Teen sailor Abby Sunderland finally touches land on Saturday

If Josiah Schlatter is such a great intern, why does my coffee have a Lego in it?
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By Josiah Schlatter
By now you know the tale of Abby Sunderland, a teenager from a family of California boating enthusiasts who’ve decided that their role in society is to get their children to set world records by circumnavigating the globe non-stop and solo. Sunderland is following in the footsteps of her brother, Zac, who successfully sailed around the world at the ripe young age of 17. Unfortunately for her, the ocean had different ideas, and on June 10 she capsized, just more than halfway into her journey. Two days later she was rescued by a French fishing vessel. Today, or most likely, Saturday, she touches land once again on the French island of Reunion.

Sunderland’s attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world capsized on June 10 when three-story-high waves snapped her boat’s mast. She was rescued two days later by a French fishing boat 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) west of Australia.

Her brother, who himself set a brief record by being the youngest person to sail around the world last year at age 17, plans to meet his sister early Saturday when she reaches the shore of the French island of Reunion, on the French patrol boat Osiris.

Abby, who has stopped blogging about her $500,000 rescue — presumably so she can save all of the juicy tidbits for a book of her adventures — has stirred a lot of controversy regarding her journey; many critics viewing her attempt at history as just another dangerous attention grab from a family bent on fame. Her mother and father have defended their decision to let her sail by explaining that her trip is “no more dangerous than letting a teen drive a car.”

Her parents, speaking on morning TV news programs, said that Abby’s journey was no more dangerous than other activities that teenagers do and that she proved to them that she was up to the challenge.

“Let’s face it, life is dangerous. How many teenagers die in car accident[s]?” Abby Sunderland’s father, Laurence Sunderland, told Good Morning America.

The fact of the matter is the feat Sunderland is attempting to accomplish is incredibly dangerous, and one of the main roles of a parent is to ensure that their child gets to adulthood relatively unscathed. In today’s culture of theater parents who want to live vicariously through their children by making them the next Hannah Montana or Justin Bieber, this looks like another attempt at youth exploitation; like that kid who recently climbed Mount Everest, or the infamous Balloon Boy. If I ever had a kid who wanted to do something dangerous for fame and glory, I’m definitely shooting him or her down. I’d be okay with them doing something a little safer though, like being the youngest child ever to wear a shirt made entirely of pogs, or spending a year with roller skate hands.
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Brother braces to greet US teen sailor [Associated Press]
Abby Sunderland’s parents defend letting her sail solo; rescue could come Saturday [Los Angeles Times]
Sunderlands won’t have to repay rescue costs, thanks to the Titanic? [Out of Bounds]