Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

[Southern Star]

Mick, no one (and certainly not her) is claiming that this is easy. However, it will probably be much easier for her than it was for Tani Aebi, who as I recall was only 17 when she departed on a circumnavigation in a Contessa 26 with minimal experience (and without the benefit of modern aids such as GPS/Chartplotters/Epirbs).

Did her brother get lucky, or was he actually a decent sailor/navigator? And on what basis are you able to say that she is clueless? While you are to be commended for your preparation and perserverence (and while you will likely reap the benefits of the same in your own voyage), we cannot expect others to necessarily follow the same paths as us, even when they are more safe and sensible. I, for example, no longer have any desire to circumnavigate (let alone singlehanded), but I applaud those who do.

Brad

[David M]

$350,000? Why cant she use her brothers boat? Does it have cooties?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooties

[imagine2frolic]

Originally Posted by David M

$350,000? Why cant she use her brothers boat? Does it have cooties?

Cooties - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HAHAHAHAHAHA....GOOD ONE!......i2f

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

HAHAHAHAHAHA....GOOD ONE!......i2f

Yes it was!

[George Wade]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

9) I wanted someone to give me $350,000 so I could sail around the world, not go to school and not have to work...

I just turned up in my 'Yacht-bum' outfit and earned my passage to Barbados; bought my own bottle of Mount Gay; and got hired as a deck hand to skipper in three months.

Beats kow-towing to sponsors anyday. Now I'm my own sponsor.

[TaoJones]

I have no firsthand knowledge of the Sunderland family, but family dynamics aren't new to me. I can well imagine that Mr. and Mrs. Sunderland have become pretty good child psychologists, what with raising their seven offspring (of whom 17 year-old Zac is the eldest.)

In the last year, as Zac was making his record attempt, I can imagine that the seed was planted in the minds of, perhaps, each of his siblings that they would do it, too, when they were big like Zac. It might well have been talked about often around the dinner table.

Knowing the sacrifices that were necessary to help Zac pursue his goal, I would bet the Sunderlands said to one another, in their private moments, "never again - we can't afford the drain on our finances."

So when Zac's sister Abby broached the idea of doing what Zac had done, but doing it non-stop in a better, faster vessel, her parents must have shuddered. And Mr. Sunderland, a shipwright, would have had a very good idea how expensive such an attempt would be.

How to handle this conundrum? The Sunderlands wouldn't want to deny their eldest daughter the dream that they had helped make come true for their eldest son, but they could easily make her understand that they didn't have the money to do it again. Sponsorship would prove to be the only possible solution.

But finding the necessary sponsorship in these trying economic times will be extremely difficult, at least, and maybe even impossible. And there isn't a lot of time to find the sponsorship and organize the effort if Abby Sunderland is to realize her dream within the time window she has.

So it's just a guess on my part, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the announcement in the Los Angeles Times proves to be the high point of young Abby's quest to follow in her famous brother's wake. The Sunderlands will have tried to help their daughter achieve her dream, but the lack of sponsorship will scuttle the effort in its infancy.

And as each of the Sunderland's children grow up and start talking about their own dream of sailing around the world just like Zac did, the parents can remind them what a huge undertaking it actually is, and how they tried and failed to make it happen for Abby.

She may come to know great disappointment, but at least she will be alive and well, and will have had her fifteen minutes of fame.

TaoJones

[captmick39]

Originally Posted by Christian Van H

I resent this. My wife and I have decided to conceive a son soon, and I am drawing up plans for a boat that will not only be capable of safely taking him solo around the world, but also be equipped to change and feed him. If this all works out it'll be tough to beat. Press packet to follow...

& (just curiosity, playing off the sarcasm) what exactly Ya gonna do IF You (or rather Your WIFE...Last I checked men aren't regularly actually delivering babies...it's either storks, or wives) Have a GIRL?

And She'd rather be a Physician or Physical Therapist or ATTORNEY rather than a circumnavigating sailor?

After having seen interviews, live, of the current record holder...he was inspired, it was HIS IDEA/GOAL/BURNING DESIRE/Objective, not a parents' or "sponsor's". For an endeavor of this type (just like becoming an engineer, physician, PT, or Attorney) THEY have to want it. All "your" wanting it in the world (living vicariously THROUGH them) is a waste of effort and usually in the end proved fruitless; Maybe his sister will make it, maybe she won't...hopefully she won't be injured if the latter.

And if SHE doesn't have a BURNING DESIRE to complete the task (from solo circumnavigating to med school & residency)...it won't happen.

Sibling rivalry can be a strong motivator; probably not enough in this case.

[Christian Van H]

Originally Posted by captmick39

& (just curiosity, playing off the sarcasm) what exactly Ya gonna do IF You (or rather Your WIFE...Last I checked men aren't regularly actually delivering babies...it's either storks, or wives) Have a GIRL?

And She'd rather be a Physician or Physical Therapist or ATTORNEY rather than a circumnavigating sailor?

DOH! Hold on...I'll have to get back to you on this one...

[Christian Van H]

OK, here's your answer: If it's a girl, we guess that would be OK. Only OK though. We will launch our mechanical nanny boat BEFORE she's able to actually speak her first words. That way she wont be able to argue, and she'll be back before she even knows there ARE professions! This is coming together nicely. The only way we'll be beaten is by a test tube baby. A womb with a view...

[captmick39]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Star
Mick, no one (and certainly not her) is claiming that this is easy. However, it will probably be much easier for her than it was for Tani Aebi, who as I recall was only 17 when she departed on a circumnavigation in a Contessa 26 with minimal experience (and without the benefit of modern aids such as GPS/Chartplotters/Epirbs).

Did her brother get lucky, or was he actually a decent sailor/navigator? And on what basis are you able to say that she is clueless? While you are to be commended for your preparation and perserverence (and while you will likely reap the benefits of the same in your own voyage), we cannot expect others to necessarily follow the same paths as us, even when they are more safe and sensible. I, for example, no longer have any desire to circumnavigate (let alone singlehanded), but I applaud those who do.

Brad

Brad, in order:
Tani Aebi wasn't trying to set a SPEED Record, or contempating "non-stop" which ups the 'ante' exponentially. 10 months worth of toilet paper, food, additional supplies and the new built from scratch (probably tri-maran) is the now "need" for that $350k. SHE Raised the 'ante'. Me thinks now more than ever that this IS a case of "sibling rivalry", as it's no longer about 'just' accomplishing the task, it's about doing it while a Younger female and FASTER. The additional complication being what ever repairs need to be made have to be done so at sea, most likely above the water line only.

Her brother was far more than a "decent" sailor/navigator and had been sailing since age 7. Duly noted. Also duly noted in the Fact that HE Stated (ergo, I didn't put the words in his mouth, merely Quoted Them) that on more than a few occasions during the venture "HE Was LUCKY".

Whether that Rogue wave, the "perfect storm", full knockdown, keel separation, what ever catastrophe You care to imagine...those catastrophic events occur at sea more often than avalanches on Everest; that's the reason why the list of Josh Slocum's Brothers & Sisters who've accomplished the task is so much shorter. As stated in my title of this posting...I didn't say she was "clueless"(as in totally ignorant), however she, I'm sure followed her brother's adventure closely as did the rest of the family, daily. "without a clue" comes from expanding on the task to do so setting a new (female, younger age, AND SPEED) record(s). The challenge for lifetime experienced ocean racing crews and Captains in the Whitbread Challenge has proven a most vigorous undertaking, with a TEAM of specialized Experts...still usually 30-40% of the vessels don't finish; even With Custom Built Boats, specifically designed for the challenge at hand. The sea doesn't care, the storms don't understand "unsinkable", the doldrums don't care that "you're in a 'hurry' ".

Having sailed the "7 seas", all the "planning/preparation" in the world doesn't get You to the casting off stage; Setting the bar so high that You can't ever GET to the casting off stage is counter productive. That's what's believed to have been the "clueless". TOO many records sought gets nothing accomplished...and then again, I could still (easily with enough $$$, real desire, and support team/vessel/sponsorship) be proven wrong.

Agreed, all of us choose our own path...some of us choose one so steep that no human being could stay on that path, thereby setting ourselves up for failure. Non-Stop/Speed record sought (on top of the other two)was my point where this became unrealistic, imho only. With enough financial backing, even the "spruce goose" flew. I'm a realist; I think SHE set the bar too high, with too little time left to achieve the goal. Let's face it...I fart around long enough I could go for Both Fastest and oldest. It shouldn't be a task undertaken to "grab records" (which inevitably are sought out to be broken to the point of rediculousness, which has already been carried to 1 extreme here)...the TASK is a feat in and of itself. Those who lose sight of that missed the little detail of how many fail and the potential outcome of that "failure".
(Imagine the beegee's singing "staying alive"...for background music in that last line)
16yo's (who automatically think they are indestructible) undertaking this endeavor aren't necessarily "clueless"; without a lifetime of sailing experience are ill prepared; stating that they want to do so "non-stop" and set a speed record confirms my suspicions, for me only. I also applaud her if the undertaking goes forward AND I Applaud her for even TRYING, regardless the outcome. I'll applaud her even more for FINISHING (regardless of ANY of the 3 records being obtained...or not). FINISHING is a 'record' for the balance of Your life thereafter. FINISHING should be the goal, not youngest, fastest or female...complete the task. That separates the winners from the losers in this world.

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by Christian Van H

OK, here's your answer: If it's a girl, we guess that would be OK. Only OK though. We will launch our mechanical nanny boat BEFORE she's able to actually speak her first words. That way she wont be able to argue, and she'll be back before she even knows there ARE professions! This is coming together nicely. The only way we'll be beaten is by a test tube baby. A womb with a view...

The degenerates at Sailing Anarchy have already trumped you on this one, Chris. Sending you a PM with the particulars.

TaoJones

[Christian Van H]

This is going to take some thought, and we may lose our government funding...

[Jesse]

There is an elderly gentleman from Japan who currently holds the "Oldest to circumnavigate" title. He is in the middle of yet another circumnavigation. If there is an age at which we are too young to do this is there accordingly an age when we are too old? And who among us has the right to choose these ages and who is foolish enough to try to enforce it. These are and should be personal and family decisions and no one elses business.

[imagine2frolic]

http://www.tspsjapan.org/article/Sai...apan_Times.pdf

I think this man like Zac is an exception to the rule. The man looks way more fit than most 45 yr olds........i2f

[David M]

Originally Posted by Jesse

There is an elderly gentleman from Japan who currently holds the "Oldest to circumnavigate" title. He is in the middle of yet another circumnavigation. If there is an age at which we are too young to do this is there accordingly an age when we are too old? And who among us has the right to choose these ages and who is foolish enough to try to enforce it. These are and should be personal and family decisions and no one else's business.

An older person is not a child. Children do not have a life's worth of experiences to make wise choices for themselves. They are also not legally adults and therefore do not have the same rights and responsibilities.

Using the same reasoning, it would be okay for a 10 year old to get in a bathtub and start paddling over the horizon, because that is their right and its nobody's business to interfere. They have every right to do what they want to do, even if there is a good chance of death in doing so. Using the same reasoning, a child has the right to take their own life as well.