Dutch Sailor, 14, Gets OK for Solo World Trip

(AP)  A 14-year-old Dutch sailor will be allowed to launch a risky attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world, a court said Tuesday, clearing her for an adventure that could begin within two weeks.

Laura Dekker said she was thrilled to hear of the Middelburg's family court's decision to lift a guardianship order imposed on Dekker last year after she said she wanted to set sail when she was still just 13.

"I was so happy I almost jumped into the water," Dekker told reporters at the harbor where her yacht is moored alongside the boat where she lives with her father.

Presiding Judge S. Kuypers said the decision and responsibility for Laura now "lies with her parents."

"It is up to them to decide whether Laura can set off on her sail trip," he said.

Dekker's plan ignited a worldwide debate on how far parents should go in supporting or encouraging their children's improbable dreams. Both of Laura's parents, who are separated, now say they support her attempt, though her mother initially had come out against it.

Her father on Tuesday brushed off criticism that he was pushing Dekker to do the trip as "nonsense."

"It was Laura's plan from the very beginning," Dick Dekker said. "I just support her in it."

Dekker, speaking in both Dutch and English, told reporters she would set off within two weeks for her starting point in Portugal, where she would test her two-masted yacht before embarking on the voyage.

Wearing a pink striped shirt, white trousers and pink sneakers, she then hopped onto her boat and steered it around the harbor for camera crews.

The court had been ruling on a request from the Dutch government's umbrella childcare agency, the Council for Child Protection, to extend the guardianship order for another year to prevent Dekker from setting sail.

The agency has two weeks to appeal and will study the court's decision, spokesman Richard Bakker said.

In a surprising difference of opinion, the youth protection group looking after Dekker had disagreed with the Council and said she was ready to sail. The group had been monitoring her education and preparations for months.

Since making headlines last year by announcing her intention, Dekker has obtained a bigger boat and equipped it with modern navigation and safety equipment. She has studied everything from how to stitch her own wounds to how to cope with sleep deprivation and put out fires onboard her 11.5-meter (38-foot) twin-mast ketch.

"Laura has worked very hard in recent weeks on her survival techniques," her lawyer Peter de Lange said.

Recently, she fitted the boat with new cushions and a new sail - both in her favorite color, red - and a sunshade.

Dekker and her supporters have plotted a nearly two-year route from port to port around the world - including an alternative path around Africa to avoid the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden if necessary.

Dekker, who had a small black skull-and-cross-bones flag fluttering from her rigging, said she was not too afraid of pirates.

"They don't attack yachts so much," she said. "If you are in a convoy you should be OK."

Despite the meticulous preparations, the Council for Child Protection said it remains concerned about her mental and physical development during such a long and lonely trip.

Sailing is in Dekker's blood.

She was born on a yacht in New Zealand waters while her parents were sailing around the world and holds New Zealand and Dutch passports.

If Dekker succeeds in her voyage, she would beat 16-year-old Australian Jessica Watson in becoming the youngest to sail solo around the world. Watson spent 210 days maneuvering her 34-foot (10-meter) yacht, Ella's Pink Lady, around the world, encountering raging storms and 40-foot (12-meter) waves along the way.

In June, however, 16-year-old Abby Sunderland of California had to be rescued from her solo trip after a rogue wave snapped her mast in the southern Indian Ocean.

Sunderland was rescued by a French fishing boat more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) west of Australia two days after the alarm was raised. Her parents faced fierce criticism for letting her attempt the trip and for the tens of thousands spent by emergency teams on her rescue. They faced no backlash a year earlier, however, when Abby's older brother, Zac, completed the same journey at age 17, briefly holding the record for circumnavigating the globe alone.

Dekker said she watched Abby Sunderland's dramatic rescue unfold, "but it didn't really bother me." Dekker said her boat was bigger and more stable than Sunderland's, and she was planning to take much longer for her voyage in an effort to catch the best weather.

[bundye]

What is wrong with these parents...

[2catnight]

Here we go again...did we not learn from Abby Sunderland? She is lucky to be alive!

[wcjrad]

I applaud her and I applaud her parents for supporting her. The world needs more people like this. Fearless determination is what character and people with substance are made of (regardless of the pursuit).

[ReneeDawn]

wow really? is this what the world has come to? parents who don't believe in their children anymore? this girl knows what she's doing. this girl has been raised on boats, Hell she was BORN on one. boating is in her blood.

the world has dratically changed since i was a little girl and that wasn't very long ago. i'm 19 now. i'm glad i grew up when i did, because that was a world where parents believed in their children and EVERYONE ELSE minded their own damn business.

HER parents believe in her, and who else would know her better than her own parents? Sure it's gonna be dangerous and possibly fatal, but you people are counting her out before she even sets sail. I'll bet you all let your kids drive (if they're old enough - by law), I'm sure you let your kids play at the park. That's dangerous too. They could be hit by another car, or maybe even kidnapped while swinging on a swing. Everything in this world is dangerous to an extent, but you can't let fear get the better of you and stop you from believing in people and their ambitions. not just yourself or your children, but other people and their children as well.

stop condeming her and have some faith. I know I'll be praying for her safety, while you all are too busy hoping that America won't have to be the one to rescue her if something happens because you don't want to pay for it. How selfish can you people be?

[amulette]

Following your dreams and doing what you love is one thing,stupidity is another.Even as an adult,to go out in the huge ocean,knowing whats out there in a small boat alone is just stupid in my opinion.

[Morvin]

Her parents should be charged with wreckless endangerment of a minor and if she dies, with manslaughter. Idiots!

[kaviz]

I wonder which country will have to foot the bill if she needs a rescue. It should be the country that gives the OK permit to do so.

[kamsack50]

Do I hear 12? Come on parents, step up with your bids.

[astro1959]

How can you let your 14 year old child do something like this, it just blows my mind?????

[AnnieDanny]

I don't understand the obsession these young sailors have with doing this. I'm not even impressed by it. I'm more impressed with young people like Eagle Scouts who organize community projects and do something to improve their community and their world. They learn teamwork, respect, leadership, hard work, ambition and many other skills that will serve them well throughout their lifetime.

The huge annual Boy Scout Jamboree is going on this week in Virginia, but I doubt it will make headline news unless somebody gets injured or lost; that's the only time the media seems to take interest in the Scouts although there are thousands of very fine young men at that event this week.

These solo sailor trips are an extreme test of skill and endurance, so that's remarkable and even admirable, but look how much it COST to rescue the young American who got stranded in the middle of the Indian Ocean in very rough seas. The danger involved is more than I would allow my own child to consider for any reason, because I think that teaching a child prudence will serve them better in life than defying authorities (as this Dutch child has tried to do) and launching potentially life-threatening adventures. This is my own opinion of course but I really do feel disappointed that these young sailors think this is a worthy accomplishment.

I know the young Australian girl completed her voyage this year, but her boat was run over before she barely even started - and had to be hauled back and repaired. The Australian prime minister tried to stop her from going. Again, I don't understand the parents who allowed it. I don't understand why they allowed her to stubbornly disobey authorities who were concerned for her welfare, with good reason. Just because she managed to finish her voyage, doesn't mean she was right in doing it. I'm still not convinced it was wise.

I'm glad that the international authority that awards these boating records has cancelled the one for "youngest" sailor. That doesn't seem to faze these kids though. They're determined to do it anyway.

[ewo1977]

As an Eagle Scout myself I could not disagree with you more. Scouting teaches young men how to be independant and to set goals and reach for them. The exact things that you seem to condemn this young lady for.

You're disappointed that people think this a worthy accomplishment???? Circling the globe. Around the WORLD. Not a worthy accomplishment. When I was Scouting we would hike mountain trails to summit mountains like Wildcat, and Mt. Washington every year. Can climbing a mountain be considered a Worthy accomplishment.

Lets keep everyone indoors until they are 18 I guess. If they can't go out and try something that takes hard work and dedication how will they learn hard work and dedication.

Just because YOUR teenager isn't mature enough to handle something like this doesn't mean that ALL teenagers aren't.

[raydernation]

Are you serious? This is their destiny, its just like water - it will find its level. I would do it in a heart beat, that has to be the adventure of a lifetime. Thats how this World became to be as it is now, by people who were fearless and adventuresome.
This reminds me of one of my favorite movies "Cut throat Island" with Geena Davis. She played the Captain of this pirate ship, they had just found about 3 million dollars worth of buried treasure on said island. Anyways they loaded all that treasure on the deck of the ship and Geena Davis said "well men you're all rich men now, your life will be forever changed Mr. Blaspool will divide up the shares equally", than she asked one of her crew, what shall ye do with your share, he said by me some land and do some farming. "Farming" she said increduolously, she said "men we can go ahead and divide this up or we can add to this pile", and this is the most powerful statement i've ever heard and that pertains to you AnnieDanny, or she said "we can do what we were born to do" and that is to keep sailing the 7 seas. Get the point!