Quote:

Meddling socialists! What could go wrong?


The flight instructor was flying that airplane not the girl.

Quote:

It is dangerous for a 13 year old to be alone in a mall, let alone sail around the world.


It appears she has a *lot* of experience sailing, including extended solo trips. She's probably better equipped than 99% of adult sailors to go around the world.

The problem is that sailing across the open ocean requires more than just being in the 99th percentile. I find it hard to believe she's had enough time to learn all of the tricks, such as dealing with a broken mast in a storm mid-Pacific. I think her age has nothing to do with it - very few *adults* are qualified for such a trip.

A better plan would be for her to go around the world with an experienced open-ocean sailor as an apprentice. Magellan learned a lot on extended trips before his big trip. There's plenty of time for her to break the record afterward.
_________________________
"If they can't picture me with a knife, forcing them to strip in an alley, I don't want any part of it. It's humiliating." - windsock