The parents of sixteen-year-old U.S. sailor Abby Sunderland spoke of their relief at their daughter's rescue from her crippled yacht Wild Eyes in the Indian Ocean Saturday, saying they were proud of her achievements.

Marianne Sunderland, Abby's mother, said it was hard for her daughter to leave her boat in the middle of the ocean, but that she was in good condition.

[Marianne Sunderland, Abby’s Mother]:

"She sounded tired - a little bit small in her voice - but she was able to make jokes. I think she was looking forward to getting some sleep."

Abigail Sunderland left the United States in January in an attempt to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the world.

Her yacht ran into trouble on Thursday when pounded by big waves midway between Africa and Australia.

Abby's father, Laurence Sunderland, defended the decision to let Abigail sail:

[Laurence Sunderland, Abby’s Father]:

"This was not a flippant decision. Abigail has been raised on the ocean her entire life. She's lived over half her life on yachts. She's cruised for three years with us on our own particular boat. This is like second nature to Abigail."

He also expressed frustration at criticism of the youngster's extraordinary attempt:

[Laurence Sunderland, Abby’s Father]:

"What this is about is a young lady that has a great skill on the ocean, and a passion for blue water sailing. And she is a remarkable young lady and has done a remarkable job on Wild Eyes, sailing it over half-way around the world."

Abigail told Australian broadcaster ABC, who interviewed her on board the fishing vessel shortly after her rescue, how she coped when she ran into trouble:

[Abby Sunderland, Rescued Sailor]:

"When stuff is going on out there, you can't really get too scared about it, it doesn't do any good, you do it, you (do) what you need to, keep the boat afloat, do all that, there is not much more that you can do. Getting all worried and scared about it doesn't really help anything."

The teenager said she was grateful to her rescuers, but plans to repeat her attempt.