Dutch teen sets sail on record solo world trip
Source: Agencies |
August 24, 2010, Tuesday
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A 14-YEAR-OLD Dutch sailor aiming to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world is sailing in fine weather toward the Canary Islands off northwest Africa, her manager said yesterday.
The first 48 hours of Laura Dekker's controversial voyage have gone smoothly, Peter Klarenbeek said.
"Everything is going well. She's very happy," Klarenbeek said from the Netherlands. "The weather is very good. There's a bit of a strong wind but ... it's no problem."
Dekker left Gibraltar, a British territory bordering the southwestern tip of Spain, on Saturday on the first leg of her global journey.
Klarenbeek said Dekker plans to spend at least two months in the Canary Islands 1,380 kilometers off Spain's southwestern tip waiting for the Atlantic storm season to abate. While there she will catch up on her schoolwork, receive family visits and install cameras on her yacht for a film to be made of the trip.
After the Canary Islands Dekker intends to head south to the Cape Verde Islands off west Africa before continuing to the Caribbean on a trip expected to last a year or more.
Dekker was initially scheduled to depart from Portimao on Portugal's southern coast, but local authorities said they could issue permits for sailing ocean vessels only to people 18 or older. That forced her to leave from Gibraltar.
Her trip comes two months after Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old American, had to be rescued in a remote section of the Indian Ocean during an attempt to circle the globe. Earlier this year, Australian Jessica Watson completed a 210-day voyage at age 16.
The first 48 hours of Laura Dekker's controversial voyage have gone smoothly, Peter Klarenbeek said.
"Everything is going well. She's very happy," Klarenbeek said from the Netherlands. "The weather is very good. There's a bit of a strong wind but ... it's no problem."
Dekker left Gibraltar, a British territory bordering the southwestern tip of Spain, on Saturday on the first leg of her global journey.
Klarenbeek said Dekker plans to spend at least two months in the Canary Islands 1,380 kilometers off Spain's southwestern tip waiting for the Atlantic storm season to abate. While there she will catch up on her schoolwork, receive family visits and install cameras on her yacht for a film to be made of the trip.
After the Canary Islands Dekker intends to head south to the Cape Verde Islands off west Africa before continuing to the Caribbean on a trip expected to last a year or more.
Dekker was initially scheduled to depart from Portimao on Portugal's southern coast, but local authorities said they could issue permits for sailing ocean vessels only to people 18 or older. That forced her to leave from Gibraltar.
Her trip comes two months after Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old American, had to be rescued in a remote section of the Indian Ocean during an attempt to circle the globe. Earlier this year, Australian Jessica Watson completed a 210-day voyage at age 16.
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