A rescue effort is underway in hope of finding the 16-year-old teen sailor Abby Sunderland, who set off her emergency beacon locating devices from the southern Indian Ocean early Thursday morning. Sunderland had set sail on her 40-foot yacht “Wild Eyes” in January alone from Marina Del Rey in attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
more info about the young sailor lost at sea after the jump…
LA Times reports that the timing of Abby’s departure was criticized by some sailors because it imply her being in the middle of the Indian Ocean at the onset of the Southern Hemisphere’s winter storm season. This was considered the most challenging part of her journey.
In April, Sunderland sailed around Cape Horn between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula.
Sunderland’s latest entry on her blog Wednesday described hitting rough weather and winds at 45 knots. “Wild Eyes was great through everything, but after a day with over 50 knots at times, I had quite a bit of work to do,” she wrote.
Her parents had persuaded Abby to get to the nearest port in the event that dangerous conditions arose.
“Everything seemed to be under control,” Abby’s father, Laurence Sunderland, told outdoor sports blogger Pete Thomas. “But then our call dropped, and an hour later the Coast Guard called.”
Sunderland, whose older brother, Zac, sailed solo around the world in 13 months while making just several stops.
We hope Abby is all right. May God be with you kiddo.
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