13-year old Laura Dekker from the Netherlands wants to sail around the world. Image courtesy of Arie Kievit/ De Volkskrant.nl (click to enlarge)
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13-year old girl plans to sail around the world - with her schoolbooks, through pirate waters
Posted: Aug 17, 2009 10:12 pm EST
(TheOceans.net) Seems age does count – for the Dutch authorities at least; next month 13-year old Laura Dekker from the Netherlands wants to set sail to become the youngest person to sail around the world, but the Dutch authorities have a problem with her age and might not allow her planned two year voyage.
Investigations
Several authorities are investigating the 13-year old girl’s voyage reported a Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant.
Two days ago the newspaper reported that The Council for Child Protection started an investigation, which could forbid Laura’s parents to allow her to go.
Laura plans to continue her school studies on the boat and to send her assignments to her school via email. According to the paper the education authorities don’t agree with this. They say if the parents are not present to school the learner it is against the education law.
Previous experience
Laura was born on a sailboat near New Zealand. She is an experienced sailor and has done several solo voyages; one recently from The Netherlands to England reported the Dutch newspaper.
The paper also said Laura’s parents sailed around the world for seven years and approve of her sailing on her own around the world. Her father is preparing her boat, Guppy, for the voyage.
Sailing plan
Laura’s plan is to start sailing on 1 September 2009 from the Netherlands. Her route plan is via the Caribbean Islands to Australia and back via Sri Lanka, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea with the aim to arrive back in The Netherlands in September 2011.
The route through the Red Sea will take Laura through the Somali Pirate waters.
In July 2009 Zac Sunderland completed his sail around the world and currently 17-year old Mike Perham is heading home on his sail around the world. A 13-year old Dutch girl, Laura Dekker’s dream is to become the youngest to sail around the world, but it all depends if her home country’s authorities will give her permission to go.
Both British Mike Perham and American Zac Sunderland were 16 when they started their voyages. Zac turned 17 on November 29, 2008 and Mike turned 17 on March 16, 2009.
Both attempted to sail around the world. Several stops were made. Mike stayed further out to sea, whereas Zac stayed closer to shore. Zac Sunderland departed on his yacht from Marina del Rey, California on 14 June 2008 and arrived back 13 months later on July 16, 2009. Mike Perham left from Portsmouth’s Gunwharf Quays on Saturday 15th November 2008.
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