Cape Crusader

Cape Crusader

Freezing rain bashed against her forty-foot sailboat. Wind swirled outside her cabin window. But in the midst of the storm, sixteen-year-old Abby Sunderland smiled. On this day in 2010, Abby became the youngest person ever to sail around Cape Horn without any help. But that was only one of the goals for this young adventurer from Thousand Oaks, California. She had left the United States more than two months earlier, trying to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone, nonstop, and without assistance.

Abby had hoped to connect with her dad after accomplishing this feat. He had flown to the tip of South America to see his daughter make history. Cape Horn is known as the Mount Everest of sailing—it’s wrought with dangers that include huge waves and hurricane-force winds. Abby passed about fifty miles south of Cape Horn. Her dad planned to sail out and take a photo of her, but the weather conditions were too dangerous.

A few weeks later Abby’s dream of sailing around the world unassisted came to an end when mechanical problems on her boat forced her to pull into Cape Town, South Africa. Abby had been by herself for a hundred days and didn’t realize how much she missed being with people. But once the repair was made, she returned to sea. About two months later a rogue wave capsized Abby’s boat and broke the mast—stranding her about two thousand miles away from Australia in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Abby didn’t panic. She trusted the Lord and leaned on the truth of her favorite Bible verse: “If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me” (Psalm 139:9-10). Abby set off her emergency distress beacon and waited to be saved. In just a day, God helped guide rescuers to Abby’s boat and brought her back to safety.

Daddy-Daughter Time

Abby first started dreaming of sailing around the world when she was thirteen. A few years later some of those dreams became a reality. What are your dreams? Abby dreamed big, trusted God, and had an amazing adventure. God has an equally awesome adventure planned for your life. As you make decisions in the future, tell God that you’re going to trust his hand to guide you. Then rely on his strength for support.

What’s The Word?

If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.   Psalm 139:9-10