Dutch girl, 16, becomes youngest to sail a'rd the world solo

NeverSayGoodBye

23 Jan 12, 20:45

She did it! Dutch girl, 16, becomes youngest to sail around the world on her own

Laura Dekker, now 16, began her global journey a year and a half ago amidst legal battles

Claims to be youngest-ever solo circumnavigator, though record not certified by Guinness World Records

Travelled 27,000 nautical miles in 38-ft yacht named Guppy

Dutch teenager Laura Dekker finished her solo sailing journey around the world in good spirits, despite endless debate about the terms under which she is allowed to be at sea.

She completed her 518-day trek today after docking her yacht Guppy in St. Maarten, ending a yearlong expedition that supposedly made her the youngest person ever to sail alone around the globe, though her trip was interrupted at several points.

Ms Dekker, 16, faced several court cases from the time she announced her intentions to travel the world at the age of 14. She said government organisations tried to deter her from her journey, and because of that, she may not return home to the Netherlands

Around the world in 518 days: Laura Dekker arrived in St.Maarten Yacht Club today after sailing around the world solo, the youngest ever to do so, she claims

Land ho! The strong-willed 16 year old looks happy to touch down on dry land

Nothing but blue skies: The port of Simpson Bay, Saint Maartin was a scenic way to end the journey

Dutch authorities tried to block Ms Dekker's trip, arguing she was too young to risk her life, while school officials complained she should be in a classroom.

She once said she wanted to move to Australia after her voyage was over, the Associated Press reports, though it’s unclear what she’ll do now that she’s finished.

She may sail to New Zealand or Bonaire, Dutch News says. Or perhaps finish her schooling.

The strong-willed teenager made it clear that she didn’t feel like returning to her home country of the Netherlands. ‘Over a period of 11 months, I was constantly afraid that Youth Care would lock me up,’ she wrote on her blog.

‘It was all a frightening and traumatic experience. So often these terrible memories come to me. I can’t ignore them. It is painful.’

Unhappy: She wrote on her blog that she is deeply unhappy with how the Dutch government handled her desire to travel the world and said she may never return

At home at sea: A 15-year-old Laura Dekker poses for a photo upon arrival in Kralendijk, on February 9, 2011 on the Caribbean island of Boanaire

Sail away: Laura Dekker, then 14, sails away from the port of Den Osse for world solo sailing bid, on August 4, 2010 on her yacht Guppy (centre)

She continued: ‘Now, after sailing around the world, with different port approaches, storms, dangerous reefs, and the full responsibility of keeping myself and Guppy safe, I feel that the nightmares the Dutch government organisations put me through, were totally unfair.’

'After sailing around the world with the full responsibility of keeping myself and Guppy safe, I feel that the nightmares the Dutch government organisations put me through, were totally unfair.'

-Laura Dekker

In all, she sailed 27,000 nautical miles, on a trip with stops that sound like a skim through a travel magazine: the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Bora Bora, Australia, South Africa and now, St. Maarten.

Dozens of people jumped and cheered as Ms Dekker waved, wept and then walked across the dock accompanied by her mother, father, sister and grandparents, who had greeted her at sea earlier.

She arrived at the port after struggling against high seas and heavy winds on a final leg from Cape Town, South Africa.

There and back again: A map on Laura Dekker's website shows the dizzying journey she completed by herself

NeverSayGoodBye

23 Jan 12, 20:55

The spitfire teenager claims she is the youngest sailor to complete a round-the-world voyage.

However, Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council did not verify the claim, saying they no longer recognize records for youngest sailors to discourage dangerous attempts.

Ms Dekker said she was born aboard a yacht off the coast of New Zealand and said she first sailed solo at six years old. At ten, she said, she began dreaming about crossing the globe.

Her mother Babs Muller told the Dutch News that her daughter ‘sails like a devil.’

Legal troubles: In 2009, a 13-year-old Laura Dekker and her father left, fought a civil court case by the youth protection services seeking to her stop the solo sailing plans

Allowed to travel: After going to court to fight for her right to travel, Laura, 14, showed her boat off to the press

Ms Dekker’s lawyer agreed. ‘Her wish to do this was something that came from her heart and soul and no one was going to stop her,’ Peter de Lange said. He advised the teenager throughout her journey.

In 2009, Ms Dekker, then 14, ran away to St. Maarten to buy a boat after leaving her father a note telling him ‘Don’t worry about me. You’re always in my heart. I will find freedom soon.’

Authorities in St. Maarten found her and took her away just as she was buying a boat.

She celebrated her 16th birthday during the trip, eating doughnuts for breakfast after spending time at port with her father and friends the night before.

Her father told Dutch News that her daughter is independent and stoic, and isn’t interested in the media attention.

‘She would prefer to be completely left alone when she comes to St Maarten, no journalists, no fuss,’ he said.
‘She doesn’t care that American television stations are clamouring for interviews. She’s become a global brand but she’s just not interested.’

Unlike other young sailors who recently crossed the globe, Ms Dekker repeatedly anchored at ports along the way to sleep, study and repair her 38-foot sailboat.

During her trip, she went surfing, scuba diving, cliff diving and discovered a new hobby: playing the flute, which she said in her weblog was easier to play than a guitar in bad weather.

Ms Dekker also complained about custom clearings, boat inspections, ripped sails, heavy squalls, a wet and salty bed, a near-collision with two cargo ships and the presence of some persistent stowaways: cockroaches.

Ms Dekker launched her trip two months after Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old U.S. sailor, was rescued in the middle of the Indian Ocean during a similar attempt.

Jessica Watson of Australia completed a 210-day solo voyage at age 16, a few months older than Ms Dekker.