Boat Kids

By Scott Dodgson

I want to take a moment to address the news reports of Abby Sunderland the 16 year old girl who left Marina Del Rey, California to set the record of being the youngest girl to sail around the world solo. Her boat was knocked down and demasted in the Southern Indian Ocean. She was feared lost at sea but this morning reports she has been found and will be rescued within 24 hours. I live in Marina Del Rey so you can imagine the buzz around the marina about her trip. As the resident Yoda of long distance sailing having sailed over 200,000 nm I have experienced just about every disaster, foul weather (four hurricanes) numerous knock downs and just about every mechanical and technical problem imaginable at sea I stand in her and her parents’ defense for sailing around the world but not for chasing the record. In fact her record chase was over when she had to put in to South Africa for repairs. Her subsequent decision to traverse the Southern Ocean was an imprudent decision. A decision I suspect was not hers alone to make. I’ve been in that situation and understand how easily it is to make a bad decision. Sometimes the decision works out and sometimes it doesn’t. Often times it’s just bad luck which can occur on the best of days at sea. But my point is to rebut those parents and observers when they say how you can let a 16 year old sail around the world alone? It’s easy she is a boat kid and boat kids aren’t like your kids. They aren’t like you when you were 16 years old. They are a special breed with a well developed sense of responsibility, maturity, and character. If you have to ask you kids to take out the trash your kids ten times your kid isn’t one of them. I have had a lot of kids and families on my boats over the years and I get the same concern from the parents every time. “I’m worried that my child won’t adapt to the boat.” I always reassure them that they will and they don’t believe me until the end when the stand corrected and amazed at the transformation of their child. First, boats are small, but they are to scale within a child’s perception. It’s like a house made for them. Second, let a child do the work. It’s fun to steer a big thing when all you’ve driven is a bicycle. Third, it’s great to be a part of a team especially when you do the same tasks as your parents. Boats kids know and welcome the responsibility of controlling their world on the sea. They stand watches, use the radio, help with food preparation, plot courses, and if trained know every safety procedure. And for those families who take their kids cruising or dream of taking their kids cruising they will develop communication skills with other boat kids, languages, learn cultures, ingenuity, experience and respect nature. I started sailing at a very young age and at sixteen I sailed from Atlantic City New Jersey to Bar Harbor Maine and back by myself in a 21 foot sloop just because I could. I got to control my world at sea and it helped me control myself when faced with the uncontrollable world on land. I’m grateful Abby is okay. And if I was her parent and she wanted to try again I’d be happy to let her go, but this time forget the records. Let other fools chase false gold. It’s what you’ve learned about yourself that is the treasure.