A Young Sailors Prayer Needed

[Solus]

It was on larry king live... he admit they had a deal and lost it.   makes me sick just to think about it.  here your kid is risking thier life so you can make money off some TV show. 

You are making an assumption, TAB and Eric.

The assumption is that the young lady's attempt was only to get the TV show.

So, you feel that they started her sailing at an early age, did three years of planning and training for the attempt, acquired a million dollar boat all to land the TV show?

I propose that they did all the sailing, planning and training,  and she was going to make the attempt no matter what.  If they could swing a TV deal out of it, that would love that too.

Remember their son made the same trip, which I guess you would say, was pre-planning to land the show?

[ericire12]

You are making an assumption, TAB and Eric.

The assumption is that the young lady's attempt was only to get the TV show.

So, you feel that they started her sailing at an early age, did three years of planning and training for the attempt, acquired a million dollar boat all to land the TV show?

I propose that they did all the sailing, planning and training,  and she was going to make the attempt no matter what.  If they could swing a TV deal out of it, that would love that too.

Remember their son made the same trip, which I guess you would say, was pre-planning to land the show?

You are right, I am making a judgement call.

The way I see it is that her and her brother (as well as the kid that just climbed Everest) were being exploited by their parents. What is the deciding factor here? They were marketing this the entire time. Its not like they were just doing this b/c the girl likes to sail or they wanted her to have some great life experience. If that were the case, they just would have just gone and done it with out all the drummed up fan fair. They, however, made the full rounds before hand on all the cable news shows and talk shows as well as setting up websites and blogging it the entire time.... They were trying to get as much fame out of this as possible, and obviously trying to get a pay day via a TV show. Is not right. That girl was in serious danger and ended up alone  and adrift in the middle of nowhere for two days and only luck, prayers, and a high dollar rescue effort brought her home safe. I am not saying that she was not capable as a sailor, but she was without a doubt coersed into this by her parents.

The Everest thing was even worse. That was probably even more dangerous because no matter how accomplished of a climber that kid was or how athletic he was.... there was no way of knowing how his body would accliment itself to the lack of oxygen until he got up there... and at that point he would be in a situation where the odds were greatly against him getting down the mountain in time to save his life. I am sorry, but parents should NEVER allow their kids to be in a situation where their brain could swell up and they die in a matter of 30 minutes. If he wants to go climb Everest, then make him wait until he is 18 and he can make his own decision as an adult.

[Solus]

Eric, let me make sure I understand your post concerning the young sailor. 

You seem to be saying that if  she was going to make the attempt only because she loved to sail (which it seems she does) and to have the great experience (which it would have been), then her parents approval would not have been wrong?

[ericire12]

Eric, let me make sure I understand your post concerning the young sailor. 

You seem to be saying that if  she was going to make the attempt only because she loved to sail (which it seems she does) and to have the great experience (which it would have been), then her parents approval would not have been wrong?

Well, I would not let my kid do it because I think it truely is too dangerous for a kid that age. Maybe you can make a case for child endagnerment, but thats rather subjective.

The big thing I am saying here is that these parents were clrealy using their kids for their own ambitions. They were trying to get as much publicity for this as possible - that seemed to always be their primary concern. Like you said, this is something that took years to plan - and so did her brothers trip before that. I don treally think that a 12 or 13 year old child has the ability to say "yeah, sign me up for a solo trip around the world... lets start planning it".

Its one thing to weigh the dangers of an activity and decide to let them do it to enrich their lives, but to do so for fame and monetary gain is horrible.

[tombogan03884]

Eric, you and TAB are nothing but Nanny state busy bodies who condemn anything you didn't have the courage to try.
Go join the Democrats, you seem to share an agenda.

[Sponsor]

[ericire12]

Eric, you and TAB are nothing but Nanny state busy bodies who condemn anything you didn't have the courage to try.
Go join the Democrats, you seem to share an agenda.

Yeah, thats an accurate statement about who I am...... A nanny state democrat...... boy you really nailed it, Tom

So to recap, Tom's main points are:
1. Nanny Stater
2. Busy Body
3. Coward
4. Democrat

Wow, you are really bringing a lot to the debate, Tom. Thanks for such a well thought out rebutal. 

[Solus]

Some of Abby's words from this article and a statement from the meteorologist who had been working with  her on her attempt.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/15/abby-sunderland-defends-parents_n_613432.html

"I think that a lot of people are judging me by the standards they have for their teens and other teens that they know ... and thinking, 'She's exactly like them,'" Sunderland said. "They don't understand that I've sailed my whole life and I do know what I'm doing out there."

"Storms and bad weather, it's the chance you take when you're sailing around the world," Sunderland said. "And I was up for it, and my parents knew I was."

On Tuesday, Sunderland posted a statement on her blog from one of the meteorologists who had been tracking the weather for her during her journey. Ken Campbell of New Hampshire-based Commander's Weather defended both Sunderland's capabilities as a sailor and her decision to cross the Indian Ocean as the Southern Hemisphere winter was approaching.

"We were late crossing the Indian Ocean, but I felt Abby was fully capable," Campbell wrote.

"We have over 6,000 clients, but we will not work with somebody that is not capable or does something we consider too dangerous," he added.

"You don't have time to be terrified. If you get terrified, things just get worse. You just deal with what you get given and make the best out of it," she said.

"I think my biggest regret is having to give up my dream, but I didn't really have a choice," she said. "I was definitely up for it and I definitely could have done it."

Sunderland says she loves sailing "just as much as the day that I left," and that she still hopes to circumnavigate the globe someday.

"It's been a dream or a goal of mine for years. I don't know when or how I will, but I'm pretty sure I will one day sail around the world," she said.

[TAB]

the saling community as a whole is looking down on this type of thing.


just a little reading for you.

http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2010-06-14&dayid=439#Story4

if even 10% of what they say in that artical is true, these parents are a bunch of sleaze balls.

[ericire12]

Some of Abby's words from this article and a statement from the meteorologist who had been working with  her on her attempt.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/15/abby-sunderland-defends-parents_n_613432.html

I get it... And I have no doubt that she probably had the skill set to make it happen, but think about how different the story would have been if she had died. It could have just as easily turned out that way - Being adrift in the middle of the ocean was pretty much a coin flip. How much more flack would her parents have taken? Would there have been charges? Would any of your opinions have changed?

All I am saying is that the parents made the decision to let their daughter go... It was 100% their call... And from the things I have seen, I believe they did it for fame and money. I most certainly may be wrong. But I think those parents put unimportant things infront of their child's (children's) safety.

[Timothy]

Question....

How many of us would have let that nine year old boy shoot a full auto Uzi?

As parents, we all make decisions.  Sometimes there not the correct ones to make.  In California, at 16, this young woman is not legally allowed to make these decisions on her own.  Her parents must do it for her and the fact that the dad was "jonesing" for a TV deal does shed a different light on the subject.

I've been on Lake Michigan sailing in a mild storm and it scared the daylights out of me!  I probably would have persuaded my daughter to wait.  Records are sometimes not worth the risk.