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Child of the Year

6K views 68 replies 25 participants last post by  chrisncate 
#1 ·
Anybody have a suitable 10-year old to sacrifice?

Today, Jessica Watson was named Australian of the Year for sailing solo, unassisted, non-stop around the world at the age of 16.

Don't misunderstand, I am totally in awe of Jessica Watson, she is one tough cookie, but as we have seen in some less fortunate attempts, circumnavigation is not quite in the league of winning a dancing contest or topping a math competition.

It should not be a goal to be "youngest" in this kind of endeavour, methinks. Jessica Watson deserves recognition, but it ought not spark a round into child territory?
 
#45 ·
My guess is, and this is based on my feelings as a parent, that the "good & positive thing" remained that way with a good dose of luck. It is quite possible the trip could have turned into a "bad, tragic, and/or fatal thing" and, some of us feel, it is the parent's responsibility to minimise such events on our children whilst they are still minors (at least).

My beef in this thread is different (I don't think sailing around the world for ones own benefit makes someone an iconic Australian to look up to), but I can understand where people are coming from.
 
#48 ·
Maybe some of you are right, maybe 16 is old enough.

Honestly. I don't know. Do you guys think the "life experience" that comes with being older than a teenager has any relevance at all in the context of circumnavigating alone in any ocean wilderness?

I'm pretty torn by what some of you are saying, many of you on the "pro" teen circumnavigating side make fairly compelling arguments, but in my own head I keep coming back to the experience question. Does it matter or not? Are "kids" today made of the same stuff of prior generations? Often (in my personal experience and local observation) I observe teenagers that seem so young and immature for their age. Maybe it's I who is wrong in that assessment though..

?

Also I'd like to ask those on the "pro teen" side, how young (iyo) is too young? Is there a lower threshold iyo?
 
#49 ·
Chrisncate-

I'm not necessarily pro-teens circumnavigating solo...

I think it needs to be applied on a case by case basis. For instance, Jessica had the experience, the knowledge, the desire, the maturity and skills to do so successfully. Abbey Sunderland did not. Jessica wasn't depending on her shore crew to make most of the decisions for her voyage-Abby was in constant communication with her shore team, and from what I have heard, read, it seems that they were making a lot of the day-to-day decisions.

Jessica knew her boat, and was in charge of the re-fit of Ella's Pink Lady before the boat was used for the circumnavigation attempt. To give you an idea of the decisions that Jessica made regarding EPL, she removed a basically new diesel engine to put the engine she preferred in the boat for the voyage. On the other hand, Abby spent less than two months with her boat prior to leaving and didn't know the boat very well at all, since she had to stop a solo, non-stop circumnavigation because she couldn't manage the electrical loads on the boat properly and delayed her real departure almost a month-which probably contributed to her bad timing of entering the Southern Ocean in winter-which really just isn't done.

One other thing I've noticed, it seems as the average boat size has gotten larger, and the systems on them have gotten more complex, the level of seamanship in many cases has gone DOWN.

Ken Barnes left on a 47' steel sailboat, that had 14 batteries and multiple GPS units, autopilots, etc., but didn't even make it out of the Pacific. Donna Lange, who was circumnavigating at the same time, was on a 28' boat and finished her voyage handily, even though she was older, probably less physically capable, and on a much smaller, probably less seaworthy boat. The storm system that hammered Barnes' boat had also passed over Lange's boat earlier.

Again, Jessica was in a smaller boat with less technology, and she succeeded where Abbey in the much higher tech, higher performance boat, failed. Jessica's level of seamanship was probably much higher than Abby's to begin with. From Jessica's blog:

Despite the fact that today started with a knockdown, a wet bunk, a headache and some pretty huge seas, I've had a great day. I know the words knockdown and great don't belong in the same sentence, but right now I'm feeling better than I have all week. And I don't mean that I've been feeling lousy all week, I mean that right now I've got sore cheeks from smiling all afternoon.
Abby's blog says this:

After Abby having a great shakedown cruise to Cabo, here is what we accomplished over the last 3 days with much help from Jeff, Pilot Bill, Myself, Abby's father Laurence, Cabo Captain Chris, many cabo locals, and Abby herself. A special thanks to Enrique, Norma, and especially Augusto of IGY Marina Cabo San Lucas for a warm welcome in which they went out of their way to make our stay short and sweet.
Umm...don't you think she should have done a shakedown cruise PRIOR to leaving on a circumnavigation??
 
#57 ·
The point, which you seem to be missing, is that Abby didn't really pick her boat AFAIK.
I didn't know we were arguing, my bad! :eek:

I did get that point, and I wasn't trying to argue a counterpoint to that. My crappy communication skills got in the way perhaps? Either way, you have not written an opinion on the Sunderland story that I would disagree with at all (And I would if I disagreed, ask PBeezer if you don't believe that :D )

I just don't want to fully beat up on her because I met her, and she has been "humanized" to me. It's my hang up, not yours.

and so on... a proper shakedown cruise, a bit more involvement in prepping her boat, and more than a few weeks of time spent aboard would have probably been a good idea.
Agreed.

::slinks out of thread::
 
#58 ·
I'm not trying to beat up on Abby. I respect what she accomplished, but believe that her parents, whether intentionally or not, put her life and the lives of those who ended up rescuing her at risk for little real reason. I don't blame Abby, since the pressure parents can bring to bear on a child, especially one who is home-schooled and doesn't have the outside resources normally available to a teenager, can be tremendous.
 
#61 ·
I love this group. How we ramble and digress:

  • was - Child of the year
  • was - Young Australian of the Year
  • was - circumnavigating in general
  • now - about Abby
How about the age we push kids to be the best in the world in:
  • hockey,
  • tennis,
  • figure skating,
  • gymnastics . . .
Is 15 too young, 12, 8, turning pro at 5??

Come on you guys - we can take this anywhere we want. And besides, it is too cold to go work on my boat.

But, I fly to Toronto in 3 and a half hours to sit through three days of safe boating meetings.

Oh joy! ;) But I will have my iPhone and will watch where this thread goes.

Shalom all

Rik
 
#64 ·
Smack, I think that's a bit extreme? Jail for all?

I thing SD had it when he pointed out the obvious: Some 16 year olds have "done it right", and others (A Sunderland for example) have clearly done it wrong and dangerously.
If your child is a dependent minor as defined by law and you send him/her on a multi-month voyage around the world, solo, in conditions that will most likely be life threatening at some point, especially if it's all for a "record"....jail, or at least loss of parental rights, makes perfect sense.

How do you define parental neglect?
 
#66 ·
I don't. I leave it to Judge Dredd to decide.



But I do think that you cannot apply a blanket "neglect" judgement to all underage circumnavigators parents, regardless of what a law might say about age.
That's probably true. The Dutch courts, for example, found that Dekker could go at 15 (I think?) but not 13. Prior to that they had to step in and temporarily take that choice away from the Dekkers. So every country, every court will probably differ.

My point is that, regardless, the law will dictate "age of majority" and "parental neglect". That's the blanket to be used for judgement - like it or not. And I hold that that blanket is a good thing - especially in a world full of bonehead parents.

If it's legal, send your kid off into the briney by herself. No worries. If it's not, go with her and have a great time with your minor child on a huge adventure. Screw the "records". Pretty simple really.
 
#68 ·
SMack has some good points, before puberty a child need parental supervision. Regardless of what either the child or the parents think. The law is the final arbritrator for these things. But The laws in a particular country mey be based on something other than common sense, (I.E. labor laws that prevent teens from competing for jobs with unskilled labor, but in fact cause the teens to have to work for free and increase explotation).
I was just pointing out that a 16 year old is physically an adult. Just as a 40 year old is physically an adult. Either may have the same maturity emotionally, and or the same degree of sailing experience. At some point there has to be a limit. And just as we don't allow unlicensed drivers to race cars at Indy, and the law requires minimum age to drive be 16. Sailing out of parental supervision should make a similer age restriction. I just don't agree that it should be over 18, (or 21), (25?).

Just to add fuel. There was a case recently in Brazil where a 9 year old girl wanted to be the parade leader. After endless court hearings and lawyers, about how sexy the parade was and is this child being exploited, the parents got the right to have their daughter lead the parade. She got 3 blocks and ran in to the crowd crying leaving the parade leaderless.

The moral of this is a child, (pre-adolescent), cannot act in the capacity of an adult). The voyage of a preteen child who may be the most skilled sailer in the world, will likely fail. Not because of a sailing mistake, but something simple failing of a child without a parent. Forgetting to eat properly, not getting enough sleep, leaving the lights or oven on, etc... I'm not afraid of a 9 year old leaving me to shame. They are simply not capable of maintaining managment of their own household independently over the course of several weeks. A teenager though watch out. Their sharper, and quicker than us. The only advantage we have is experience, (if we have that).
 
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