BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhuanet) -- A 16-year-old California girl who lost contact as she tried to circumnavigate the globe in her yacht has been rescued in the Indian Ocean by a French fishing boat, media reported Saturday.

Abby Sunderland lost satellite contact on Thursday and issued a distress call after what appeared to be a rogue wave hit the boat, damaging its communications equipment.

She was picked up by a French fishing vessel some 2,000 nautical miles off the Australian coast, maritime authorities said.

Laurence Sunderland, her father, said the family was "ecstatic that Abigail is in safe hands".

The undated photo shows Abby Sunderland and her yacht, Wild Eyes, in Mexico.

"She was in good spirits... She talked to her mother," he told reporters outside his home in California, the Associated Press reports.

Sunderland, who set sail from California in January, was attempting to beat the record set by her brother, Zac, who circumnavigated the globe in 2009, becoming the first under 18 to make the trip.

Despite the ordeal, Sunderland still plans to achieve her dream of sailing around the world.

"I'm definitely going to sail around the world again or at least give it another try," she said.

"I don't know when I'll get another chance to do it, but I've wanted to sail around the world for years and I'm definitely going to do it sometime. "
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