Rescued teenage sailor holds on to her dream
Source: Agencies |
June 27, 2010, Sunday
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TEENAGE Californian sailor Abby Sunderland was reunited with her brother yesterday and defended her family against criticism she had been too young to try to sail around the world alone.
Though saddened by the loss of her boat in a southern Indian Ocean storm, the 16-year-old said she wasn't giving up sailing.
"I'm really disappointed that things didn't go as planned," she said after coming ashore on the French island of Reunion off east Africa.
"I knew what to do. I was well-prepared for anything that could have happened," she said, flanked by her 17-year-old brother Zac, who flew to Reunion to meet her.
The accident on June 10 "ended my trip but it didn't end my dream," Abby said. She didn't answer, however, when asked whether she would try another solo circumnavigation of the globe anytime soon.
Her parents stayed in California, where her mother is soon to give birth to her eighth child.
Sunderland, whose father is a shipwright and has a yacht management company, set sail from Los Angeles County's Marina del Rey in her boat, Wild Eyes, on January 23.
In April she had to give up hope of becoming the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, when she was forced to stop for repairs.
Then on June 10, huge waves snapped her boat's mast. She was rescued two days later.
Eventually, she said, she wants to write a book. And she wants to keep sailing.
For now, though, she's looking forward to getting home.
Though saddened by the loss of her boat in a southern Indian Ocean storm, the 16-year-old said she wasn't giving up sailing.
"I'm really disappointed that things didn't go as planned," she said after coming ashore on the French island of Reunion off east Africa.
"I knew what to do. I was well-prepared for anything that could have happened," she said, flanked by her 17-year-old brother Zac, who flew to Reunion to meet her.
The accident on June 10 "ended my trip but it didn't end my dream," Abby said. She didn't answer, however, when asked whether she would try another solo circumnavigation of the globe anytime soon.
Her parents stayed in California, where her mother is soon to give birth to her eighth child.
Sunderland, whose father is a shipwright and has a yacht management company, set sail from Los Angeles County's Marina del Rey in her boat, Wild Eyes, on January 23.
In April she had to give up hope of becoming the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, when she was forced to stop for repairs.
Then on June 10, huge waves snapped her boat's mast. She was rescued two days later.
Eventually, she said, she wants to write a book. And she wants to keep sailing.
For now, though, she's looking forward to getting home.
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