Last night our crew heard the news that fellow sailor, Abby Sunderland, was lost at sea somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Our first reaction was to pass on the news and keep Abby in our prayers, but we soon found ourselves in silence and at a loss for words. Although the crew on Aolani Catamaran Cruises has put in their hours, none of us have a story like Abby’s; a story worth writing about.
Abigail Sunderland is a sixteen year old “cleancut, All-American Girl” as her parents describe her. When Abby became a teenager, her goal became her focus. While most teens would be content with their goal of acing an exam, scoring a goal during a soccer match or getting the person of their dreams to ask them to winter formal, Abby was intent on making history as the youngest person, female or male, to circumnavigate the globe…alone.
In January of this year, Abby left Marina del Ray, up the coast from us in California, and embarked on a journey she would never forget. Although there were to be obstacles, Abby had prepared for this trip for months and there was nothing that was going to get in her way…until yesterday.
Rewind to about a week ago and you will find Abby describing her location as “the middle of the Indian ocean”, where 20 foot waves reside and moderate winds of 20-25 knots prevail. It seemed as if Abby knew what was ahead, for she spent most of her day patching up the sail, troubleshooting her Thrane & Thrane Internet system and checking for leaks. Because Abby is set up with the latest equipment, she is constantly monitoring the weather and therefore knew to get ready for stronger winds.
Fast forward to yesterday, June 10, 2010 and you will find a post from Abby’s parents. They had spoken to her that morning while helping troubleshoot her engine so that her systems could be recharged. As the satellite phone went in and out, they lost contact with Abby and were waiting to hear back from her when an unexpected call from Australian Search and Rescue came in, reporting a received signal from Abby’s emergency beacon (EPIRB), a beacon that was first thought to be automatic but with further investigation was found to be manual. Due to this find, Abby’s parents began working with American, French and Australian Search and Rescue authorities to coordinate the use of ships to begin her rescue efforts. As her parents quickly reminded us that Abby has all the equipment she could possibly need to survive, we still cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like to go through such an adventure. Although we are not sure what exactly happened out on the seas yesterday somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean , we do know that there were winds of up to 60 knots and seas 20-25 feet. Because Abby wrote in her very first blog post that 8 knots was “nice (and very fun) ”, we can only imagine what she must have felt as gusts reached 60.
1 knot=1.151 mph
Late last night as our thoughts were turned to Abby and her family, we received another update on her blog from her parents that Australian Search and Rescue had arrived on the scene, and that Wild Eyes (her boat) was “upright but her rigging is down”. Abby was able to communicate via radio and reported that she is fine.

As Aolani is about to set sail this morning on yet another great charter, our thoughts will turn to Abby as we comfortably sail through the San Diego Bay and out past the tip of Point Loma, not taking a single moment or gust of wind for granted.

Abby, we wish you all the best. You have seen more and accomplished more than many of us will do in an entire lifetime, that is what makes you worth writing about.

Calm Seas and Warm Winds,
The Aolani Catamaran Crew

Follow Abby and her journey on Wild Eyes (her boat) here.