Teen Sailor's Family Can't Foot $300K Rescue Bill

Looks like the Australian government is out $300,000. The mother of teen sailor Abby Sunderland says the family can't afford to foot the bill for the plane deployed to spot her daughter and the vessel delivering her to port because "we're not wealthy people." But Marianne Sunderland thinks another relative might be able to help: Uncle Sam. "The full cost of chartering an Airbus would be so high, you'd think they would have to work with the US government for that," she tells the Courier-Mail.

But the family may have some money coming in. The New York Post reports that Abby's "broke" father has signed a reality TV deal. Camera crews began gathering footage four months ago for Adventures in Sunderland, a show about Laurence, Marianne, and their seven daredevil kids. Abby, who should be home in about a week, says she plans to attempt the trip again. (More Abby Sunderland stories.)