Abby Arrives in La Reunion

Abby is met by her brother Zac. Photo Lionel Cironneau / AP

Abby arrived safely on La Reunion yesterday evening (PDT). She met with Zac who brought her a backpack with some clothes, a hairbrush (!), and a few personal belongings. She was thrilled to see some familiar faces and have met another milestone in her long voyage home.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/37919780

Abby still has a long trip ahead of her and will blog again as soon as possible.

Once Abby arrives back in Southern California, there will be a press conference on Tuesday June 29 at 10am. Press accreditation is required for members of the media. This will be given by email and you will be required to show identification with company logo at the door.To obtain accreditation please email info@mercerpr.com with details of your organisation.

For more information please phone (USA) 310.776.7557.

Australian media enquiries please call 0413.749.830.

Abby to Arrive at Reunion Island

At approximately 8am on Saturday, June 26 (9pm Friday June 25 Los Angeles) Abby will arrive in Reunion Island where Zac and some of the support team are waiting. International media will be there to greet her and she will do a short press conference on arrival.

We’ve spoken to her briefly over the past week and she is looking forward to seeing everyone again. She is looking forward to blogging again and is already looking to future plans and goals.

She will then travel back to LA where she will do a press conference on Tuesday June 29 at 10am. Press accreditation is required for members of the media. This will be given by email and you will be required to show identification with company logo at the door.

To obtain accreditation please email info@mercerpr.com with details of your organisation. For more information please phone (USA) 310.776.7557.
Australian media enquiries please call 0413.749.830.

Thank you again for the many messages of support we have received.

Abby is Almost Here

Many people have been asking where Abby is and we are excited to report that she is expected to arrive at Reunion Island sometime around June 24-25. She should be back in the USA a few days later. We have spoken to Abby and she is in good health and spirits. She is so thankful to everyone who has expressed concern for her safety and humbled by the great support from all over the world. Abby has asked us to again pass on her gratitude to all those who played a part in assisting her and she is looking forward to doing this personally very soon.

We’ll let you know further updates as we know more information. Stay tuned.

Media / publicity enquiries – Please contact Lyall Mercer:
USA: 310-776-7557 (Int: 1-310-776-7557)
Australia: 0413-749-830 (Int: 61-413-749-830)
Email: info@mercerpr.com

Family Post

Our family would like to thank everyone for their wonderful support and encouragement over the past week. As you can imagine it has been an exhausting time with so many mixed emotions and we are now eagerly looking forward to Abby’s return.

We will not be issuing any further public or private statements. To assist us to manage the publicity Abby’s trip has created we have appointed a public relations consultant / manager to act on our behalf and request that from this point, all media enquiries be directed to him. This will enable us to return to our primary role – parents to our children and in particular at this moment, a supportive mom and dad to Abby.

We would ask that you respect our family’s request for privacy at this time. Our focus is on both Abby and our new baby who is expected to arrive into the world at anytime. The next couple of weeks will be very exciting for us.

We will continue to update our blog with Abby’s progress and in due course Abby will be available to tell her story.

Thank You,
Laurence & Marianne Sunderland


Media / publicity enquiries – Please contact Lyall Mercer:
USA: 310-776-7557 (Int: 1-310-776-7557)
Australia: 0413-749-830 (Int: 61-413-749-830)
Email: info@mercerpr.com

Clarifying Misinformation

There has been so much written in the media that is either incorrect or out of context. We’d like to clear up a few points:

AUSTRALIAN SEARCH AND RESCUE COSTS:
The Australian government has never asked us to contribute anything towards the recovery costs and has no intention of doing so. Australia – like the USA and other countries with significant coastlines, are part of the international agreement to assist those who need help within their search and rescue territories. All of these nations do this for citizens of all countries and this is funded by the respective governments. Australia has a robust media and each time there is a rescue – irrespective of the nationality of the person concerned – the media alone tends to make this an issue which in turn stirs up some emotions. We value and appreciate the Australian government and volunteer organisations – as we do the French authorities - who assisted Abby.

REALITY SHOW
We were approached by Magnetic Entertainment last year before Abby departed to shop a reality TV show based on our family. Abby's trip was already sponsored. Their idea was to do an inspiring show about Zac and Abby’s adventures, what our family was like and what made them as strong and independent as they are. The show was shopped and not sold. All rights were returned to us. There is no reality TV show or documentary in the works and we are not pursuing one. It is sad and ironic that some of the media - who are sensationalizing and twisting Abby’s story for profit - accuse us of doing the same thing. We can assure you that our priority is the protection of our children, something all parents will understand.

Aboard the Ile de la Reunion

Everything is going well out here. I'm still getting used to walking around on board and it takes both hands to keep myself from falling up and down the narrow halls. I'm still having trouble typing on this key pad but I've got a few more days to get the hang of it.

Everyone on board has been really friendly. They have come a long way out of their way to help me and I am so thankful that they did. My mom has told me about all that the different rescue groups did to help find me. So thank you to all of you. I had only hoped that a ship would pass by me within a few weeks. I am really in awe. Thank you to everyone involved.

The captain is a big, friendly, bald guy with a big beard. He speaks English pretty well and he says, "Is no good to worry about the boat. Is just a boat, you is safe. You should not think about the past." Which is true, but its hard to keep my mind off everything that's happened.

Everyone in the bridge has been fending off the press and I'm very grateful for that. I really don't want to start doing interviews quite yet.

I have started writing. At first I decided that I wasn't going to write a book. But then I started to think about all the good times Wild Eyes and I have had together. All that's left of the voyage of Wild Eyes are my memories, eventually they will get fuzzy and I won't remember all the details. I don't want that to happen. Wild Eyes and my trip have been the best thing I have ever done or been through and I don't ever want to forget all the great times we have had together, or the bad ones for that matter.

The story of Wild Eyes is over, but my story is still going. I'm still out on the ocean headed to a little island called Kerguelen and then will be on another boat for ten days up to an island near Madagascar. From there I will eventually make it home.

So, on goes my adventure!

Abby


A note from our blog moderator: Please be patient with as we go through over 12,000 comments that have come in during the last 3 days. We are getting through them as quickly as we can.

A Note from Abby

Hey everyone,
Sorry I haven't written in so long as you probably already know I had a pretty rough couple of days. I can't write much now as I am typing on a french key pad as well as trying to stay seated in a bouncy fishing boat.

The long and the short of it is, well, one long wave, and one short mast (short meaning two inch stub.) I'll write a more detailed blog later, just wanted to let every one know I am safe and sound on a great big fishing boat headed I am not exactly sure where.

Crazy is the word that really describes everything that has happened best.

Within a few minutes of being on board the fishing boat, I was already getting calls from the press. I don't know how they got the number but it seems everybody is eager to pounce on my story now that something bad has happened.

There are plenty of things people can think of to blame for my situation; my age, the time of year and many more. The truth is, I was in a storm and you don't sail through the Indian Ocean without getting in at least one storm. It wasn't the time of year it was just a Southern Ocean storm. Storms are part of the deal when you set out to sail around the world.

As for age, since when does age create gigantic waves and storms?

I keep hitting the wrong keys and am still trying to get over the fact that I will never see my Wild Eyes again. So Ill write more later.

Abby