Famecrawler
Abby Sunderland Speaks, Defends Parents and Herself
Teen sailor Abby Sunderland has been a victim of he-said, she-said speculation since her attempt to sail solo around the globe went awry. Critics have lambasted her parents for letting her attempt the trip. Her sailing coaches, however, maintain she was as qualified — or more qualified than — most adults. Today she spoke directly to the Associated Press via satellite phone from her rescue ship, the French Ile de la Reunion. She didn’t mince words.
“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 [are] thinking, ‘She’s exactly like them,’” she told the AP. “They don’t understand that I’ve sailed my whole life and I do know what I’m doing out there.” As for those who claim that, at 16, was too young for the voyage, and assert her parents were negligent in letting her go, she agrees that the situation, from afar, “can look pretty crazy. But the thing is, those people don’t know. And if they did, they wouldn’t be criticizing my age.”
Abby Sunderland’s parents further address critics on their daughter’s personal blog. There, they let meteorologist Ken Campbell, who helped train Abby, have a say. In addition to stating that he and his team would never have agreed to work with Abby if they didn’t have total confidence in her abilities, he says, to Abby’s mom and dad, Laurence and Marianne Sunderland :
“You are great, loving and caring parents, with a remarkable daughter and most of all, she is safe to try again! She is a fine example of the true human spirit! That is what should be celebrated, not criticized. By the way, she is 16, not 8.”
Ouch! What do you think?
PHOTO: Abby’s Blog
Go Back To Famecrawler
1 Comment
Rosana commented on Jun 16 10 at 3:49 pmI think he is right. Like I wrote before, I would not let my kids sail around the world because they are only 5months old and 2yrs. old and I have zero experience on that matter whatsoever. Hence, I am sure she is more prepared than most adults (including myself) to make that trip and I think she should try again.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Christopher Rogers 
Shana Aborn 
Joanna Mazewski 
Sunny Chanel 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
1