Must be the weather.

Abby Sunderland, 16 year old sister of Zak, a 17 year old
circumnavigator, departs on Saturday from Marina Del Rey, (Los
Angeles) in her 40 ft racing sail boat, headed for the horn.

She is a few months younger than Jessica.

Lew

Imagine...

A young girl on a 40 ft boat all alone in treacherous waters.

http://www.modbee.com/life/buzzz/story/1006871.html

The sheer stupidity of this is unimaginable, and since the governing
sailing bodies won't certify her results, why bother? (I don't
believe a 17 year old girl will be able to pull of the standard
"because it was there" horse crap.)

I think our local newscaster with tow girls of his own said it best:

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.

Robert

On Jan 14, 6:19*am, "
wrote:
Imagine...

A young girl on a 40 ft boat all alone in treacherous waters.

http://www.modbee.com/life/buzzz/story/1006871.html

The sheer stupidity of this is unimaginable, and since the governing
sailing bodies won't certify her results, why bother? *(I don't
believe a 17 year old girl will be able to pull of the standard
"because it was there" horse crap.)

I think our local newscaster with tow girls of his own said it best:

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.

Robert

As records for 'The Youngest' keep being challenged, at some point in
the future it will have to be a 6-year old who sets sail.

Lew Hodgett wrote:
Must be the weather.

Abby Sunderland, 16 year old sister of Zak, a 17 year old
circumnavigator, departs on Saturday from Marina Del Rey, (Los
Angeles) in her 40 ft racing sail boat,

A 16 year old has a 40' sail boat, racing or not? I must have been doing
something wrong.

headed for the horn.

At least it is summer down there.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 03:24:27 -0800 (PST), the infamous Robatoy
scrawled the following:

On Jan 14, 6:19*am, "
wrote:
Imagine...

A young girl on a 40 ft boat all alone in treacherous waters.

http://www.modbee.com/life/buzzz/story/1006871.html

The sheer stupidity of this is unimaginable, and since the governing
sailing bodies won't certify her results, why bother? *(I don't
believe a 17 year old girl will be able to pull of the standard
"because it was there" horse crap.)

I think our local newscaster with tow girls of his own said it best:

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.

Robert

As records for 'The Youngest' keep being challenged, at some point in
the future it will have to be a 6-year old who sets sail.

And it'll be featured on the "Who Wants To Be a Masochist?" TV show!

(Next month will mark my 3rd happy year without the boob tube and my
22nd without cigs.)

--
What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of
having a patient, but restless mind, of sacrificing one's
ease or vanity, of uniting a love of detail to foresight, and
of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully.
-- Charles Victor Cherbuliez

wrote in message
...
Imagine...

A young girl on a 40 ft boat all alone in treacherous waters.

http://www.modbee.com/life/buzzz/story/1006871.html

The sheer stupidity of this is unimaginable, and since the governing
sailing bodies won't certify her results, why bother? (I don't
believe a 17 year old girl will be able to pull of the standard
"because it was there" horse crap.)

I think our local newscaster with tow girls of his own said it best:

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.


No kidding.

wrote:
Imagine...

A young girl on a 40 ft boat all alone in treacherous waters.

http://www.modbee.com/life/buzzz/story/1006871.html

The sheer stupidity of this is unimaginable, and since the governing
sailing bodies won't certify her results, why bother? (I don't
believe a 17 year old girl will be able to pull of the standard
"because it was there" horse crap.)

I think our local newscaster with tow girls of his own said it best:

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.

Tania Aebi circumnavigated in a smaller boat starting at 18. And she did
have parents--they gave her the choice--sail this boat around the world, go
to college, or we're cutting you off. She took the boat. Why they offered
her that particular choice I have no idea. Was a good one though--she got a
lot of life experience, a writing career, a husband, a cat, and a Hell of a
tan out of it. However officially it didn't count as a solo
circumnavigation because she gave somebody a ride between two islands
somewhere in the depths of the Pacific. She had no prior sailing experience
to speak of.

Robin Lee Graham started his circumnavigation at 16 in a 24 foot boat and
traded it for a 33 footer along the way.

Right now there's another 16 year old girl halfway around on a
circumnavigation.

Abby is sailing an Open 40, which is purpose-designed for singlehanded
circumnavigation, which puts her well ahead of Tania and Robin at the start.
And her parents seem to be behind her 100 percent on this.

My view is that she's lucky to be able to get that particular bug out of her
system at an early age, and no matter what she goes into it's going to look
damned good on her resume.

Leon wrote:
wrote in message
...
Imagine...

A young girl on a 40 ft boat all alone in treacherous waters.

http://www.modbee.com/life/buzzz/story/1006871.html

The sheer stupidity of this is unimaginable, and since the governing
sailing bodies won't certify her results, why bother? (I don't
believe a 17 year old girl will be able to pull of the standard
"because it was there" horse crap.)

I think our local newscaster with tow girls of his own said it best:

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.


No kidding.

It amazes me that people are finding fault over this. While we want to
believe that 16 year olds are children they are only so because we force
them into that mold--Alexander the Great was successfully commanding armies
at that age. This particular girl has a dream and the means to carry it
out and if you read her blog you'll know that she's thought it through and
gotten a good deal of relevant experience and made a careful choice of
equipment and is not operating on a shoestring budget, so what is your
_problem_?

On 1/14/2010 5:19 AM, wrote:

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.

Just another example of what would otherwise be a noble adventure of
personal achievement in the privacy of the open ocean, cheapened by the
blogging, hype, and orchestrated media involvement into nothing more
than a publicity stunt for milking "pop culture" of the perceived
rewards of '15 minutes of fame' ... barely half a peg higher than the
balloon boy's.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On 1/14/2010 10:06 AM, J. Clarke wrote:
Leon wrote:
wrote in message

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.


No kidding.

It amazes me that people are finding fault over this. While we want to
believe that 16 year olds are children they are only so because we force
them into that mold--Alexander the Great was successfully commanding armies
at that age. This particular girl has a dream and the means to carry it
out and if you read her blog you'll know that she's thought it through and
gotten a good deal of relevant experience and made a careful choice of
equipment and is not operating on a shoestring budget, so what is your
_problem_?

Your gullibility?

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On Jan 14, 11:50*am, Swingman wrote:
On 1/14/2010 5:19 AM, wrote:

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.

Just another example of what would otherwise be a noble adventure of
personal achievement in the privacy of the open ocean, cheapened by the
blogging, hype, and orchestrated media involvement into nothing more
than a publicity stunt for milking "pop culture" of the perceived
rewards of '15 minutes of fame' ... barely half a peg higher than the
balloon boy's.


This.

"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:


No kidding.

It amazes me that people are finding fault over this. While we want to
believe that 16 year olds are children they are only so because we force
them into that mold--Alexander the Great was successfully commanding
armies
at that age. This particular girl has a dream and the means to carry it
out and if you read her blog you'll know that she's thought it through and
gotten a good deal of relevant experience and made a careful choice of
equipment and is not operating on a shoestring budget, so what is your
_problem_?


Kids that age also totally believe that they are invincible. Suppose a
hurricane blows through.... or pirates, they would have a ball with
her....literally, that is my problem..

On Jan 14, 10:06 am, "J. Clarke" wrote:

It amazes me that people are finding fault over this. While we want to
believe that 16 year olds are children they are only so because we force
them into that mold--Alexander the Great was successfully commanding armies
at that age.

You're kidding, right? I didn't see a smiley or wink, so I will
assume you were. Otherwise to follow that statement to its untimely
end, we would have to say that the average person lived (depending on
the source) about 30 years on this planet.

So in your world, using your example, she is matured to middle aged?

Are you comparing her to the social standards of almost 25 centuries
past?

Surely you must be kidding.

This is a girl that can't even legally drive a car without an adult in
it.

(Yeah I know, I am waiting for the farm boys to chime in and tell us
they started driving on their grandpa's lap at 4 yrs. old.... save
it.)

Now this girl wants to sail by herself, unassisted, non stop, for what
will probably turn out to be a year. A year of isolation, a year of
constant danger going through as described "some of the most dangerous
waters in the world", called "the sailor's graveyard".

This particular girl has a dream and the means to carry it
out and if you read her blog you'll know that she's thought it through and
gotten a good deal of relevant experience and made a careful choice of
equipment and is not operating on a shoestring budget, so what is your
_problem_?

I don't know how much credence I would put in a 16 year old's
assessment when "thinking things through" when their life is at
stake. While she may be quite competent for a 16 year old, indeed,
she is still 16.

I don't care how much it is, but the claim that "gotten a good deal of
relevant experience" doesn't include being pursued by pirates/rapers/
muderers, handling her boat when the systems fail in a storm, say in
"sailor's graveyard", etc.

I hope everything turns out OK for this kid and she can come back and
parlay this into her fifteen minutes. She can write a book, a
children's inspirational book, a TV movie for Kid's Discovery, and go
on Oprah. She can be an inspiration for further pointless grabs for
attention by kids everywhere.

If she is murdered, missing, or smashed to pieces in a storm during
this event I hope they go after they parents for negligence.

After all, at 16 you can't even enter into a legally binding agreement
as you are still considered a minor.

Just because folks have the money to do whatever they want when they
want, doesn't mean it is a good idea.

Robert

wrote:

You're kidding, right? I didn't see a smiley or wink, so I will
assume you were.

snip

Not at all.

As stated elsewhere, this 16 year old has been sailing since she was a
rug rat.

She is NOT just any 16 year old kid being thrown to the devil, but an
experienced sailor who is part of a sailing family who has also done
some single handed sailing.

Single handled sailing requires a certain focus.

You do it right or you do it dead.

IOW, you mature in a hurry.

She obviously has spent a lot of time not only developing a well
thought out game plan, but also the equipment needed and her required
personal preparation to accomplish the desired end result.

This is not some hocus pocus 15 minutes of fame gig, but a well
thought out plan of an experienced sailor who just happens to be 16
years old.

BTW, the Modesto Bee needs to get a sailor on staff if they want to
cover a seafaring event.

Being land locked in the central valley gives them a good perspective
on growing crops, but sailing, not so much.

Lew

On 1/14/2010 4:36 PM, wrote:

I don't know how much credence I would put in a 16 year old's
assessment when "thinking things through" when their life is at
stake. While she may be quite competent for a 16 year old, indeed,
she is still 16.

Just because folks have the money to do whatever they want when they
want, doesn't mean it is a good idea.

Experienced a tragic example of that a few years back.

I grew up on a horse farm; rode, trained, show jumped, rodeoed, roped,
rode dressage and three day events, and even held a farriers license at
one time, so there is little about a horse, and horsemanship, I haven't
been exposed to since I was old enough to remember.

Two years ago all the horse crazy kids and their Moms in this affluent
neighborhood were all talking up, and hiring, a 14 year old girl as the
"OMG!!, BEST 'horse trainer' in the whole world!!".

I'm sorry, but there is simply NO way a 14 year old kid is old enough to
have the "experience", knowledge, and judgment to be anything but a
pimple on a real horseman's butt.

Sure enough, and with parents with more money than sense pushing her all
the while, the young lady, two years later and tragically, is a now a
quadriplegic ... simply because of her inexperience and lack of judgment
in getting herself into a situation that no "horseman" would have gotten
into in the first place.

It was sobering for a lot of these kids ... but damn, there are simply
some things you just don't fool with without both lengthy experience,
knowledge, and a finely tuned judgment based on both ... mother nature,
and large quadrapeds capable of killing you, included.

Despite the current cultural perception to the contrary, life is NOT a
farking "My Friend Flicka" movie/video game ...

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

wrote:


This is a girl that can't even legally drive a car without an adult in
it.

(Yeah I know, I am waiting for the farm boys to chime in and tell us
they started driving on their grandpa's lap at 4 yrs. old.... save
it.)

OK then, I piloted an airplane at 12. I was under age to sign a contract
myself when I bought my first house, but I did buy one. It was not easy
because most realtors did not want to talk to be.

I'm not about to set off around the world in a boat, but that does not mean
the 16 yo is not qualified. I don't know here or her experience so I'm not
going to say if she should or not. Yes, it certainly has a lot of risk. I
just don't see that any of us here can make the assessment as we don't know
her, and her abilities, at all.



I don't care how much it is, but the claim that "gotten a good deal of
relevant experience" doesn't include being pursued by pirates/rapers/
muderers, handling her boat when the systems fail in a storm, say in
"sailor's graveyard", etc.

Just like going to the mall some days.

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 03:24:27 -0800 (PST), the infamous Robatoy
scrawled the following:

On Jan 14, 6:19 am, "
wrote:
Imagine...

A young girl on a 40 ft boat all alone in treacherous waters.

http://www.modbee.com/life/buzzz/story/1006871.html

The sheer stupidity of this is unimaginable, and since the governing
sailing bodies won't certify her results, why bother? (I don't
believe a 17 year old girl will be able to pull of the standard
"because it was there" horse crap.)

I think our local newscaster with tow girls of his own said it best:

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.

Robert

As records for 'The Youngest' keep being challenged, at some point in
the future it will have to be a 6-year old who sets sail.

And it'll be featured on the "Who Wants To Be a Masochist?" TV show!

(Next month will mark my 3rd happy year without the boob tube and my
22nd without cigs.)

Well Done!! May 1st I'm four years off cigarettes.

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:06:17 -0500, the infamous "J. Clarke"
scrawled the following:

Leon wrote:
wrote in message
...
Imagine...

A young girl on a 40 ft boat all alone in treacherous waters.

http://www.modbee.com/life/buzzz/story/1006871.html

The sheer stupidity of this is unimaginable, and since the governing
sailing bodies won't certify her results, why bother? (I don't
believe a 17 year old girl will be able to pull of the standard
"because it was there" horse crap.)

I think our local newscaster with tow girls of his own said it best:

"For Gawd's sake; doesn't this girl have parents?"

Apparently not.


No kidding.

It amazes me that people are finding fault over this. While we want to
believe that 16 year olds are children they are only so because we force
them into that mold--Alexander the Great was successfully commanding armies
at that age. This particular girl has a dream and the means to carry it
out and if you read her blog you'll know that she's thought it through and
gotten a good deal of relevant experience and made a careful choice of
equipment and is not operating on a shoestring budget, so what is your
_problem_?

I'm with you, J. It shows how much the parents trust her and how
intelligent they believe she is. It's surely a character builder. But
that's not what the Nanny State wants. shrug

OTOH, if (Somali!) pirates do get her, the parents will be _crucified_
in the media.

--
The greatest fine art of the future will be the making
of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.
--Abraham Lincoln

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:43:25 -0600, the infamous "Leon"
scrawled the following:


"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
Leon wrote:


No kidding.

It amazes me that people are finding fault over this. While we want to
believe that 16 year olds are children they are only so because we force
them into that mold--Alexander the Great was successfully commanding
armies
at that age. This particular girl has a dream and the means to carry it
out and if you read her blog you'll know that she's thought it through and
gotten a good deal of relevant experience and made a careful choice of
equipment and is not operating on a shoestring budget, so what is your
_problem_?


Kids that age also totally believe that they are invincible. Suppose a
hurricane blows through.... or pirates, they would have a ball with
her....literally, that is my problem..

How is that different from a young couple, an old man, or a middle
aged woman on the high seas? Most people on the ocean believe that
and pirates take on all comers, regardless of age or gender.

--
The greatest fine art of the future will be the making
of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.
--Abraham Lincoln

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:36:38 -0800 (PST), the infamous
" scrawled the
following:

On Jan 14, 10:06 am, "J. Clarke" wrote:

It amazes me that people are finding fault over this. While we want to
believe that 16 year olds are children they are only so because we force
them into that mold--Alexander the Great was successfully commanding armies
at that age.

You're kidding, right? I didn't see a smiley or wink, so I will
assume you were. Otherwise to follow that statement to its untimely
end, we would have to say that the average person lived (depending on
the source) about 30 years on this planet.

So in your world, using your example, she is matured to middle aged?

Are you comparing her to the social standards of almost 25 centuries
past?

Surely you must be kidding.

This is a girl that can't even legally drive a car without an adult in
it.

With driver training, many states allow that. consider that many girls
her age are also having sex and smoking for years. Kids grow up far
earlier these days in the constantly-connected age.


(Yeah I know, I am waiting for the farm boys to chime in and tell us
they started driving on their grandpa's lap at 4 yrs. old.... save
it.)

Now this girl wants to sail by herself, unassisted, non stop, for what
will probably turn out to be a year. A year of isolation, a year of
constant danger going through as described "some of the most dangerous
waters in the world", called "the sailor's graveyard".

Have you ever heard of a girl being raped, drowning, or getting
crushed in a car wreck in the same neighborhood you live? Live is
dangerous _everywhere_, Robert. Acknowledge it!


This particular girl has a dream and the means to carry it
out and if you read her blog you'll know that she's thought it through and
gotten a good deal of relevant experience and made a careful choice of
equipment and is not operating on a shoestring budget, so what is your
_problem_?

I don't know how much credence I would put in a 16 year old's
assessment when "thinking things through" when their life is at
stake. While she may be quite competent for a 16 year old, indeed,
she is still 16.

Young kids saving older, dumber people's lives. Googlit. Be amazed at
how many times the reporters are astounded by the maturity of a 10
year old boy, etc.


I don't care how much it is, but the claim that "gotten a good deal of
relevant experience" doesn't include being pursued by pirates/rapers/
muderers, handling her boat when the systems fail in a storm, say in
"sailor's graveyard", etc.

Here, too. Nowhere is safe when things go wrong. You can bet that
she's being tracked six ways from Sunday, too. I'll bet the NSA is
keeping an eye on her in case she goes in for nude sunbathing.


I hope everything turns out OK for this kid and she can come back and
parlay this into her fifteen minutes. She can write a book, a
children's inspirational book, a TV movie for Kid's Discovery, and go
on Oprah. She can be an inspiration for further pointless grabs for
attention by kids everywhere.

Like the 2-month younger echo from California?


If she is murdered, missing, or smashed to pieces in a storm during
this event I hope they go after they parents for negligence.

After all, at 16 you can't even enter into a legally binding agreement
as you are still considered a minor.

Except for the thousands who are emancipated minors. Face it: many
kids are safer away from bad homes and have grown up very early.


Just because folks have the money to do whatever they want when they
want, doesn't mean it is a good idea.

I know, I'm jealous of her, too. wink, wink

So, find the odds on how much difference there is between her home
city and the ocean as far as safety. I'll bet you find them similar,
if not better on the sea. All except the AAA service calls.

--
The greatest fine art of the future will be the making
of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.
--Abraham Lincoln

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
wrote:


This is a girl that can't even legally drive a car without an adult
in it.

(Yeah I know, I am waiting for the farm boys to chime in and tell us
they started driving on their grandpa's lap at 4 yrs. old.... save
it.)

OK then, I piloted an airplane at 12. I was under age to sign a
contract myself when I bought my first house, but I did buy one. It
was not easy because most realtors did not want to talk to be.

I'm not about to set off around the world in a boat, but that does
not mean the 16 yo is not qualified. I don't know here or her
experience so I'm not going to say if she should or not. Yes, it
certainly has a lot of risk. I just don't see that any of us here
can make the assessment as we don't know her, and her abilities, at
all.

This business of "not driving a car" is local. I had a full driver's
license at 16. One can get a pilot's license in the US at 16. Balamurali
Ambeti was licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York at 17.

I don't care how much it is, but the claim that "gotten a good deal
of relevant experience" doesn't include being pursued by
pirates/rapers/ muderers, handling her boat when the systems fail in
a storm, say in "sailor's graveyard", etc.

Just like going to the mall some days.

I don't see what age has to do with having experience being chased by
pirates. As for being chased by rapers and murderers, one is far more
likely to be chased by rapers and murderers on the way to high school than
in the middle of the ocean, but if she was 21 or 31 or 41 or 101 she still
wouldn't have any relevant experience in being chased by such unless she had
phenomenally bad luck. As for "systems failing in a storm", the "systems"
in question are ropes and pulleys--it's an effing _sailboat_ for God's sake,
technology that was old when Alexander was leading his armies at her age.

J. Clarke wrote:

As for "systems failing
in a storm", the "systems" in question are ropes and pulleys--it's an
effing _sailboat_ for God's sake, technology that was old when
Alexander was leading his armies at her age.

And winches, stays, tangs, screws, bolts...all manner of things. Bodies
too: cuts, scrapes, concussions, broken bones...

Anyone who has ever sailed a boat knows - or had exceptional luck - that
systems *DO* fail, storms or not. The wonder is that they do as well as
they do.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:06:17 -0500, the infamous "J. Clarke"
scrawled the following:


I'm with you, J. It shows how much the parents trust her and how
intelligent they believe she is. It's surely a character builder. But
that's not what the Nanny State wants. shrug

Exactly,,, reminds me of the "baloon boy" parents.. those that don't think
too far ahead.


OTOH, if (Somali!) pirates do get her, the parents will be _crucified_
in the media.

As if any one but she and the pirates would ever know, I highly suspect the
secrets would go down with the boat, and as if the pirates cared what any
one thought.

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...


Kids that age also totally believe that they are invincible. Suppose a
hurricane blows through.... or pirates, they would have a ball with
her....literally, that is my problem..

How is that different from a young couple, an old man, or a middle
aged woman on the high seas? Most people on the ocean believe that
and pirates take on all comers, regardless of age or gender.


The older people should have a better understanding of the risks.

The difference is maturity and over all knowledge. Regardless of experience
in a particular field, age gives the advantage of "life in general"
experiences. With age comes better decisions, typically a person does not
become less experienced with life in general.

All things being equal older more mature people have more life experiences
to help them make better decisions. They have more information from
repeated experiences to know what they are getting into.

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
...
Must be the weather.

Abby Sunderland, 16 year old sister of Zak, a 17 year old circumnavigator,
departs on Saturday from Marina Del Rey, (Los Angeles) in her 40 ft racing
sail boat, headed for the horn.

She is a few months younger than Jessica.

Lew


Here is how a few of us see this adventure...


CRACKEY! That particular alligator resting on the bank of this pond is the
most dangerous in the world! And this one is older and therefore wiser, he
had to be to have survived this long. His temperament is very
unpredictable and at any moment he could strike out at me with the force and
speed of a raging locomotive and I would have little chance of escape.

I'm going to I will poke it with this short stick!

Ohhhhhhhh... that sting ray just stabbed me in my heart with his barb....



Well Mate, lets plan a world adventure on the high seas. Lets plan the
trip to do it alone as to gain recognition. Lets do it with out a motor so
that we will be at the mercy of the sea. Although the trip will lead to
some of the oceans most dangerous regions, this will only add to the hype
and excitement that will be generated. Fans will watch with excitement like
NASCAR fans do. When will there be a wreck or when will there be a storm???
The excitement and unforeseen elements will be too numerous to count. We
will be at natures mercy.

Lets let our 16 year old daughter make the journey.

Ohhhhhhh.... We prey she fairs well and with out harm.

dadiOH wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:

As for "systems failing
in a storm", the "systems" in question are ropes and pulleys--it's an
effing _sailboat_ for God's sake, technology that was old when
Alexander was leading his armies at her age.

And winches,

Pulley with a crank and a ratchec.

stays,

Just ropes.

tangs, screws, bolts...all manner of things.

Just fancy substitutes for knots.

Bodies too: cuts, scrapes, concussions, broken bones...

Anyone who has ever sailed a boat knows - or had exceptional luck -
that systems *DO* fail, storms or not. The wonder is that they do as
well as they do.

Calling them "systems" doesn't make them any less ropes. As for their
failing, anybody who can tie a knot can fix them. If it was really so
complicated as to be beyond the abilities of a sixteen year old, how would
being an "adult" however you define it make a difference?

Leon wrote:
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:06:17 -0500, the infamous "J. Clarke"
scrawled the following:


I'm with you, J. It shows how much the parents trust her and how
intelligent they believe she is. It's surely a character builder. But
that's not what the Nanny State wants. shrug

Exactly,,, reminds me of the "baloon boy" parents.. those that don't
think too far ahead.


OTOH, if (Somali!) pirates do get her, the parents will be
_crucified_ in the media.

As if any one but she and the pirates would ever know, I highly
suspect the secrets would go down with the boat, and as if the
pirates cared what any one thought.

And why would Somali pirates be operating 2500 miles from Somalia anyway.
Seems an awful long way to go to nab a teenager in a small sailboat--they'd
have to pass up an awful lot of more profitable freighters and tankers to
get there.

But if they did we might very well know about it--wouldn't put it past her
to set up a live feed.

"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
dadiOH wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:

As for "systems failing
in a storm", the "systems" in question are ropes and pulleys--it's an
effing _sailboat_ for God's sake, technology that was old when
Alexander was leading his armies at her age.

And winches,

Pulley with a crank and a ratchec.

stays,

Just ropes.

tangs, screws, bolts...all manner of things.

Just fancy substitutes for knots.

Bodies too: cuts, scrapes, concussions, broken bones...

Anyone who has ever sailed a boat knows - or had exceptional luck -
that systems *DO* fail, storms or not. The wonder is that they do as
well as they do.

Calling them "systems" doesn't make them any less ropes. As for their
failing, anybody who can tie a knot can fix them. If it was really so
complicated as to be beyond the abilities of a sixteen year old, how would
being an "adult" however you define it make a difference?

You can find an way to remedy for most anything... That is what a sailor
does...

In rough seas you slip and fall, break both arms.... now what? Not a far
reach of what could happen.

A 16 year old's knowledge of the potential dangers is not as developed as
one with longer life experiences.

She should at least be old enough to have a decent understanding of how her
life would change should any harm come to her.

Leon wrote:
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...


Kids that age also totally believe that they are invincible.
Suppose a hurricane blows through.... or pirates, they would have a
ball with her....literally, that is my problem..

How is that different from a young couple, an old man, or a middle
aged woman on the high seas? Most people on the ocean believe that
and pirates take on all comers, regardless of age or gender.


The older people should have a better understanding of the risks.

How does "better understanding of the risks" remove the risks? And how old
do you consider to be "old enough"? Hillary Clinton has a mighty ****load
of life experience but if she was in the middle of the ocean in a boat and
some gang of pirates decided to rape her exactly how would she use that
experience to protect herself?

But I really don't understand why people are on about rapists and murderers
and pirates. Pirates tend to work close to shore, not in the middle of the
Antarctic ocean. And if you were looking for a teenaged girl to rape and
murder where would you go, the middle of the ocean or the nearest mall?

The difference is maturity and over all knowledge.

Maturity and overall knowledge do not beat a faster boat and superior
firepower. The adult male crews of the various large ships that have been
taken by pirates in recent years seem to have been unable to apply that
"maturity and overall knowledge" in such a way as to prevent the piracy, so
it would seem to be a moot point.

Regardless of
experience in a particular field, age gives the advantage of "life in
general" experiences. With age comes better decisions, typically a
person does not become less experienced with life in general.

What do you bet that by the time they get home these two girls will have
more life experience than most people twice their age? How much "life
experience" would you consider to be the minimum before one is allowed by
you to go sailing?

All things being equal older more mature people have more life
experiences to help them make better decisions. They have more
information from repeated experiences to know what they are getting
into.

I see. So your average stockbroker from Omaha has had repeated experiences
crossing oceans on small sailing vessels?

On Jan 15, 9:57*am, "J. Clarke" wrote:
dadiOH wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:

As for "systems failing
in a storm", the "systems" in question are ropes and pulleys--it's an
effing _sailboat_ for God's sake, technology that was old when
Alexander was leading his armies at her age.

And winches,

Pulley with a crank and a ratchec.

stays,

Just ropes.

Actually, only a few of the "ropes" on a boat are called ropes.
Ropes or wires that hold up masts are collectively known as standing
rigging and are called shrouds or stays (the stay connecting the top
of the mast to the bow is called the forestay or headstay).

Ropes or wires that control the sails are known collectively as
running rigging. Those that raise and lower sails are called halyards.
Ropes that adjust (trim) the sails are called sheets. These are often
referred to using the name of the sail they control (eg. "main sheet",
or "jib sheet").

Ropes used to tie the boat up when alongside are called docklines.
There are some ropes: A few examples, the bell rope (to ring the
bell), a bolt rope (attached to the edge of a sail for extra
strength), a foot rope (on old square riggers for the sailors to stand
on while reefing or furling the sails), and a tiller rope (to
temporarily hold the tiller and keep the boat on course).

On 1/15/2010 9:13 AM, Leon wrote:

A 16 year old's knowledge of the potential dangers is not as developed as
one with longer life experiences.

Yeah, just watch as a teenage girl goes by, sitting with left leg up on
the car seat, texting with one hand, while doing 70mph, all the while 5'
from the bumper of the car in front of her, then tell me how much
"potential danger" the majority of them understand.

If you drive anywhere other than the grocery store and maintain you
haven't seen this ubiquitous phenomenon with young female drivers, then
+you+ damn sure aren't paying enough attention while driving either ...

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On Jan 15, 8:24*am, "Leon" wrote:
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message

...

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:06:17 -0500, the infamous "J. Clarke"
scrawled the following:
I'm with you, J. *It shows how much the parents trust her and how
intelligent they believe she is. It's surely a character builder. But
that's not what the Nanny State wants. *shrug

Exactly,,, reminds me of the "baloon boy" parents.. *those that don't think
too far ahead.



OTOH, if (Somali!) pirates do get her, the parents will be _crucified_
in the media.

As if any one but she and the pirates would ever know, I highly suspect the
secrets would go down with the boat, and as if the pirates cared what any
one thought.

Nawww.. the pirates would tie her to the mast and skilfully cut away
her clothing, bit-by-bit while their parrots would scream
"ARRRRRGGHHHHH" and they'd lift up their eye-patches and stare her in
the eyes as one of them lifts up her chin with his hook, drooling..
just then......carrier lost

Arrrrgggg

On Jan 15, 10:18*am, "J. Clarke" wrote:


* Hillary Clinton has a mighty ****load
of life experience but if she was in the middle of the ocean in a boat and
some gang of pirates decided to rape her

That would NEVER, NEVER happen...NEVER!

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:26:19 -0800, the infamous "LDosser"
scrawled the following:

someone said:
As records for 'The Youngest' keep being challenged, at some point in
the future it will have to be a 6-year old who sets sail.
and I said:
And it'll be featured on the "Who Wants To Be a Masochist?" TV show!

(Next month will mark my 3rd happy year without the boob tube and my
22nd without cigs.)

Well Done!! May 1st I'm four years off cigarettes.

Congrats in advance. (I know you won't be wanting to smell like a
dirty ashtray to everyone you meet in the next few months, so you'll
stay ciggy-free.)

I quit when it cost less for a carton than it does for a single pack
today. Today's ex-smokers can purchase major power tools or truckloads
of wood for the annual price of their habit, so they benefit even
more than I did. (bringing the drift back on topic, just to annoy)

--
The greatest fine art of the future will be the making
of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.
--Abraham Lincoln

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:26:19 -0600, the infamous "Leon"
scrawled the following:


"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
.. .


Kids that age also totally believe that they are invincible. Suppose a
hurricane blows through.... or pirates, they would have a ball with
her....literally, that is my problem..

How is that different from a young couple, an old man, or a middle
aged woman on the high seas? Most people on the ocean believe that
and pirates take on all comers, regardless of age or gender.


The older people should have a better understanding of the risks.

The difference is maturity and over all knowledge. Regardless of experience
in a particular field, age gives the advantage of "life in general"
experiences. With age comes better decisions, typically a person does not
become less experienced with life in general.

All things being equal older more mature people have more life experiences
to help them make better decisions. They have more information from
repeated experiences to know what they are getting into.

Has anyone figured out what the differences in risks are between:
A) Walking home from work in a large/medium/small/rural city.
and
B) Circumnavigating the globe at age 16?

I don't have time for the search, but I hope someone does and gives us
the stats.

--
The greatest fine art of the future will be the making
of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.
--Abraham Lincoln

On 1/15/2010 10:34 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:

I quit when it cost less for a carton than it does for a single pack
today. Today's ex-smokers can purchase major power tools or truckloads
of wood for the annual price of their habit, so they benefit even
more than I did. (bringing the drift back on topic, just to annoy)

I quit, cold turkey, Sunday, November 17, 1991 at just after 1 AM, after
31 years of smoking.

At the time it was costing me roughly $5/day for a three pack a day
habit. And you're right, I immediately started buying tools with the +/-
$1800/year I saved thenceforth.

To this day I still use that fact/figure as all the justification
necessary to buy whatever I feel may be somewhat of an unnecessary, but
something I really want, expense in the shop, and still have not come
anywhere near the $34k in 1991 dollars saved thus far.

A damn good incentive, IMO ... and a hellavu tradeoff, healthwise.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:54:46 -0600, "Leon"
wrote:

Lets let our 16 year old daughter make the journey.
Ohhhhhhh.... We prey she fairs well and with out harm.

A budding Amelia Earhart in the making. I wonder what kind of ****
will come down the pipe when one of these kids dies out there?

On 1/15/2010 10:37 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:

Has anyone figured out what the differences in risks are between:
A) Walking home from work in a large/medium/small/rural city.
and
B) Circumnavigating the globe at age 16?

I don't have time for the search, but I hope someone does and gives us
the stats.

Don't know about that, but the insurance industry can damn sure give you
the stats for how lack of "experience" and mature "judgment" justifies
the increased cost of insuring 18-25 year old while operating motor
vehicles.

I can't imagine this statistical fact somehow magically disappearing at sea.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:18:08 -0500, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

How does "better understanding of the risks" remove the risks? And how old
do you consider to be "old enough"?

A better understanding of the risks means that you often don't take
that risk in the first place. That's something that age and experience
can give you.

Along the same lines, a better understanding of the risks might mean
that you've had other risks similar to the one that's at hand and have
a better chance of knowing how some risk might turn out.

A better understanding of the risks might mean that you have the
knowledge to use a different method to attenuate the risk and not
experience injury.

Kids don't have the maturity and experience to better balance the pros
and cons of a particular risk. Adults are generally far better
equipped because of experience and observation than the brashness and
inexperience that a younger person would not consider.

As an example, I used all sorts of drugs when I was a kid, because I
just didn't understand the risks. Now that I'm older, I'd never
consider doing some of the stuff now that I did then. Not because I
had a particularly bad time because of drugs, but because over the
years, I've observed other people going through hell because of them.
My age and experience tells me what is sensible. Go ahead and refute
my experience.

Swingman wrote:
On 1/15/2010 10:37 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:

Has anyone figured out what the differences in risks are between:
A) Walking home from work in a large/medium/small/rural city.
and
B) Circumnavigating the globe at age 16?

I don't have time for the search, but I hope someone does and gives
us the stats.

Don't know about that, but the insurance industry can damn sure give
you the stats for how lack of "experience" and mature "judgment"
justifies the increased cost of insuring 18-25 year old while operating
motor
vehicles.

I can't imagine this statistical fact somehow magically disappearing
at sea.

apples to grapefruit comparison. the two aren't comparable. the distractions
to driving and the quick changing road environment simply aren't there in
mid-ocean.