Round the world news – Abby Sunderland sets off
Jessica reports that Kevin Rudd, Australian Prime Minister, phoned her but more interesting was her comment on Abby Sunderland:
Congratulations times a million to Abby Sunderland for departing on her voyage last Saturday, I know what a challenge it is, just to get to the start line. Despite the fact that there seems to be a lot of adults determined to see Abby and I pitted against each other as rivals, I only wish her the best of luck and am totally thrilled that there’s another girl going for the record!
Good for her, not buying into that rubbish.
Abby didn’t get to a blog today but we wanted to update you all that she is doing great settling in. She struggled with light winds all of last night and most of today but picked up about 12 knots around 3 pm and had made 24 miles in 3 hours. She has passed out of American waters and achieved her first small goal of getting south of Ensenada by Monday evening to avoid some storm activity that will be forming there.
There is much to do with monitoring her power usage, assessing the accuracy of her radars and alarms, finding and restowing things. She was able to sleep some and eat some so Day 2 has been a good one. On to the equator!
On January 19 Abby blogged:
“Congratulations to Jessica Watson on rounding Cape Horn! She’s done an amazing job and I hope the rest of her trip goes as well as it has so far.”
Jessica Watson was born May 18th, 1993 ; Abby Sunderland was born October 19th, 1993.
One person keeping a close eye on affairs is Laura Dekker:
Hallo, welkom op mijn website.
Zolang ik nog niet op reis mag,kunnen jullie al wel vast alle verhalen over de solo non-stop wereldreis van jessica watson uit Australie lezen.
http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/
En natuurlijk ook de voorbereidingen voor de wereldreis van Abby Sunderland uit Amerika.
I think it’s fabulous, the whole thing and it’s great for the sport/pasttime of sailing itself. I’m sure it will get back into the realm of the affordable one day – maybe my low-cost designs will take on, maybe not. As long as people hit the water and enjoy the pleasures of sailing for themselves.
Abby herself wrote and I didn’t know it, but she says Laura Dekker is now to be allowed to sail and guess who’s also mixed up in this – Mike Perham! In case anyone’s forgotten, he is the Brit boy who did this journey at 17. Abby on all this:
Congratulations to Jessica Watson on rounding Cape Horn! She’s done an amazing job and I hope the rest of her trip goes as well as it has so far. I also recently heard that Laura Dekker is now being allowed to go on her trip. I wish her the best of luck, I don’t know her personally but she seems like a great kid!
Sixteen seems to be the age now for people to head out on their circumnavigations with Zac, Mike, Jesse, and myself. I’m very impressed by Laura Dekker and the guts she must have to face her critics.
I can only imagine how bad it has been for Laura being as young as she is. It sounds like she’ll be having the time of her life, two years of cruising around the world. Laura, Jesse good on ya both!
Filed under: Leisure, travel & sport, Society & human issues
200 years ago a 16 year old might have been in charge of a battery of 32 lbers in the slaughterhouse of a line of battle ship.
Not that we could afford a battleship these days. And Nelson should certainly have been up at the Hague for firing a 68lb carronade full of musket balls through Bucentaure’s stern.
One of my proudest sailing related moments is to have met and shaken Robin Knox-Johnston’s hand. First and best, in a wooden 32 ft ketch.
I met the rest of RK-J too, not just his hand. Excitable commenting syndrome.
Yes, I’d remember a moment like that. Makes one itch to get sailing.