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Abby Sunderland told her news conference in Marina del Rey this morning that, now that she's home, she'll concentrate on school and getting her driver's license. (She's 16.) Sunderland also described how a rogue wave smashed into her boat while she was below deck, tossing her around violently and causing her to hit her head and black out momentarily. When she came to, took stock and saw that her mast and rigging were broken and that she had lost her satellite gear, she triggered the emergency beacons that brought rescuers her way. Outdoors blogger Pete Thomas says the storm that spawned the rogue wave is still sending giant swells through tjhe oceans, including to Southern California shores this past weekend. Next up after this morning's news conference, says Thomas, is a flight to New York for the "Today" show on NBC. From Thomas, who sailed with Sunderland and broke the news June 10 about her boat being disabled:
"I'm happy to be home but very sad that things didn't work out," she said. "But I'm proud of my achievement and what happened is definitely not going to stop me from sailing--not for a minute...."I'm living proof that things don't always work out the way you planned, but you can only plan so far in an adventure. You can reduce risk but you can never completely eliminate it."
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