Laura Dekker’s solo voyage underway

There’s something captivating about the story of 14-year-old Dutch girl Laura Dekker. Her dream to sail around the world began early, and she was ready to launch her 38-foot sailboat, Guppy, last year at age 13. When her mother—and subsequently the Dutch courts—said no, Laura ran away from home. Instead of hiding out at her best friend’s house, Laura booked a flight to the Canary Islands. The resulting media blitz turned her into a celebrity and the latest subject of the ongoing debate over “How young is too young to sail around the globe alone?”

Last week, Laura finally got her chance to set sail. Dutch authorities—and more importantly, people, her mother—gave the OK to her adventure. Her launch location was initially given as Portugal but the BBC reported that Laura actually launched from the port of Gibraltar in southern Spain to avoid the media glare. Laura’s trip is scheduled to take about 2 years. It will include around 20 stops at various ports all over the planet. And if all goes as planned, she will complete the voyage before turning 17 and take the title of youngest solo circumnavigator from 17-year-old Jessica Watson of Australia.

It may seem crazy for such a young person to attempt such a dangerous voyage. But here’s the backstory: Laura was born at sea. She learned to sail as a toddler, and got her first boat at age 6. Her father says she “has salt in her veins.” If anyone is qualified to attempt this journey as a 14-year-old, it’s her. Still skeptical? Here’s an excerpt of Laura’s most recent blog post: “Yesterday I discovered that the steering wheel was very heavy to move so I’m going to
 open the whole stern compartment so I can clean the pulleys. I think one of the control 
cables running through them is the problem, so now I am busy fixing things up.”

Despite Laura’s experience as a sailor, any mistakes or mishaps during the voyage will be subject to intense scrutiny and criticism by the media and the adventuring world. We’ll be checking in on Laura periodically as she makes her way around the globe.

Tagged as: Laura Dekker, youngest solo sailor