BREAKING NEWS: A search-and-rescue effort is underway for Abby Sunderland, the 16-year-old sailor trying to become the youngest to solo circumnavigate the globe. According to stories in multiple news outlets, the teenager’s EPIRB beacon was triggered at about 6 AM this morning.


Sunderland had reportedly been suffering engine problems this morning while in the Indian Ocean.


Stay tuned for more details from my fellow BoaterMouth sailing bloggers Kimball Livingston and Charles Doane.


Written by: Jeff Hemmel
Jeff Hemmel writes for boats.com, Boating, PersonalWatercraft.com, and Powersports Business. The former Senior Editor at Watercraft World, Jeff is a multi-time award winner as well as a 2008 inductee into the IJSBA Hall of Fame. His first book, "The Anti-Pirate Potato Cannon...and 101 Other Things For Young Mariners To Try, Do, & Build On the Water," received a bronze medal in the 2010 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards.