A French fishing vessel rescued a California teenager Saturday from her crippled sailboat in the turbulent southern Indian Ocean, bringing relief to her family but ending her around-the-world sailing effort. Laurence Sunderland, the father of 16-year-old Abby Sunderland, told reporters outside his home that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority had contacted him to confirm the rescue more than 2,000 miles from the western Australia coast. “She got out of her vessel with the clothes on her back, and we are just really excited and ecstatic that Abigail is in safe hands,” he said. “She was in good spirits ... She talked to her mother.” Sunderland has been stranded in heavy seas since Thursday, when she set off a distress signal after the mast collapsed, knocking out her satellite communications. The elder Sunderland said the family was not going to elaborate on the problems that led to the emergency. The Australian group said the French ship Ile De La Reunion brought Sunderland on board from her stricken craft Saturday afternoon at the site (about 2:45 A.M. PDT). French authorities called it a “delicate operation” and at one point the fishing boat's captain fell into the ocean. “He was fished out in difficult conditions” and is in good health, said a statement from the French territory of Reunion Island. Laurence Sunderland said the crew used its dinghy to retrieve his daughter. “We are just ecstatic that she is alive and well and survived the ordeal.” An hour before the rescue, an Australian search and rescue spotter plane overflew Sunderland's boat and she fired off a flare to confirm her position. The plane and fishing boat maintained contact to determine how best to carry out the rescue amid concerns over the rough seas and the differing size of the two vessels. The elder Sunderland said it could be more than a week before he sees his daughter. The French statement said the boat is headed toward the Kerguelen Islands. Australian authorities, coordinating with French officials, are to decide on Sunderland's final destination. Laurence Sunderland said her boat will likely be sunk because of the difficulty towing it a great distance. Sunderland set out from Los Angeles County's Marina del Rey on Jan. 23, trying to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo.
