Experienced Crew Needed - Mexico to Australia

[Jolly Roger]

I too am very sorry to see how this has turned out.
I had private correspondence with Sarah after her mother first raised this post, because I have the ocean experience and time to help her take the boat to Australia. The parents were naturally very worried about their daughter’s lack of experience, but I was more interested in a detailed specification of the boat. The most glaring deficiency was lack of a liferaft and I told Sarah she should definitely not put to sea without one, but she said she couldn’t afford one and had a dingy instead.
There is nothing wrong with being adventurous, but I tried to explain that the sea did not make any distinctions between adventurers and the cautious. I decided to pass on the trip, but it sounds like she found someone to go with her, but did they have a liferaft? Doesn’t sound like it. And one can’t help wondering what were they doing so close to land, as to strike a reef? Did she find an experienced sailor or another adventurer? Bit too late now anyway. They should think themselves lucky to be alive.
This should be a salient lesson to us all, experienced old dogs and newbies alike. The sea is not dangerous, so long as you understand how dangerous it is.

[RetiredSailor]

Wow, what a story, and what a close call. I also have a daughter who loved adventure at that age, and traveled all over, from central america to the arctic circle and mongolia, so I know what her mother must have been going through. You hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I'm glad that in this case the worst just involved loss of a boat and not loss of life. And either they lacked charts, or didn't know how to use them.

[Mule]

wow, what a story.