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Day 548

A Solo Sailors Perspective on the Disappearance of Abby Sunderland

Jun 10

Written by:
6/10/2010 12:26 PM

A corpse, weighted, might take hours to reach the bottom at 2,000 fathoms (12,000 feet) assuming it was not attacked and dismembered on the way down. At this depth, equivalent to the weight of 20 fully laden locomotives, any compressible tissue would be reduced to a mere fraction of its bulk. At some point the body parts containing air would rupture, principally those of the face, chest, and abdomen.

The head would not burst because the cranium contains no air, but the delicate bone honeycombs of the sinuses will probably collapse before water intrudes to equalize the pressure. Sooner or later the chest would implode, the broken ends of the ribs coming through the skin. Any air in the gut would probably rupture the abdomen; compressed gasses in the colon create a vacuum violently undoing the bowls. Finely divided bone including the pelvic crest is most likely fractured. Compressible fat is a fraction of its surface size.

Seabed creatures make short work of the corpse entering through the holes in the flesh created by the fractured rib cage. The skeleton softens as the salts are leached from the bone and the body crumbles under the sea.

Paraphrased from James Hamilton-Paterson’s Seven Tenths.

Can anyone who has not sailed alone on passage fathom the consequences of catastrophe at sea? Via my Iridium sat phone I heard today that Abby Sunderland was feared lost. While my heart wept for her, I was also filled with rage at the parents and sailing community who have allowed the charade of sending children to sea to continue for so long.

I believe that most singlehanded sailors set sail knowing that on ocean passage there is no real help to be found. As a type, we mostly go to sea knowing that we must deal with each and every situation as it arises. The responsibility is ours to fix every problem, to find a solution, no matter the circumstance. To activate an EPIRB is to acknowledge that all our efforts have failed and to send two prayers; Mayday, mayday, mayday; Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; S/V Jargo holed and foundering; Holy Mary, mother of God pray for us sinners; will sink, abandoning ship; now and at the hour of our death; please, please send help.

From Slocum’s first singlehanded voyage in the 1890’s the sailing community has looked desperately for new records to set and to break. Somehow, with the full force of the media backing their efforts, our community fully engaged as our young “heroes” tested themselves against their age, the seas, and each other. The final result would be clear, increasingly younger sailors would be setting sail, solo, until catastrophe struck and a brave young soul was lost at sea. I’ve always contemplated the possibility of my own drowning as an intimately personal thing for never truly are you more alone. With the experience and fears I’ve gained from 15 months at sea, I cannot help but think of Abby in what may have been her last few moments aboard a foundering ship.

It is my greatest hope that Abby is found safe inside a raft, unhurt, and waiting for rescue. Given that outcome or any other I hope this episode gives all sailors, especially young record seekers and their families, pause. No doubt, the drive of these young sailors has sparked a renewed interest in the sport. To be blunt, I find it nothing short of criminal parental neglect to send a child, barely legal to drive a car, to sea alone. They are gambling nothing short of their lives for nothing more than bragging rights.

Abby, hang on…

Lee Winters www.sailingforsos.com

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8 comment(s) so far...

Re: A Solo Sailors Perspective on the Disappearance of Abby Sunderland

Spot on Lee
What a tragic and useless waste of a young life if the worst plays out. While at 16 I was fairly well versed in mechanical abilities I was no way ready for total self dependence. These "parents" now must face the lifetime of guilt knowing they allowed such a foolish endeavor.

By Daniel on 6/11/2010 6:30 AM

Re: A Solo Sailors Perspective on the Disappearance of Abby Sunderland

I'm sure by now that you've heard her boat was demasted by 30ft. waves, that she's been spotted, and is now awaiting pickup from a French vessel in the general area. I'm glad to hear that her parents took every step to give her a boat in which she could survive most at-sea catastrophes. I'm also in complete agreement with you that this push to have kids set records leaves parental responsibility completely unbound. Regardless of Abby's experience at the helm, 1. she simply hasn't had the time to cognitively develop adult judgement capacity; 2. she's been allowed to put herself in a position that is truly life-threatening. As a father, that seems to me to be a complete abdication.

Its the same with the kid who's trying to climb the highest peaks on all continents, and just did Everest at age 13. Why? To set the record as the youngest to finish them first. He safely made it to the summit and back, but if he hadn't would his parents feel that the loss of their child was worth the foolish pursuit of notoriety? I have not problem with encouraging kids to take risks and discover their limits, but who would analogously encourage a kid to free climb El Capitan?

Stay safe, Lee.

By Chad on 6/11/2010 11:54 AM

Re: A Solo Sailors Perspective on the Disappearance of Abby Sunderland

Foolish pursuits indeed. Jessica got Lucky, Abby, well, not so much. I doubt either one of them was fully physically and mentally prepared to make that voyage. I wonder if without sponsorships, media coverage, a team of experts in constant communication making decisions and all of the high tech gadgets money could buy, would they still be willing to sail the world by themselves? Does anyone think that they could even fully grasp the concept and technicalities of going out there and not coming back? I'm 28 and I'm not even sure I have yet come to terms with the idea, but maybe that's just me, and maybe that's why I am just fine right now plunking my catalina 22 (an old boat a bought myself without sponsorships, in a state of disrepair, painted more times over than I can count in my own sweat and blood with the work of my own two hands) down into a nice pretty lake for a weekend and calling it good for now. (Don't get me wrong, if I had no desire to sail the world I would never have found this website...)

By Davo on 6/11/2010 1:07 PM

Re: A Solo Sailors Perspective on the Disappearance of Abby Sunderland

Foolish pursuits indeed. Jessica got Lucky, Abby, well, not so much. I doubt either one of them was fully physically and mentally prepared to make that voyage. I wonder if without sponsorships, media coverage, a team of experts in constant communication making decisions and all of the high tech gadgets money could buy, would they still be willing to sail the world by themselves? Does anyone think that they could even fully grasp the concept and technicalities of going out there and not coming back? I'm 28 and I'm not even sure I have yet come to terms with the idea, but maybe that's just me, and maybe that's why I am just fine right now plunking my catalina 22 (an old boat a bought myself without sponsorships, in a state of disrepair, painted more times over than I can count in my own sweat and blood with the work of my own two hands) down into a nice pretty lake for a weekend and calling it good for now. (Don't get me wrong, if I had no desire to sail the world I would never have found this website...)

By Davo on 6/11/2010 1:18 PM

Re: A Solo Sailors Perspective on the Disappearance of Abby Sunderland

"I'm glad to hear that her parents took every step to give her a boat in which she could survive most at-sea catastrophes."

Well I actually would not have sent her to sea in such a lightweight racing boat. The choice Jessica's parents made was wiser. A bigger fault is sailing the roaring forties in the Southern Ocean winter. Having sailed a couple of oceans I would pause before going down that far in the summer, and would not be down that far even then unless rounding one of the capes.
Now Australian S&R resources must risk their lives and the nearest fishing vessel's crews must risk their lives trying to get her off the boat in aweful sea conditions. I just hope the transfers all go OK and no one gets crushed between the hulls.

By Marcus on 6/11/2010 3:59 PM

Re: A Solo Sailors Perspective on the Disappearance of Abby Sunderland

joan of arc was 16....alexander the great was 16....lady jane grey was 16...louis braille was 16...they changed the world...i think the parents did all they could to prepare abby....as a parent of 14 year old twins i have found that stopping them from doing something they have made up their mind to do is practically impossible, all we can do is help them to accomplish what they want as safely as possible.

By steve on 6/12/2010 11:41 AM

Re: A Solo Sailors Perspective on the Disappearance of Abby Sunderland

Wish we knew how you scratched your eye? Just hope it is healing properly. Also hope a majic person appears who can sail with you. What if you had scratched your eye out on the open ocean? I know you would have figured out a way. But we wish you had help.

By Sandra on 6/15/2010 10:04 AM

Re: A Solo Sailors Perspective on the Disappearance of Abby Sunderland

I have to side with Marcus on the issue. Though Jerry canceled my vote even before I got to say anything about it.

By Gary on 6/20/2010 8:21 PM

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