Awesome news!

This is excellent news (for once!).

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Father's perspective interesting at the end...

I just don't like the fact that others have to now go out and risk thier lives to save hers. And of course the added cost of saving her now.

I read that the inability to communicate was due to a mast mounted antenna. While I recognize that antenna placement on a sailboat is complicated due to the effects of the mast, it would make sense to have a back-up radio mast in the event of a dismasting. Rig failures are very common and a frequent cause of abandonment of such efforts. Someone didn't think through what would happen if the rig was lost.

I also heard that a commercial plane spotted the boat, so I question how effective the EPIRB was. Ideally, her coordinates should have been known once the distress beacon was activated.

I'm glad she is O.K.

The range is limited when're not using a mast-mounted antenna. She's half way between Madigascar and Australia, so that means she's far from everything. The only way to communicate with her is using her radio with a lower height antenna is over a much shorter range.

The"commercial plane" was one that was chartered by her family or friends to go find her, using the information from her EPIRB. The EPIRB is what made finding her possible, so, yeah, it's effective.

glad to hear she has been found but it will be another 30hrs before they will be able to help her out of the situation.

for those of you that think this was to risky a situation for a 16yr old to do...what were you doing at that age? what would you be doing in 1910...1810...1710...1610 at 16?

some of use applaude the attempt to push the boundries of human endurance.
i would have loved to have had these oportunities at 16. my sister was backpacking in europe with friends at that age. i worried more about here over there, than my own experiences backpacking in the wilderness at at the same time.

Jim,

Thanks for the info. Now it makes more sense re: EPIRB.

Now regarding the radio, I thought she was using Sat phone?

Send her parents the bill.

She must've had damaged or lost overboard when her boat was knocked down on its side a number of times. That's all I can think of.

IIRC, her family chartered the Airbus that flew out over the ocean to locate her. They have some money, I think.

thats what chartered means

When they said "near Madagascar" my first thought was that she is on the southern edge of Pirate territory.

That thought made me sick to my stomach. She would be out of luck on a boatload of Pirates.

Really, really glad she's OK.

She can't attempt again and beat the age record.

Was hopeful because the beacon that only goes off when 15' underwater had never gone off. That didn't allay my Pirate fears, though.

What a great thing for her to be doing with her young life.

Nope the Australian Maritime Safety Authority chartered the Airbus, not the family.




Titanic was called UNSINKABLE and we know that isn't true.

Only thing unsinkable is the oil pouring out from the ocean floor.

you're right on all points, ruf. :)

Well, it looks like the French picked her up.

What about those boats made from fiberglass with a foam sandwich liner? (Boston Whaler?)

Turned out well...lovin' that part of it. :D Too bad about the loss of the yacht, tho.

They don't just abandon the boat do they? Can't it be towed back of something?