I’ve never been much of a sailor - when I tried it at summer camp, I wound up soaking wet and marooned in the middle of the lake when the wind died.
But Laura Dekker, a 13-year-old Dutch girl, loves sailing… so much so that she’s hoping to become the youngest person to make a solo ’round the world sailing trip. The current record is held by Zac Sunderland, an American guy who just got back a couple weeks ago from his world journey - he’s 17.
Pretty impressive, if you ask me (both Laura and Zac!).
According to her website, Laura plans to leave Holland on September 1st of this year… and return home 2 years later in September 2011.
I find it hard to imagine being alone on the open ocean for 2 years. I guess she won’t be alone when she stops at the various ports she has on her schedule… but still. And I would never have had the guts to do that when I was 13.
Interestingly, a lot of people think she shouldn’t be allowed to go - even in this famously permissive Dutch culture - almost 70% of voters in an online opinion poll said they think the trip should be forbidden.
But I think I agree with the almost 30% who say she should be allowed to go for it. And I have a feeling she will - Child protection services and the Water sport Association both say she should be allowed to go if her parents say it’s ok (which they have). And the Ministry of Education says forbidding this trip is not within its jurisdiction. The only official voice saying it’s not ok is the truancy department (aren’t they part of the Ministry of Education??) - based on truancy laws, they say she should be in school, not travelling around the world (though a world trip could be argued to be a much more useful sort of education, even if she’s not sitting in class learning calculus).
Whatever happens, I wish her good luck and bon voyage!
Read more about Laura and her plans on her website (in Dutch).
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