Teenage round-the-world hopeful Abby Sunderland is reported to be “in good spirits” after the dismasting of her boat Wild Eyes in the Southern Ocean, according to rescuers who flew over her position earlier today.
From the BBC:
Shortly after contact was lost, at about 1300 GMT on Thursday, the yacht’s emergency beacons were manually activated, more than 3,220km (2,000 miles) from the coasts of both Africa and Australia.
A Qantas Airbus A330 search plane – scrambled from Perth early on Friday – spotted the teenager’s boat, called Wild Eyes, and made contact with her.
Search co-ordinator Mick Kinley, of Australia’s Maritime Safety Authority, said the boat’s mast was broken but the keel was intact, and the young sailor “sounds like she’s in good health”.
“She is going to hang in there until the vessel can get to her in about 24 hours,” he told a news conference.
