Lofton Consulting Speakers Podium

US teenage sailor Abby Sunderland rescued

2010-06-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

BBC Article Saturday, 12 June 2010 13:15 UK

Abby Sunderland began her voyage in January 2010. A 16-year-old US girl who ran into problems trying to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world has been rescued in the Indian Ocean.

Abby Sunderland was picked up by a French fishing vessel some 2,000 nautical miles off the Australian coast, maritime authorities said.

Her yacht, which has a broken mast, was spotted by an aerial search team in the southern Indian Ocean, midway between Australia and Africa, on Friday. Rescuers say she is in good health.

The teenager had been stranded in mountainous seas since Thursday.

Laurence Sunderland, her father, said the family was "ecstatic that Abigail is in safe hands".

"She was in good spirits... She talked to her mother," he told reporters outside his home in California, the Associated Press reports.

'She is well'

The teenager's yacht Wild Eyes lost its mast in bad weather A spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Rhianne Robson, said Ms Sunderland would be taken to the nearest land as soon as possible.

"The good news is that Abby is safe, she is well and she is now on the fishing vessel, the Ile De La Reunion," she told the BBC.

It is not clear yet whether the 16-year-old will be taken to Australia or the French territory of Reunion near Mauritius off eastern Africa.

"Arrangements to land Ms Sunderland will now be negotiated with the three ships that have responded to the distress situation," the rescue centre said in a statement.

Ms Sunderland set sail from California in January.

She was attempting to beat the record set by her brother, Zac, who sailed solo around the world in 2009 at the age of 17.

The teenager's family lost contact with her for some 20 hours before she was found on Friday.

They have rejected criticism from some over their decision to allow her to make the attempt, saying she was prepared and mentally well-equipped to deal with the challenge.

It is the middle of winter in the southern Indian Ocean and weather conditions are currently at their most treacherous.

On Wednesday, the teenager wrote in her blog that she had experienced several days of rough weather in which her boat "was rolling around like crazy".

Seminar Speaker: Business Overview

2010-05-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Corporations, associations, and event planners are on the constant lookout for interesting speakers to lecture at corporate events and seminars. If you possess special life experiences in business, travel, finance, or overcoming the odds, then an outstanding opportunity awaits you by becoming a freelance seminar speaker. Initially to secure speaking engagements, create a resume outlining your experience and related skills, and distribute this information to event planners, seminar organizations, and corporations. This is the type of service that is built on word-of-mouth referrals, and if your speeches and lectures are good, you will soon be in demand for speaking engagements across North America, and perhaps the world.

National Speakers Association Magazine

2009-08-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

Get the current digital edition Here.

Speakers Podium For Marketing

2008-08-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

Do You Have What It Takes?

Not everybody is cut out to be a Seminar Production Professional. This is not, for example, a career for the creativity-challenged. It takes lots of foresight to figure out what will be a winning program, to design and construct it so it sells, and to promote it effectively.

If you're one of those folks who'd rather undergo a root canal than have to come up with peppy advertising copy, then you don't want to be in the Seminar Business. This is also not a career for the time-management-deficient. Seminars must be planned and organized months in advance, with everything from the topic and speaker to the dining reservations nailed down early on. And, if you plan on presenting your own programs, this isn't--obviously--a career for the terminally shy or the terminally boring.

You must be able to keep an audience interested and entertained for the length of your seminar and beyond. This doesn't mean you need to be trained by both the Royal Shakespeare Academy and the Ringling Brothers Circus school, just that you need to have a natural enthusiasm for your subjects and be able to communicate it.