Abby Sunderland invited to appear on 'The Oprah Show'

What's next for Abby Sunderland?

The 16-year-old solo-sailor, who made international headlines last month when she had to be rescued from her crippled vessel in the Indian Ocean, has been invited to appear on "The Oprah Show" in early fall, so that's one option.

Sunderland, who lives in Thousand Oaks, Calif., was well-spoken and forthright during her first news conference after returning home, so she'd be a compelling subject for Winfrey. But Marianne Sunderland, Abby's mom, said the family is still weighing options and that an Oprah appearance has not yet been confirmed.

However, a story on Sunderland is scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of the Oprah magazine.

Meanwhile, as Abby is still "settling in," as she states on her blog, her older brother Zac is preparing for an appearance at the Ventura County Boat Show, which runs Thursday through Sunday at Channel Islands Harbor.

Reason for the appearance? On Friday Zac will celebrate the successful completion, at age 17, of a 13-month adventure-filled voyage around the world in a 36-foot sailboat. The boat, named Intrepid, will be on display at the show.

Zac briefly held the distinction of being the youngest person to have sailed around the world alone. That later belonged to England's Mike Perham and now belongs to Australia's Jessica Watson, who returned to Sydney Harbor in May after a seven-month, nonstop odyssey, just days before turning 17.

Abby, who is five months younger than Watson, would have been the youngest had she been able to complete her journey. Her ordeal -- which involved the rolling and de-masting of her vessel in big seas, followed by the dramatic rescue -- brought her fame beyond her wildest imagination.

She's in the process of writing a book about her adventure, but has yet to land a publisher.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo of Abby Sunderland by Pete Thomas

Comments

[Mark]

Pete, I'm wondering if you could answer a non-sailor's question on why the 6 month's difference between Zac and Jessica's round the world trips? Was it because of the routes taken or the difficulties both faced during their adventures?

I further wonder if Abby would truly do a reality show if the Discovery Channel or the National Geographic Channel were involved? I watch both channels and both would be reputable to do a show on her trip.

[Ocean Sailor]

If you were a real reporter, you would have done a little more research into Abbys families publicity stunt. This was a dangerous run, by a very inexperienced sailor in the southern ocean at exactly the wrong time of the year. The winter season will guarantee the dangerous conditions she had. This is why ALL professional sailors NEVER go through in the winter. If you want a real story about a actual sailor that worked hard at preparation to succeed,and even respected the weather. The you should write a story about Jessica Watson, that's how its dome properly. But if your just pushing the Abby BS myth further along, then i am sorry, you have no credibility. As a little research will show you..