Now, this girl has some "stones!"

[12voltman59]

Check this out---I do hope she doesn't try to push it if the weather is bad!

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/16744/teenage+sailor+abby+sunderland+approaching+treache rous+cape+horn/

[bicurcple]

Wish I had the balls to do that.........and I am 40.

[Long Duck Dong]

the greatest challenge to any person doing that, is the loneliness
the lack of human companionship on any level, is something that few people understand..... cos even the simple things like going to the shop, can involve being in contact with people

in the middle of the ocean, you do not have that..and its a real eye opener just how fast a person can implode from lack of contact...

I wish all the sailors safe journey and sound minds

[wildwestgoob]

Much as I hate to be the cynic in the group; it sure must be nice to have access to a million dollar yacht at age 16 to go sailing around the world in.

:rolleyes:

I can see the obvious "Shoe City" sponsorship plastered across the bow of the yacht, but c'mon, gimme a break.

Sheltered, privileged child is what I see, but then that's just *my* backwoods take on it.

More power to her for accomplishing that large a goal at her age, and being a woman (I suppose that still makes a difference these days, I say it shouldnt matter really).

As for the feat itself, no, I wouldn't care to do it either.
I have no desire to do it for that matter.
Would I have the nerve to do it? With proper training, and skill, sure, why not, assuming all my bills are paid and I had no other responsibilities.

You go girl.....:crosseye:

[cliffordmontero]

Not to be a jerk but a quick wiki search of the girl shows that the boat was purchased used as it previously raced as the BTC Velocity . . . and its her fathers boat that he also let her older brother sail around the world in it . . . the family may be wealthy but its not exactly her boat. and either way she has been planning this trip since she was 13 . . . 3 years of planning is alot when it is a fifth of your life . . . good luck to her

[12voltman59]

Well Wildwest---we do have hyper rich people in our world and I would rather have a 16 year old girl like her doing something "real" instead of being a drama queen who sits around playing her little games with guys and other people, getting her boobs fixed, taking a shopping trip on Rodeo drive to buy 50 pairs of thousand dollar shoes in one sitting on daddy's VISA Black credit card, crashing half million dollar cars and making the pages of the tabloids out partying at the latest hip night club on Hollywood Blvd or on South Miami Beach until the wee hours of the morning.

I wished more "rich" girls were like her instead of being like the Kardashians or Paris Hilton or those those hyper-rich kids that get featured on all those low lilfe "realty shows" on MTV and other places on the tube!!

The VISA BLACK card: http://www.luxuryplastic.com/visa-black-card/

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

If she sets her mind and heart on doing it, and is serious about it, then God and Spirits speed to her!
You Go Girlfriend! :female:
Cat

[kegspoon]

Rich or poor, she probably would've done something cool like this anyway. I think she's cute and because she's only 16, I'll leave it at that!

[Doggie_Wood]

Wish I had the balls to do that.........and I am 40.

I have the balls . . . . but lack the knowledge :eek:

Doggie :doggie:

[mariersa]

tsk tsk tsk, my my my, easy on the anger, I always wondered why these yacht racers no actually racers have a set course so they must be =(record seekeers) why don't they pass the the Cape of Good Hope? Is that really circumnavigation or is it measured by nautical miles? Either way Best of Luck, a rich kid or not.

[12voltman59]

Marieusa:
You cannot get around the planet by sea without going that way---and it is something down there----I haven't been--but I had friends who served aboard the US Coast Guard's fleet of Ice Breakers that make the trip down to the Antarctic to take and pick up scientists and others who go down to our various research stations down there during the Antarctic summer season which is opposite of ours---and that is the calm season--it is transitioning to winter there now---they only have three seasons---a spring of sorts, then "summer" then almost immediately going into winter, with winter weather being very baddddd!

Some of my fellow coasties told me about one trip they almost went down---they were in a storm and the seas were mountainous---those breaker ships are built stronger than any other sea going vessels so they can break ice and they are like 350 feet or so long----it was either the Polar Sea or Polar Star this happened too----she hit a massive wave and took a 45 degree roll--and she almost didn't recover----they said there was a young seaman on the helm--she lost her footing and got thrown into one of the bulkheads (the walls in ship speak)---it broke her back and she was permanently paralyzed from her waist down.

They said people were thrown from their racks (beds) and such----anything not well secured was all over the place--but when you are in seas like that--you try to "make ready for heavy seas" as the command is given to do so--but with hours and hours of pounding in seas like that---shit comes unbolted from the bulkheads and such.

I cannot imagine what she is going to be facing operating a little 40 something foot piece of plastic, wood or metal in those seas---hell--I mostly served on board CG cutters that were in the range of 100 feet in length and the biggest seas I saw were in the 30 foot range--that was bad enough--you get waves down there multiple times bigger than 30 footers!!!!

Going on the sea---it sure does make ya think of the line from that one prayer:

"Oh lord, watch over my ship, she is so small and your seas are so big!!"

I don't know if there is God or not--but in this case I hope there is and his care and mercies are upon this fine young woman as she transits "the graveyard of ships!! An untold number of ships have gone there-- many never came back---

I also think of that famous statue that sits in the port town of Gloucester, Mass--dedicated to those who go to sea:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r216/mpgarr/sailer-statue-small-600x975.jpg