Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
The first day that Abby Sunderland was stranded in the Southern Ocean, Australia’s rescue agency chartered a jet to fly over the area where her emergency beacon was activated.
The 11-hour flight cost an estimated AUS$110 000.
The second day, after locating her, the agency sent another plane to coordinate her pick-up by ships that were racing towards her damaged and drifting yacht.
The Australian military also deployed two Orion aircraft to wait on an Indian Ocean island in case an airdrop or further assistance was needed. An Orion costs about AU$30 000 an hour to operate.
In the meantime, the French territory of Reunion Island diverted three ships to Sunderland’s location. The fishing vessel that reached her first lost at least three days of work. A commercial ship also sent to her rescue would have added three or four days of travel time to its intended destination.
Her rescue on Saturday, within two days of her setting off the emergency call, was welcomed in Australia and in her home state of California. But amid the well-wishers on online forums and news sites were many who questioned why Australia and France were footing the bill for an American teenager’s solo quest.
This is an interesting debate which will occur every single time a leisure craft is rescued at sea, especially one which is not in its home waters.
Without debating the issue, my view is very simply that our air and sea rescue personnel would get very little practice in the art of sea rescue without having to go out and actually do it live, or be completely redundant.
Your thoughts, COMMENTS and LIKES are most welcome.
READ THE REPORT HERE: 2010 06 18 – natal witness – 075 – S&A – OCR
