Abby Safe on Board French Trawler

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I'd much rather see my tax dollars spent on helping Aboriginal kids get ahead; the homeless; those on the streets because of psycological problems; battered mums; kids malnourised in countries around the world....

They've tried throwing money at all those... doesn't work. I'd like to see someone come up with that something that does... and my tax $ spent on the other important stuff like inventing a sextant iiphone ap in case all the gps satelites fall into the sea...

[clockwork orange]

As a supposedly responsible skipper i would think it would be up to Abby to scuttle the boat before getting off, Wild eyes had a number of bouyancy compartments to prevent sinking and it would not be easy to do so by running her down but she would hopefully have been prepared for such an eventuality,she had plenty of time while waiting for rescue to formulate a plan. Skip Allen for example cut the engine intake hose before stepping off Wildflower a couple of years ago,she would need to make sure all compartments would fill, my point is it is her responsibility,not the rescuers, its called thinking about how your actions might impact others,although this family does not seem to be big on that , im hoping she stepped up to the plate.
Steve

[Hirophant]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

As a supposedly responsible skipper i would think it would be up to Abby to scuttle the boat before getting off

I doubt it had really sunk in with her at that point that there was no way to salvage the boat, she may have been thinking in terms of keeping her options open, or maybe it simply the thought of scuttling it didn't occur to her at all. Bear in mind she was bereft of her support crew for advice, and the S&R people would probably not have had time to discuss such niceties with her.

The question is, where now for Wild Eyes? Maybe we should have a poll on how long she will stay afloat and where she'll end up. My money is on the boat being wrecked at St Paul Isle by the end of the month (or possibly Amsterdam Isle shortly thereafter), since she was drifting slowly in that direction and St.Paul Isle was only 170nm away (less than 150nm by now I suspect), and once it gets within a few miles the natural tendency of boats with no-one at the helm to run aground if at all possible (in accordance with Murphy's Law) will pull it towards the shore like a magnet.

Another possiblility is that it will drift north until siezed by Somalian pirates or hit by the Silver Yang, which will then only have to ram Laura Dekker's Guppy to get the entire set!

[mikereed100]

Note to any stage parents of pre-teen children out there:

There is an Open 40 floating around the Southern Ocean free for the taking. It's never too early to plan for your child's future.

Mike

[Seahunter]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

What happen to Wild Eyes? did they scuttle her?

LOL!!!

[Lodesman]

The concern here is whether or not she scuttled the boat???
Who gives a rat's arse?
It certainly won't present a navigation hazard to the big steel ships that'll reduce it to FRP spinters, so the only other mariners hazarded will be those soloists who haven't got the good sense to maintain a constant lookout - feck'em I say, as they're hazards to navigation themselves.

And the cost to Australian taxpayers??? I feel for them, but it's a drop in the bucket - the real concern is the fishermen who've been taken away from their livelihood to rescue the girl. This could represent a real financial hardship for which they won't be compensated. All for a stunt.

[speakeasy]

Perhaps the production company will fund a salvage effort, as it would make for a warm and fuzzy ending to the upcoming saga to see Abby reunited with her crippled boat.

(CBS/AP) The father of recently rescued teenage sailor Abby Sunderland inked a reality TV deal early this year to cash in on his children's daring feats, the New York Post reported Monday.

Laurence Sunderland - who told "The Early Show" Saturday that he'd "absolutely" let 16-year-old Abby attempt her dangerous feat again - is "broke" and has been working with a production company on a show called "Adventures in Sunderland," the Post reported.

Report: Abby Sunderland's Dad Inked Reality Deal - CBS News

[Triton318]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

The concern here is whether or not she scuttled the boat???
Who gives a rat's arse?
It certainly won't present a navigation hazard to the big steel ships that'll reduce it to FRP spinters, so the only other mariners hazarded will be those soloists who haven't got the good sense to maintain a constant lookout - feck'em I say, as they're hazards to navigation themselves.

I believe that's a legitimate concern—a responsible mariner being rescued and leaving his or her vessel shouldn’t leave it floating as a hazard to navigation.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Triton318

—a responsible mariner being rescued and leaving his or her vessel shouldn’t leave it floating as a hazard to navigation.

That probably depends a lot on whether or not the owner intends to salvage the vessel. It should also be noted that she was well outside the standard shipping routes. It probably represents less danger than the gazillion other floating bits and pieces out there - once again a good reason for keeping a lookout.

[Astrid]

For that fact, now that it has been abandoned, anyone can claim right of salvage. As I understand it, the boat had integral flotation tanks which made it nearly unsinkable even if swampt and flooded, so it might not have been in Abby's capability to send it to the deep six..