Dad Sent Abby on Risky Route for TV's Sake

Cinematographer slams him for 'cutting corners,' too
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 17, 2010 8:11 AM CDT
Dad Sent Abby on Risky Route for TV's Sake
In a, Jan 23, 2010 file photo ,Abby Sunderland, 16, looks out from her sailboat, Wild Eyes, as she leaves for her world record attempting journey at the Del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, Calif.   (AP Photo/Richard Hartog, File)

More fuel for the contingent calling for Abby Sunderland’s parents to be shot: Turns out her trip was even more dangerous than previously reported, and all in the name of reality TV. A cinematographer who worked with the Sunderlands tells HollywoodLife.com Abby was forced to leave at a dangerous time in order to keep a major sponsor—and that her dad was “cutting corners.”

Safety issues (like fuel in paint drums around the boat, instead of fuel containers) eventually caused the cinematographer to pull out of the project—and he convinced production company Reveille to pull out as well. He adds that Abby’s route was more dangerous than her brother Zac’s: “Her father Laurence wanted her to go around all five capes. I really began to fear she might die.”
(More Abby Sunderland stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X