July eBook pages 1-91 (16.1 MB) - Latitude 38

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SIGHTINGS
Page 72 • Latitude 38 • July, 2010
blonde california teen girl sets
off epirbs in southern ocean mexico’s
That pretty much sums up the headlines in the mainsteam media
in what, based on their coverage, has been the biggest sailing story in
all of history. Abby Sunderland and her family wanted fame, and they
got more of that than they could have dreamed of. But for the parents
in particular, it has come with a large dose of
infamy. As for Jessica Watson, who actually accomplished
the nonstop solo circumnavigation
by the Southern Ocean that both girls had been
attempting, one month later she was relegated to
the back pages. Nonetheless, Australian sources
report Watson has raked in nearly $1 million,
with much more in the offi ng. If ‘million bucks’
aren’t the two words to prick the ears of stage
parents the world over, and maybe even some
junior sailors, none will. As a result, we don’t
think we’ve seen the last attempts on ill-advised
age-based sailing records.
It’s our opinion that Abby Sunderland
didn’t fully understand
what she was getting into —
in regards to the Southern
Ocean and the media storm
that hit after her dismasting.
In the remote possibility that someone hasn’t
heard the basics of the Abby Sunderland tale,
here’s a quick summary:
• July 16, 2009 — 17-year-old Zac Sunderland
of Thousand Oaks fi nishes a solo circumnavigation
via a traditional route aboard the
Islander 36 Intrepid. Prior to his team’s fl ying
in a reported six times to make repairs at various places along the
circumnavigation, Marianne Sunderland told Latitude that the initial
budget had been $285,000. The press was appreciative but not gushing
over the adventure.
• July 15 — The day before Zac’s homecoming, his 15-year-old
sister Abby reveals that it’s been her “lifelong dream” — or at least
since she was 13 — to sail around the world. She wants to be the
youngest person to do it, which means she’ll have to do it via the
Southern Ocean, an enormously more diffi cult achievement than
her brother’s trip, because then-15-year-old Aussie Jessica Watson
is already planning to go for it aboard her S&S 34 Ella’s Pink Lady.
Sunderland’s team must get a boat, prepare it, and have her take off
ASAP. Her age is both her calling card and her greatest enemy.
• October 26 — The Open 40 Wild Eyes is purchased in Rhode
Island. After the boat is acquired, Stephen Mann of San Diego, who
sailed the proposed course a year before, says that Laurence Sunderland
told him that $400,000 has been spent upgrading the boat
and that the project has brought in millions in sponsorship. There is
no telling if Sunderland was being factual or just boasting, but the
press adores this adventure, just as the press loves 16-year-old girls
more than it does 16-year-old boys.
• January 23, 2010 — Claiming to have been a “lifetime sailor” —
the details of which are no more freely available then is the recipe for
Coca-Cola — Abby sets off from Marina del Rey. Before she leaves,
one Southern California publication reportedly anoints her ‘Sportswoman
of the Year.’
• February 2 — Abby pulls into Cabo San Lucas, after just 10 days
at sea, with electrical consumption issues and a number of other problems.
Team Abby declares the leg to Cabo was actually a “shakedown
sail,” and that Abby will begin her attempt anew from there.
Behind the scenes, a battle brews between Team Abby and Magnetic
Entertainment of Santa Monica, which on its website has announced
they are making a documentary of Abby’s attempt as well as developing
a Sunderland Family reality show. A cameraman for Magnetic will
later say the company pulled out because they felt neither Abby nor
the boat was ready and the proposed trip was too dangerous. Laurence
Sunderland later tells Larry King the man is a liar and Team Abby
pulled out because the fi lm team actually had plans to make a fea-
continued on outside column of next sightings page
Drug war violence is out of control all
over Mexico, right? If you judged solely
by the headlines that appear in American
mainstream media these days, you
could certainly get that impression. Due
to the old newsmen’s credo, “If it bleeds,
it leads,” almost all of the contemporary
news we get about Mexico focuses
on the very real gun battles between
government troops and drug cartel operatives.
But many of our neighbors to
the south — including cruising sailors,
shorebound expats, and business owners
— complain that the American public
isn’t getting the whole story.
In fact, almost all of the recent violence
is confi ned to three border towns
Shattered dreams — Spread, ‘Wild Eyes’ lies
dismasted with rig trailing in a Southern Ocean
storm. Top inset, this map shows how close
Abby was to being out of range for the Qantas
charter to fi nd her. In all, it’s estimated that
Abby’s rescue cost about $300,000.