As a father of a child now learning to drive, I can tell you that I am OK with her driving on her own around town, when she is able. She drove on our road trip to Florida, through the "mountains" in TN, no less. We were utterly *terrified* when we got caught in a sudden and torrential downpour, and she almost locked up mentally with fear.
Great kid, very responsible person, I trust her implicitly (even with a boy, so far...)...but she is a child.
Yes, this girl was not jut learning to sail a boat, was highly skilled, etc. I get it, truly I do. Did the parents have a legal right to do what they did? Yup...but I still, as a father, think it was a horrible decision. It's a *me* thing, it's a matter of putting my child in danger to fulfill their Personal desire to make a name for herself (get a twitter account…the whole world can read you) and the desire as a parent to cause your child disappointment (the real world is full of disappointments) and keep them safe – my primary obligation as a father. Was she highly skilled? Yup…had she been trained in all possible situations? No…could she have been for ALL situations? No. Could she have been better trained? Yes. She actually made a *poor decision*, which is what cause her the need to be rescued. That is why she didn’t need to be out there…childish need for glory overcame common sense.