Sunderland critics doth protest too much, and it’s a sign of troubled times
Trying to set a record as the youngest person to sail solo around the world may strike some as quixotic, but the venom directed at Abby Sunderland and her parents from parts of the American public is far more revealing about our culture than it is about a 16-year-old’s ocean voyage. The outrage tells us less about risk at sea than about how we view youth, parenting and achievement.
To focus the debate, the peripheral issues should be set aside: talk of a record and hints of a television angle stirred attention, but they are not the core. The central question the critics raise is simply this: was a 16-year-old too young to attempt a global solo passage? Many detractors answer in the affirmative, pointing to adolescent brain development and limited experience. But strip away the rhetoric and you find a different current running beneath the anger.
In the United States, parents often judge other children through the mirror of their own. A teen who appears more capable, self-reliant or accomplished than one’s own can trigger resentment. Abby Sunderland, highly visible and bold in her pursuit, invited that reflexive comparison. For some, anger at her parents is less about safety and more about envy—an unflattering admission that others may be doing something better than they are.
American teenagers today face genuine challenges: rising rates of obesity, increased use of prescription medication, and an environment of precaution that can curb independence. A widely quoted military study noted that a significant portion of young adults are ineligible for service for reasons including obesity, criminal records and lack of a diploma. Those statistics of societal weakness are real and deserve attention, but they are a different conversation from the seaworthiness of a specific voyage.
Seafaring culture has long prized self-reliance, technical skill and resilience. Historically, life aboard ship demanded practical knowledge—navigation, seamanship, rigging and weather-reading—skills that forged confidence. Modern youth raised on and around boats often reflect those attributes. From my observations, youngsters who grow up in maritime environments tend to be practical, resourceful and comfortable taking responsibility. From descriptions and interviews at the time, Abby fit that pattern: a diligent, experienced sailor who embarked on a vessel designed for ocean passages.
The sea is unforgiving, and no voyage should be undertaken without respect for the hazards involved. In Abby’s case, a rogue wave that dismasted her boat ended the attempt. Her immediate thought after the damage—how to jury-rig a fix and continue—speaks to her seamanship and determination. Those instincts are precisely what many critics ignored when reducing the episode to a single headline about recklessness.
To put maritime danger in perspective, everyday risks often go unnoticed. A sign posted at the Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod long reminded personnel, many of whom were combat veterans, that “You are about to enter the most dangerous place on earth – a public highway.” Yet in many states, teens as young as 16 may ride motorcycles on public roads with minimal experience, exposing themselves to hazards that statistically exceed those of a prepared sailor at sea. If the impetus for outrage was public safety and fiscal responsibility, it would be inconsistent to single out the Sunderlands without also addressing far more common risks taken by countless other families.
Questions about parenting and judgment are legitimate, but they should be grounded in the facts of skill, preparation and intent. In Abby’s case, her background and conduct suggested she was a capable mariner undertaking a planned voyage on an appropriate vessel. Blaming her parents for permitting an adventure that required expertise overlooks the possibility that they were fostering competence and courage in their child—qualities many of us would applaud if displayed in other arenas.
Ultimately, the harshest critics reveal something about contemporary anxieties: a preference for risk aversion, a suspicion of ambition, and a tendency to punish initiative when it threatens our comfort or self-image. Whether one agrees with the decision to attempt a solo circumnavigation at 16, the public reaction to Abby Sunderland exposed a broader cultural unease about youth, parenting and excellence.
This article originally appeared in the September 2010 issue.