Sailboat From U.S. Teen's Doomed Round-The-World Attempt Found Drifting Off Australia

Wild Eyes — the sailboat abandoned by American Abby Sunderland in her failed bid to circumnavigate the world solo as a 16-year-old — has been found floating off of Australia's coast, nearly nine years after she was rescued in the Indian Ocean.

Seeing her boat again brought back a flood of emotions, says Sunderland, who is now 25.

"My heart skipped a beat. It brought back many memories — good and not so good — but it was neat to see it after so long," she said, according to Australia's ABC.

"It looked a little creepy, but that's to be expected after so long."

The capsized sailboat was noticed by a tuna-spotting plane roughly 11 miles south of Kangaroo Island, the South Australia Police said. That triggered a call for a helicopter and two nearby fishing boats to check out the craft; on the hull, Sunderland's distinctive paintwork was clearly visible above a thick coating of barnacles.

Sunderland had been vying to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the world solo when she set out from her native California in early 2010. She sailed for thousands of miles, but brutal storms between Africa and Australia snapped her mast.