Ladies and Gentlemen,
A Qantas aircraft commissioned to locate Abbey Sunderland, the 16 year old round the world solo sailor who was feared lost in the Southern Oceans has found her and made radio contact with her. She is fine, her boat is upright and she has enough food. She will be shortly rescued by ships heading out to her.
This is excellent news. Thank God for that. Now it is 12.02 am Friday morning, California time.
Gopalan Nair
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Tel: 510 657 6107
Fax: 510 657 6914
Email: nair.gopalan@yahoo.com
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
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3 comments:
Some things cannot be measured in dollars and cents. Lee Kuan Yew will never get it, which is why he looks down on Australian govt way of doing things.
http://www.news.com.au/world/solo-sailor-abby-sunderland-found-australia-to-fund-search/story-e6frfkyi-1225878612787
Solo sailor Abby Sunderland found; Australia to fund search
From: NewsCore June 11, 2010 7:02pm
AUSTRALIA will pay for its part in the search and rescue of teenage solo sailor Abby Sunderland.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority chief executive Mick Kinley said searchers saw and made radio contact with 16-year-old Abby just after 4pm (AEST) today.
"She sounds like she's in good health, as far as we can tell, and she's going to hang in there,'' Mr Kinley told said in Canberra.
Australian authorities commissioned a Qantas plane to search for Abby, who encountered extremely rough weather in the Indian Ocean about 3700km off the coast of Western Australia.
Mr Kinley did not say how much the rescue mission would cost, but said there would be no attempt to recover costs.
Abby's emergency beacon went off outside Australia's search and rescue region, in the region of La Reunion and La Reunion asked Australia for assistance.
The boat then drifted into Australia's search and rescue region. Australia is now co-ordinating the rescue mission.
When asked if Australia would seek to get the money back, Mr Kinley said: "No, that's the way the system runs.
"We would expect people to rescue any Australian yachtsman in these conditions,'' he said.
"It's our obligation to do this and we'll fulfil those obligations as Australia does.''
A vessel should reach her in about 24 hours, he told reporters at 5pm (AEST).
Her boat was upright but had lost its mast due to rough weather conditions.
"She's in the boat, the boat's seaworthy, it's not taking on water,'' Mr Kinley said.
Abby's relieved family updated her blog after receiving news contact had been made this afternoon.
"We have just heard from the Australian Search and Rescue. The plane arrived on the scene moments ago," they posted.
"Wild Eyes is upright but her rigging is down. The weather conditions are abating. Radio communication was made and Abby reports that she is fine!
"We don't know much else right now. The French fishing vessel that was diverted to her location will be there in a little over 24 hours. Where they will take her or how long it will take we don't know."
Abby had activated two emergency beacons early this morning, barely minutes after telling her parents about fierce weather conditions off Australia's west coast.
Abby is attempting to sail solo around the world and had passed the halfway mark earlier in the week.
She hopes to beat Australian Jessica Watson to become the youngest to sail around the world alone.
Watson, then 16, claimed the record on May 15 after completing a 23,000-mile (about 38,000km) circumnavigation in 210 days.
The goal eluded Sunderland when she was forced to pull into port at Cape Town for boat repairs in April.
"It would be foolish and irresponsible for me to keep going with my equipment not working well," she wrote on her blog at the time.
"I gave it my best shot and made it almost half way around the world. I will definitely keep going, and whether or not I will make any more stops after this I don't know yet."
What a brave girl.
Many of us are even hesitant to even cycle let alone take on the high seas.
When asked if Australia would seek to get the money back, Mr Kinley said: "No, that's the way the system runs. "We would expect people to rescue any Australian yachtsman in these conditions,'' he said. It's our obligation to do this and we'll fulfil those obligations as Australia does.''
- Australian Maritime Safety Authority chief executive Mick Kinley.
"...I regret making the decision because, in the end, the baby continued to be in intensive care, and KKH now runs up a total bill of more than $300,000..."
- Singapore's Minister for Health, Lim Hng Kiang, regretting the decision to save a baby's life because KK Hospital ran up a $300,000 bill.
Could there be a more stark illustration of Wilde's observation on 'knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing'? The day a S'pore cabinet minister is pilloried in the local press for daring to utter such a crass remark is the day the nation attained adulthood. Until then, it deserves its status as a third world society harbouring delusions of grandeur.
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