But Mom, he got to sail around the world!

I can't believe there is even a debate about this. At all. These "what if" scenarios are ridiculous. On a related note, can anyone lend Cousin Oliver the money to purchase a boat?

 

Your second line is the key point of this.

I'm not arguing she shouldn't have gone, period. I'm saying that, as a 16-year old kid, her parents should have stepped up and said it's too dangerous.

Would it have been any less dangerous in two years? No. But she'd be making her own decisions and risking her own life ... as an adult.

At 16, it's her parents decision to allow/not allow her to engage in a certain behavior and the risk vs. reward here was far too great in the former category to justify letting her go.

Chick is 16. You want an adventure? Play softball.

 

Yes, much...This is in very bad taste.

I'm with CR on this. I understand the debate, and the uproar prompted by the, shall we say, unique parenting decisions and family life, and I don't necessarily disagree with all of it.

But, this is this family's way of life, and really, it is theirs to live, isn't it?

I know a little about this personally, because this family is actually friends (and across-the-street neighbors) of one one of my brothers and his family.

In fact, I just saw the Sunderlands recently at a birthday party for my brother, and their younger kids hang out with my brother's young son all the time.

Whatever their faults or mistakes or misguided decisions, the family does not to deserve to lose their daughter, and she does not deserve to die.

We shouldn't make it sound like we have nothing to say but "I told you so," or anything so unhelpful as that right at this point.

This a girl and a family no doubt in distress. But we don't know yet what has happened, so we should hold off the hounds at least until we do.

 

Whether she's found alive or dead doesn't change the argument, IMO. The parents have failed regardless of what condition they find her in.

 

Your objection is noted, counselor. For the 239th time.

 

The issue here is the family's judgment about the risk involved in this trip. I know we're all a bunch of sailing experts in this thread with deep knowledge of the odds, but I think that if she's alive and perfectly fine because of some sort of training or knowledge, that's probably relevant to the discussion.

 

Sorry, Rick. If you've previously commented, you're not allowed to comment anymore. It's ... like ... the rules ... or something.

 

Good thing MicroSoft succeeded or Bill Gates would have died a horrible death.

 

So this girl died a slow death over the course of hours, right? I'm really doubting this was quick.

She had to know that she was in serious shit when the seas got rough, and when the boat capsized or took on so much water that it sank. She was probably crying for her mother or father to come save her. And then she drowned.

She died alone in the middle of the ocean. Shit, at least Jack on Lost got to die with a dog beside him.

I'm sorry this is so blunt, but defending these fucks is sickening.

 

From everything I've read, she's got a shitton of stuff that would give her a really good chance of surviving much longer than she otherwise would.

 

Wait . . . do we know that she's dead?

Let's not jump the gun here. Granted, they could end up calling off the search in a few days.

But let's not write her obituary yet.

 

Well if she is alive, she is one terrified girl.