Children Sailing Solo Around the World? Audition for a Reality Show?

June 14th, 2010

After being besieged with thirty-foot seas, a sixteen year old young woman from California was reported to have been rescued from her mastless forty-foot sailboat in the Indian Ocean - ending her failed attempt to sail around the world solo. Upon pondering the matter further, I was amazed at the arrogance and ignorance displayed by a family that would allow their children to undertake such a task (as her brother had completed the solo journey earlier in the year). I often have wondered what goes through the minds of parents that allow their under-age children to embark on adventures that challenge nearly every aspect of nature with death as a potential consequence. In my opinion, the parents of this child – to allow such an undertaking by their children - do not even seem fit to be guardians of any child.

The parents of this young woman surely have no true awareness of the powers of the seas. I have spent significant time at sea, or at least enough to surmise - in general - that anyone who sets off to sail the world solo in a small craft has some mental issues that should be addressed by a professional. So, to let a child embark on such a trip with no escort ships, really appears as reckless and ignorant – in my opinion.

In the end, however, it is being reported that the family is vying for a reality television show to be based on their family. Possibly this family would be best served by focusing their abundant energies on doing something to help others as opposed to undertakings that only appear generate publicity for the family’s own agenda.

Adam Trotter / AVT

PS. Don’t get me wrong here, I respect the young female sailor’s misguided determination and courage and I have not personally met her or her family. However, I always thought the solo-sailing children had escort vessels alongside. Nope! What about the dangers involved with whatever unsavory types that might also be out there on the high seas looking to do harm to hapless individuals? Oh, well? Maybe in this family’s spare time, they like to go winter hiking during blizzards on Mount Hood, Oregon? Maybe someone could connect this sailing family with the balloon-boy family of Colorado? That might make for a good drama-filled reality show to have these two reckless families as neighbors?