Abby Sunderland - SoloRound

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by dpex

So now Abby is heading for the Horn in winter conditions, in a boat which seems to me to be designed for racing around the bouys.

While everyone down under was following Jessica Watson's every move, Abby was sailing around Cape Horn - almost two months ago. This is from her Marh 31, 2010 blog entry:

"Wednesday, March 31, 2010

"Cape Horn at Last

"I rounded Cape Horn today!!

"I didn't get to see it as I was around 50-60 miles offshore when I went around. Even though I didn't get to see it, it's very exciting to finally be here! I've covered a lot of miles and have been through a lot, so finally getting here to Cape Horn is very exciting!! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hook up with my dad. The local sailors don't take sailing around here lightly and sailing out to sea nearly 100 miles to take my picture and say Hi didn't quite qualify I'm afraid."

So, unless her team was serious in their April 1st blog entry telling Abby she would have to sail around the world twice just so no one could say she hadn't actually done it, I don't think anyone needs to worry about Abby rounding Cape Horn in winter conditions.

Waiting up ahead for her, though, Abby will have to dip back down into the Southern Ocean as she skirts the southern coast of Australia in late fall / early winter. That will be no picnic, to be sure, but once she's past Australia she can turn north and head into the tropical Pacific.

That sounds like a nice way to warm up, to me.

TaoJones

[Hirophant]

I just received copies of Abby's future blog entries via a timeslip:

Originally Posted by abby

10 June 2010
Brilliant news! We just rounded Cape Horn!

11 June 2010
Doh, wrong Cape!

[gbanker]

i hope that bumfizzle's thread wasn't taken down to make room for this one.

[DeepFrz]

Abby was doing 12 to 15 knots today and enjoying the ride. She says in her latest blog that her autopilots are working great.

[bengtinge]

Abby has posted her latest blog, which included some dramatic event. Something got stuck so she couldn't reef her mainsail in increasing wind. She tried to go up the mast in the darkness and 30 knot gusts and waves breaking over the boat. She went up halfway but decided it was too dangerous to go up in these conditions and waited for the daylight when the wind decreased. Now it seems to be solved and she and the boat is OK.

[TaoJones]

In the update to the map marking her progress today, if you click on the marker it reads, "Day 127 (05/30/2010) - About 81,027 Miles Southeast of Cape Town, South Africa." Either someone on her team made a little data entry error, or Abby is on her way to the moon.

TaoJones

[hummingway]

Prolly in a pea boat.

[Hirophant]

After reading Abby's latest entry on riding the boom in high seas, I am strangely reminded of Slim Pickens' role in Dr. Strangelove. I hope Abby decides to keep Wild Eyes in the fail safe position and not launch an all out attack on the Southern Ocean..... what with climbing the mast in the dark and now this, her journey is getting more surreal by the day.

[Noztradamus]

Originally Posted by bengtinge

Abby has posted her latest blog, which included some dramatic event. ...

Now it seems to be solved and she and the boat is OK.

almost OK

I want to know how that damned bowsprit just fell off the boat.

[Ramona]

Originally Posted by Hirophant

After reading Abby's latest entry on riding the boom in high seas, I am strangely reminded of Slim Pickens' role in Dr. Strangelove. I hope Abby decides to keep Wild Eyes in the fail safe position and not launch an all out attack on the Southern Ocean..... what with climbing the mast in the dark and now this, her journey is getting more surreal by the day.

You have to remember that there is a book to follow. Drama sells, boring doesn't.

Remember the old Jacques Cousteau TV series, in the last 3/4 of each weeks show you would hear "an then disaster happened". There will be plenty more drama in the weeks to come.

[Microship]

I don't like the sound of this at all....

Teen sailor Abby Sunderland focus of emergency rescue effort - Outdoors, action and adventure

Hoping for good news.
Steve

[SvenG]

I really hope is is just what happened to Jessica; activation due to immersion in a knockdown.


-Sven

[Microship]

Hope so too. She's been having other electronic problems, so follow-up status communication may be impossible... I'm reflexively reloading her Facebook page in hopes of some good news.

[SvenG]

States the EPIRBS were manually activated:

Abby Sunderland, Teen Sailor Possibly Lost at Sea - ABC News



-Sven

[GordMay]

"... Abby's mother, MaryAnne Sunderland, told ABC News that Abby manually activated two beacons around 6 a.m. Pacific Time Thursday.

A beacon designed to automatically go off when it contacts water had not been activated, she said ..."

INTERVIEW HERE ➥ Abby Sunderland, Teen Sailor Possibly Lost at Sea - ABC News