SHELBY GRAD and MY-THUAN TRAN, Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES -- An ocean search is under way after emergency beacons were set off by 16-year-old Thousand Oaks, Calif., sailor Abby Sunderland, who is trying to become the youngest person to sail around the world.
According to her family, Abby sailed into a storm in the southern Indian Ocean on Thursday and lost contact with them. She apparently set off an emergency beacon on her boat.
Authorities have launched a search for her.
"Everything seemed to be under control," Laurence Sunderland, her father, told outdoor sports blogger Pete Thomas. "But then our call dropped, and an hour later the Coast Guard called."
Sunderland, whose older brother, Zac, sailed solo around the world in 13 months while making several stops, left Marina del Rey on Jan. 23. By late March, she had navigated one of the most challenging and dangerous portions of her trip, rounding Cape Horn between the tip of South America and the Antarctic peninsula.
After making that passage, she told the Los Angeles Times, "It's the milestone I've been waiting for. It's pretty much the hardest part of my trip, and now it's over so it's really great being here."