On January 21, 2012, 16-year-old Laura Dekker’s dream came true—she became the youngest person to sail around the world alone. Completing the final leg of her journey, 41 days from Cape Town, South Africa, Dekker steered Guppy, her 38’ Jeanneau Ginfizz ketch into Simpson Bay, St. Maarten, the Caribbean island she set sail from on January 21, 2011.
“It is sweet to me that I won't be sailing for a while, that I don't have to keep everything in order all the time, and that I get to see my parents if I feel like it, even though that may take getting used to. I still don't know how long I will stay here or where I will go next. For now I am having a great time and enjoying my family,” wrote Dekker in her blog.
Dekker’s sailing days, however, are far from over. “...I want to sail some more with 'Gup' over to the Panama Canal again and the Pacific to New Zealand as my final destination,” states Dekker.
The daring teenager, who says she didn’t make her 27,000 nautical-mile trip to set a record, but did it for herself, will not be recognized by Guinness World Records. The Guinness Corporation has stopped awarding titles to teenage sailors for fear they will only encourage young people to set off on risky adventures. In 2009, 17-year-old Mike Perham was the last teen recognized by Guinness for a solo circumnavigation
Dekker, a Dutch citizen, was born on a boat in Whangarei, New Zealand. At the age of 13, she singlehanded a 28’ Hurley 800, also named Guppy, from Holland to England, a trip her father hoped would put an end to her wanderlust.
Dekker’s family purchased the second Guppy for her. To support her voyage she asked for donations on her Web site.
Dekker’s round-the-world journey got off to a rough start when government agencies in the Netherlands attempted to prevent her from setting sail. “From the moment my plans became public, Youth Care and other government organizations tried to stop me. During the first court case, in August 2009, (even before Youth Care had ever seen me, or had spoken to me…), they asked the Judge to take me away from my father and to lock me up in a secure clinic!” states Dekker.
Dekker plans to be back in the Netherlands in early March to attend the HISWA Amsterdam Boat Show, March 6 to 11.
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