California Girl Sailing World Alone
Sunday, January 24, 2010
A 16-year-old California girl is risking it all to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone. No, not Joan of Arc, but close.
Abby Sunderland of Thousand Oaks fearlessly sailed into the Pacific Ocean on Saturday after waiting for violent storms in California to pass.
The Conejo Valley teen was sent off with tears and cheers by family and friends from the shores of Marina del Rey until her 40-foot boat, Wild Eyes, disappeared in a mist of prayers under a shocking blue Southern California sky.
Abby plans to sail the globe for up to six months. She will be totally alone but able to communicate by way of a satellite phone and the Internet.
The current record holder is Mike Perham, 17, of the U.K. The young Brit beat Abby's then-17-year-old brother, Zac, in 2009.
