Dutch sailor, 14, gets OK for solo world trip

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Dark Knight

Dark Knight

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MIDDELBURG, Netherlands – A Dutch court cleared the way Tuesday for 14-year-old Laura Dekker to embark on a risky attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world, an adventure that could begin in the next two weeks.


Judges at Middelburg's family court lifted a guardianship order imposed on Dekker last year after she said she wanted to set sail when she was still just 13.


Her plan ignited a worldwide debate on how far parents should go in supporting or encouraging their children's improbable dreams.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100727/ap_on_re_eu/eu_netherlands_young_sailor
 
My oldest son is 13. No way would I even consider letting him solo around the world next year. He has only just gotten permission to ride his bike 1 mile away to athletic practice. No way does a young teen have the requisite judgement to handle all the possibilities that could arise on a round the world solo voyage. I don't think all the publicity these young sailors are getting helps, either.
 
Fascinating. It's amazing that someone so young would be driven in this way. I will side with the courts and her parents on this. It certainly sounds like she did a lot of things to ameliorate the judge's concerns. Good luck to her!
 
This is one amazing story. I wish her all the luck in the world. I think it will be one exciting adventure, yet I would never let my child do it!!

Goz
 
Hope this isn't "Abby Sunderland" part 2... that her family has bought her the right kind of boat...
 
southcitymom said:
Fascinating. It's amazing that someone so young would be driven in this way. I will side with the courts and her parents on this. It certainly sounds like she did a lot of things to ameliorate the judge's concerns. Good luck to her!
Click to expand...


I agree!
 
Go Laura! I just can't imagine the maturity and drive a kid like this must have but regardelss of whether you are sailing around the world, driving on the freeway or jogging in a park; the world is a dangerous place so live life to its fullest and enjoy the adventure.
 
I have a 13 year old, and there's no way on God's green earth I would let him out in the ocean by himself. Or even with an experienced captain ;)

I wish her the best of luck, but IMHO, I think we'll be getting a distress call one way or another.

And I don't understand why these youngsters want to go out ALONE. What's wrong with bringing someone with you?

I guess I don't understand these recent solo sails around the world. I have a hard enough time getting to the grocery store!

MOO

Mel
 
Maybe this time someone will die trying to rescue her.
 
mgardner said:
And I don't understand why these youngsters want to go out ALONE. What's wrong with bringing someone with you?

Mel
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Absolutely! It seems to me this would be an awfully cool bonding trip with your family or a parent.

Also, I'm concerned that she doesn't seem to take the threat of pirates very seriously. She has a typically teenage attitude that nothing bad could really happen to her. I pray for the best, really!
 
Update seven years later. A video documentary was made about Laura crossing the world alone by boat. It's called Maidentrip. Just watched it off of netflix knowing nothing of the story but was just looking for a documentary to watch. She supposedly filmed everything herself while she was gone. Little boring for a netflix documentary as it is little more than her turning on the camera every few days or so giving quick updates about the journey.

In anycase she made the journey safely with seemingly no significant incidents of anykind (unless the documentary just chose to cover up any problems she had). She is now 21, married, and currently living in New Zealand.

Kind of one of those situations where it seems they may be trying to glorify a person who may not deserve to be a role model in anyway. Not much different than that 'Into the Wild' movie other than the fact that the kid died in that movie and in this instance the kid lived. Kind of get the impression that Laura just intends to be a drifter her entire life. Nothing has been said about her even bothering to finish school and it is hard to find any other info about her other than she is now married and has gone on several other trips since this documentary came out.
 
sony12 said:
Update seven years later. A video documentary was made about Laura crossing the world alone by boat. It's called Maidentrip. Just watched it off of netflix knowing nothing of the story but was just looking for a documentary to watch. She supposedly filmed everything herself while she was gone. Little boring for a netflix documentary as it is little more than her turning on the camera every few days or so giving quick updates about the journey.

In anycase she made the journey safely with seemingly no significant incidents of anykind (unless the documentary just chose to cover up any problems she had). She is now 21, married, and currently living in New Zealand.

Kind of one of those situations where it seems they may be trying to glorify a person who may not deserve to be a role model in anyway. Not much different than that 'Into the Wild' movie other than the fact that the kid died in that movie and in this instance the kid lived. Kind of get the impression that Laura just intends to be a drifter her entire life. Nothing has been said about her even bothering to finish school and it is hard to find any other info about her other than she is now married and has gone on several other trips since this documentary came out.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the viewing tip. I find the rest of your post rather negative, but you're entitled to your opinion of course. Whatever floats your boat (pun intended ;) ). Her blog isn't that hard to find (it's literally her name at dot NL) and I actually thought her and her husband's plans sound pretty good. Not sure how much we can discuss about blogs here so I'll leave it at that, but IMO it's worth the quick Google search. I hope their plans will succeed.
 
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