was doing fine with a space heater and at least two weeks' worth of food.

Family spokesman Jeff Casher said her vessel so badly damaged, her attempt to circle the globe was over.

"This is the end of the dream. There's no boat to sail," he said.

The Australian maritime authority did not say how much the rescue mission would cost but said it would not be seeking compensation for the search, which initially fell just outside of Australia's search and rescue region. It was not immediately clear if the French vessel would seek compensation.

I trust the French will be magnanimous and not look for compensation.

Well done.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

And this is why you shouldn't waste the money on a fancy-hulled modern lightweight yachts. Anything that you can't careen on a beach and repair with materials on hand is not something I'd want to endurance-sail in. You should really just assume you're going to take damage at some point or another and end up stuck in some third world country for two months bribing local officials and buying lumber or plate steel for a repair job. Anyway, as usual the French are doing a splendid job and I'm mildly envious of her getting to spend a couple weeks as the guest of the mess on a ship of La Royale.

She can go back and sail around the world after she's graduated college, and presumably has picked up a little wisdom on the planning (though I know my preference for steel and wood hulls could spark hundreds-page threads on the right boards), and maybe just hopefully with a partner the next time.

[Sky Captain]

I don't think this time the choice of hull material was at fault because mast broke and that can happen no matter what is your hull made off. I suspect the boat was rolled 360 by breaking wave and that put excessive strain on rigging. Masts usually break when boat is pushed over its limits and too much sail area is carried for given weather conditions. I think she had only small storm sail up just enough to maintain control (you don't want to overstress your boat when sailing in heavy weather in the middle of nowhere) of the boat and that alone shouldn't generate enough force to break mast.

Speaking of modern lightweight yachts their biggest advantage is that they are much faster than traditional heavy steel or wood designs and faster yacht in some aspects are safer because it allows to quickly get out of way when for example a hurricane is coming on your location.

Not to mention that faster yacht is more exciting to sail.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

I don't think this time the choice of hull material was at fault because mast broke and that can happen no matter what is your hull made off. I suspect the boat was rolled 360 by breaking wave and that put excessive strain on rigging. Masts usually break when boat is pushed over its limits and too much sail area is carried for given weather conditions. I think she had only small storm sail up just enough to maintain control (you don't want to overstress your boat when sailing in heavy weather in the middle of nowhere) of the boat and that alone shouldn't generate enough force to break mast.

Uhm, there's no way (unless they're really arrogant and stupid) that they'd abandon a yacht just for being dismasted. The mast would, if it's tangled into the rigging off the side, be pounded into the hull over and over again by the sea, and that would cause genuine structural damage, which on a composite hulled vessel would be impossible to easily fix. The fact that her father is saying the boat is unrepairable and will have to be scuttled is an indication that this took place. I mean, if she was just dismasted, she could have proceeded under motor and stayed aboard for a tow starting the engine when needed whenever the tow parted and had to be reestablished and etc.

Also, why would you be rigging storm sail unless you'd lost your engine? In these kinds of conditions you (should) have all sails struck and proceed under power.

Speaking of modern lightweight yachts their biggest advantage is that they are much faster than traditional heavy steel or wood designs and faster yacht in some aspects are safer because it allows to quickly get out of way when for example a hurricane is coming on your location.

Uhm, yeah, because 5kts difference in speed is going to help with a Indian ocean cyclone. Okay, that's an overstatement; it will help because the further you are from the centre of the storm the better. But I'd prefer a sturdier and more easily repaired hull to the idea that you can effectively run away from a few more storms.

Not to mention that faster yacht is more exciting to sail.

Handling a yacht in a Force 11 is all the excitement you should ever need in life, even if she's a 48 foot long wooden hulled ketch with the block coefficient of a bathtub (also a slight overexagerration), which is what my father owned.

[Broomstick]

And this is why you shouldn't waste the money on a fancy-hulled modern lightweight yachts. Anything that you can't careen on a beach and repair with materials on hand is not something I'd want to endurance-sail in.

Apparently, even if it wasn't a "fancy-hulled modern lightweight yacht" it would still be scuttled, as in this case no one feels it is practical to drag it thousands of miles to a beach anywhere. I understand your argument, but do not feel it applies in this particular case.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

And this is why you shouldn't waste the money on a fancy-hulled modern lightweight yachts. Anything that you can't careen on a beach and repair with materials on hand is not something I'd want to endurance-sail in.

Apparently, even if it wasn't a "fancy-hulled modern lightweight yacht" it would still be scuttled, as in this case no one feels it is practical to drag it thousands of miles to a beach anywhere. I understand your argument, but do not feel it applies in this particular case.

Well, you'd have to compensate the crew of the trawler for the value of the yacht, so this is an insurance issue, Broomstick. There's no damned reason why a blue water trawler can't tow her to the Kerguelens where the yacht could be repaired at the French research station... If the yacht could be repaired. The problem is that under Admiralty law the trawler's captain and crew are then owed the value of the vessel for their trouble. What I suspect is going on is that the insurance company the yacht is insured under has declared her a total constructive loss so if they towed her to Kerguelen they'd have a damaged yacht and all the insurance money would go to paying the trawler (as is just as it would be compensate for lost catch during the time spent towing), and then you'd have a wrecked yacht you can't fix and no money for a replacement, whereas abandonment and scuttling as a TCL means that they pocket the insurance money instead of paying the salver's claim.

Note that if the crew of the trawler thought they could make more money by towing the yacht instead of continuing to fish, they could salve the yacht over the objections of the owners, it's not lawful to prevent a salvage operation when you've abandoned a vessel, which is why the hull is not simply being abandoned, too, though an open 40 simply isn't worth enough money to make anyone really go to the trouble. If we were talking about one of those really expensive big racing yachts that cost a couple million, it would be a very different story.

[Broomstick]

Would someone be soloing a "really big" racing yacht, though?

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Would someone be soloing a "really big" racing yacht, though?

Yes. I think the current size record for the transatlantic solo sailing competition is 289 feet.

EDIT: The 236 foot Club Mediterranée completed the 1976 OSTAR in 26 days, 13 hours, 36 min. Largest single-handed yacht ever built--as long as HMS Victory.

I personally aim to buy and live aboard (in lieu of a house) a yacht in the 80 to 90 foot category as a personal dream/ambition of mine, with a crew of two adults minimum for coastwise voyages and find a third person to sail with for transoceanic. Such a yacht could however be handled, albeit with difficulty, by one person even with a fairly traditional rig.



There's a picture of the Club Mediterranée.

[PeZook]

Those big yachts pretty much require automated rigging to be handled by one person, though, at least in any reasonable way.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Those big yachts pretty much require automated rigging to be handled by one person, though, at least in any reasonable way.

Above the eighty feet range the rig has to be specially designed to handle for one person, whereas in that range and smaller there's modern equipment which can be added to more traditional rigging styles to allow the yacht to be single-handed. I'm not sure what kind of rig was on the Wild Eyes, though.

[weemadando]

There's a picture of the Club Mediterranée.

What, no love for The Maltese Falcon?

[Sky Captain]

Also, why would you be rigging storm sail unless you'd lost your engine? In these kinds of conditions you (should) have all sails struck and proceed under power.

What if she was low on fuel? Then running the engine for the duration of storm might simply not be possible and sails or sea anchor is the only option to keep bow pointed against waves. Also she may have wanted to keep some fuel as reserve in case engine power is really needed like when some sort of emergency happens close to leeward coast.

Handling a yacht in a Force 11 is all the excitement you should ever need in life, even if she's a 48 foot long wooden hulled ketch with the block coefficient of a bathtub (also a slight overexagerration), which is what my father owned.

Well, I was speaking from my experience as a daysailor/weekendsailor when you simply don't sail if stormy weather is expected. Under normal Force 3 - 6 conditons it is much more fun to sail lightweight fast yacht than heavy one that never goes faster than 6 - 7 knots.

Anyway even when crossing oceans faster yacht means you will spend less time at sea so statistically you are less likely to encounter heavy storms/carelessly skippered freighters. Although I understand if you want a yacht for living aboard and leisurely cruising around then low maintenance costs and ease of handling should be higher priority than high performance.