Secret start for 14-year-old's voyage
Source: Agencies |
August 22, 2010, Sunday
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A 14-year-old Dutch sailor left Portugal in secrecy yesterday on her quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world, avoiding the media because her manager said she didn't want the attention.
Laura Dekker said goodbye to her father and friends at an undisclosed Portuguese port despite almost windless conditions, Peter Klarenbeek said.
The manager said the girl was in good spirits as she started sailing her 11.5 meter "Guppy" on a trip expected to last a year or more. The attempt has been criticized by Dutch child protection authorities who questioned the wisdom of a child risking the world's oceans alone.
"She said goodbye to her father and friends and she sailed away into the horizon," Holland's MasMedia company, which has exclusive TV rights to film her voyage, said.
Dekker had been due to depart from Portimao, and photographers and television crews from around the world were at the resort in southwestern Portugal but ended up with no images of the departure. MasMedia is documenting the trip with remote cameras mounted on the yacht. Dekker's website features links titled "My Coordinates" and "Where is Laura," but neither was working yesterday.
One of the voyage's sponsors, Ferry Dammers, showed up at Portimao with a banner to display on her boat but said: "I am disappointed, I have the banner here but when I spoke to Klarenbeek he informed me Laura had already set off on her journey."
A Dutch court last month released Dekker from the guardianship of Dutch child protection agencies who had tried to block her voyage because of fears about her safety and psychological health.
Marijke Schaaphok, Masmedia's director, defended the girl's push to sail around the world, saying she is mature for her age and has proven that she can sail her yacht without help from anyone else after passing a maritime exam in the Netherlands for a vessel of her boat's size.
She also said the girl is uniquely qualified for the sea venture because she grew up with her father on a boat, and "is completely different from a normal 14-year-old girl."
"She's very wise and a little bit impatient, but she's a very nice girl and she knows exactly what she wants," Schaaphok said.
Dekker's first port of call will be picked based on wind conditions, and her departure came after she took numerous steps to reduce objections to the voyage -- including the purchase of a bigger, sturdier boat than the one she originally planned to use, and courses in first aid and coping with sleep deprivation.
She also used as evidence her successful solo trip across the North Sea to England.
Laura Dekker said goodbye to her father and friends at an undisclosed Portuguese port despite almost windless conditions, Peter Klarenbeek said.
The manager said the girl was in good spirits as she started sailing her 11.5 meter "Guppy" on a trip expected to last a year or more. The attempt has been criticized by Dutch child protection authorities who questioned the wisdom of a child risking the world's oceans alone.
"She said goodbye to her father and friends and she sailed away into the horizon," Holland's MasMedia company, which has exclusive TV rights to film her voyage, said.
Dekker had been due to depart from Portimao, and photographers and television crews from around the world were at the resort in southwestern Portugal but ended up with no images of the departure. MasMedia is documenting the trip with remote cameras mounted on the yacht. Dekker's website features links titled "My Coordinates" and "Where is Laura," but neither was working yesterday.
One of the voyage's sponsors, Ferry Dammers, showed up at Portimao with a banner to display on her boat but said: "I am disappointed, I have the banner here but when I spoke to Klarenbeek he informed me Laura had already set off on her journey."
A Dutch court last month released Dekker from the guardianship of Dutch child protection agencies who had tried to block her voyage because of fears about her safety and psychological health.
Marijke Schaaphok, Masmedia's director, defended the girl's push to sail around the world, saying she is mature for her age and has proven that she can sail her yacht without help from anyone else after passing a maritime exam in the Netherlands for a vessel of her boat's size.
She also said the girl is uniquely qualified for the sea venture because she grew up with her father on a boat, and "is completely different from a normal 14-year-old girl."
"She's very wise and a little bit impatient, but she's a very nice girl and she knows exactly what she wants," Schaaphok said.
Dekker's first port of call will be picked based on wind conditions, and her departure came after she took numerous steps to reduce objections to the voyage -- including the purchase of a bigger, sturdier boat than the one she originally planned to use, and courses in first aid and coping with sleep deprivation.
She also used as evidence her successful solo trip across the North Sea to England.
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