O/T: Abby Sunderland

Posted 02/20/2010 on her blog headed for the horn.

-------------------------------------- Tuesday, February 23, 2010 Getting Wind I've finally got some good wind. I'm close hauled with about 15kts out of the SE. I've had to go a little farther west then I would have liked but the wind should be shifting around soon, coming more from the east so I'll be able to head directly south. Its a bit bumpy out today. Wild Eyes is plowing along and doing great!

Its too hot to stay down below for too long, so I'm sitting up in the cockpit typing this, but every now and then a big wave crashes over the boat which is not making this very easy for me!

Yesterday I found that something bit the lure off the line I've had out. The more I thought about what it was that did it, the less I felt the need to jump in and go for a swim...

It's really very nice out today. If it was maybe 20 degrees cooler it would be just about perfect! But the cold is coming and in a few weeks I'll most likely be wishing I was back here in the heat!

------------------------------------------ "Lew Hodgett" wrote:

Posted 03/27/2010

She is headed for the "Horn"

If interested, link will get you to her blog.

Posted 03/31/2010

She is around the "Horn"

Headed for Africa.

Thanks, Lew. The sailing groups are so full of sludge these days, I've given up on them. So I haven't been following her progress as closely as I wanted.

I'm glad the kid is around the Horn. That's a significant milestone.

Lew Hodgett wrote:

Posted 04/24/2010

Autopilot failure will force Abby to stop in Capetown for repairs.

---------------------------------------------- So much for electronics on board a small vessel at sea.

Personally, I'd not go to sea without a windvane.

Electronic autopilots are for stink boats in protected waters IMHO, not sea going blue water sailboats.

Details available at:

Not to take away from her accomplishments, but without autopilot she would not be able to do this sort of trip. Nor would most of us.

--------------------------------------- That's what a windvane is for.

A mechanical system that automatically steers a boat to the apparent wind.

Been used forever on blue water passages.

No electrons req'd.

Lew

Lew

For this type of sailing, a windvane would be far more appropriate. Autopilots are fine for coastal cruising, not long passages and circumnavigations.

Ed, google "windvane self-steering".

From her 05/05/2010 blog:

Well, I made it into Cape Town today.

From her 05/21/2010 blog:

Good Bye Cape Town.

Details available at:

On Fri, 21 May 2010 22:53:12 -0700, "Lew Hodgett" wrote the following:

good. Go, Abby!

-- Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. - Blaise Pascal

Must be the lack of cheeseburgers out at sea.

Looks like kids are going after all sorts of records. There is a 13 yo attempting Mt Everest amidst clams it borders on child abuse. Climbing Everest is a feat under any circumstance, but it is a lot easier that it ever was. There are a couple of guide outfits that can get you there for about $60,000 or so. The Sherpas do much of the preliminary work putting ropes in place. There was a four part series on TV a few months back showing how it is done. I said "easier", but still a brutal challenge to get there.

--------------------------------------- He has done it along with his father.

Lew

I saw that about an hour after I posted

From her 06/07/2010 blog:

"Update from the Middle of the Indian Ocean"

She is gaining on it.

Details available at: