Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A 16-year-old California girl who is attempting to sail solo around the world triggered a distress signal during rough seas in the Indian Ocean on Thursday, her family said. Abby Sunderland's family began scrambling to persuade any government with an aircraft in the area to help find the teenage sailor, family spokesman Christian Pinkston said.
Sunderland's small sailboat was last located "in the middle of nowhere," about 2,000 miles east of Madagascar and 2,000 miles west of Australia, Pinkston said.
The Australian coast guard and the Reunion Island government -- a French island that is the closest land to her last position -- are involved, according to Peter Thomas, a freelance journalist who spoke to Sunderland's father Thursday.
Her emergency beacon was detected at 8 a.m. ET Thursday, just an hour after her family last spoke with her, he said.
The nearest boat was 400 miles away from her last position and would take days to reach her, Thomas said.
Sunderland's father, who has been monitoring her journey from their Thousand Oaks, California, home, was emotional when he and Thomas spoke this morning, but "he was trying to keep in positive spirits," Thomas said.
Sunderland began her journey from Marina del Rey, California, on January 23 with the goal of sailing her 40-foot boat around the world without stopping. Mechanical troubles forced her to make two stops for repairs, including at Cape Town, South Africa, in April.
She's kept in touch with family and followers through a satellite telephone. Her website has published frequent blog updates, including one posted Wednesday.
"The last few days have [been] pretty busy out here," Sunderland wrote in her last blog entry. "I've been in some rough weather for awhile with winds steady at 40-45 knots with higher gusts. With that front passing, the conditions were lighter today."
In the worse case scenario -- if her boat has been swamped or sunk -- Sunderland could seek refuge in a lifeboat that is considered unsinkable, Thomas said.
She also has a "ditch bag" filled with survival gear to keep her alive until rescuers arrive, he said.
Sunderland is a "very determined" and "very capable sailor," Thomas said.
"She's pretty much unfazed by most everything, but she had been fatigued by this period of winds which she's been going through for several days now," he said.
