This is a story of two sixteen year old girls who tried to be the youngest to circumnavigate the globe alone. Jessica Watson made it - and sailed home to fame and fortune. Abbey Sunderland had the misfortune to be dismasted in a wild storm deep in the Indian ocean - and required a rescue.
Such is the perversity of public opinion that the cost of mounting that rescue is heavily criticised in the world media - and yet age or sex had nothing to do with damage to Abbey's yacht " Wild Eyes ".
Had it's skipper been a middle aged male this criticism would have been muted !
Several years ago several yachts in a round the world classic came to grief in the great southern ocean, leading to the rescue of Tony Bullimore by the Australian navy - and later several other competitors, including a French woman.
Somehow the public saw this differently to the epics of Jessica and Abbey !
It seems that gender and age still colour our thinking - and many in the community are keen to erect barriers to stop young people from pursuing their dreams.
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