Laura Dekker

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Laura Dekker

Laura Dekker, at the Hiswa Boat Fair, Amsterdam
Born (1995-09-20) 20 September 1995
Whangarei, New Zealand
Nationality Dutch
German
New Zealand
Occupation Sailor
Known for The youngest person to sail solo around the world, with stops
Parents Dick Dekker
Babs Müller
Website
Official website
Dekker's solo circumnavigation route

Laura Dekker (born 20 September 1995) is a Dutch sailor. In 2009, she announced her plan to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe single-handed. A Dutch court stepped in, due to the objections of the local authorities, and prevented Dekker from departing while under shared custody of both her parents. In July 2010, a Dutch family court ended this custody arrangement, and the record breaking attempt finally began on 21 August 2010. Dekker successfully completed the solo circumnavigation in an 11.5-metre (38 ft) two-masted ketch, arriving in Simpson Bay,[1] Sint Maarten, on 21 January 2012.[2][3]

Early life

Dekker was born in the city of Whangarei, New Zealand during a seven-year trip by her parents.[4] Her father, Dick Dekker,[5] is Dutch and her mother, Babs Müller,[5] is German. Dekker has Dutch, German, and New Zealand citizenship.[5] Her parents divorced in 2002.[6]

Dekker spent the first four years of her life at sea.[7] At six, Dekker owned her first boat, an Optimist, and learned to sail it herself. The next boat she received at the age of ten was a Hurley 700. She named it Guppy and used it for solo-sailing during her multiweek-long summer vacations; her trips included the Wadden Sea and the North Sea.[8] In May 2009, Dekker made a solo-crossing from Maurik, Netherlands to Lowestoft, England where local authorities requested her father to come and accompany her on her return voyage.[9]

Plans for a global circumnavigation

In August 2009, Dekker announced her plan for a two-year solo sailing voyage around the globe in the Dutch national newspaper, Algemeen Dagblad. Her father was in support of her plans; she lived with him after the separation of her parents.[10] Dekker planned to sail a seagoing 38 ft Jeanneau Gin Fizz ketch,[11] also named Guppy. The boat was equipped for long-distance sailing and adapted for solo-circumnavigation. The planned route started from Portugal westwards, to cruise the Caribbean and then to go through Panama and past Indonesia. She then planned either to go past Somalia to the Mediterranean, or around Africa, should piracy become a serious concern.[12] Her plan was to make around 26 stops.[13]

The original plan called for Dekker to be met at 14 locations by a support team, which also would help her along difficult spots such as the Panama Canal.[14] In reality, for cost reasons, people from home (mostly family members) met her only 5 times, although she was given some assistance by other leisure sailors she met, for example through the Panama Canal. The plan said she would not be sailing for more than three weeks between stops. After Australia she however decided to skip some stops so she in reality did two 6–7 weeks long legs.

An Iridium tracking system onboard allowed a team in the Netherlands to monitor her course closely. She planned to avoid the stormy roaring forties (although the South Africa route gave her at least one storm) and the hurricane season (which she spent in the Canary Islands) during which she flew home to study (done once but not during the hurricane season).[15]

Her education was conducted through the Wereldschool (Worldschool), an educational institution that provided her with material for self-learning.

From the beginning of her solo circumnavigation in late August 2010, Laura wrote a weekly column for the Algemeen Dagblad of Rotterdam. English[16] and German translations of her columns are available.

Government objections

The local authorities at Wijk bij Duurstede, her place of residence, objected and the Child Welfare Office became involved. A family court judgment was obtained that placed Dekker in shared parental custody with the Council for Child Care who stopped her departure.[17][18][19] The shared custody was to last until July 2010, but a successful application by the child protection agency saw that extended until at least August of that year.[20]

Dekker's plan and the intervention by the government received extensive international attention.[21][22][23][24] Discussed was, aside from the personal matters, the issue to what degree government has a right to intervene when minors engage in risky behaviour that is parentally supported.

According to the Dutch inland shipping regulations, it is prohibited for a captain younger than sixteen years to sail a boat longer than seven meters in Dutch waters; thus Dekker would not be allowed to use the boat for any solo excursions within the Netherlands until 2012.[25] She has still done so, with the effect that the police required her father to come and sail the boat home together with her. The circumnavigation, however, would not start in the Netherlands, thus Dutch naval regulations do not apply to her voyage.[13]

On 18 December 2009 a member of Dekker's family reported her missing to the police.[17] A farewell letter was left for her father,[10] although her boat remained in the port of Maurik.[26] On 20 December, Dekker was found safely on Sint Maarten.[27][28] Two days later she returned to Amsterdam where she was questioned by the police.[29]

On 26 December 2009 it was reported that another court in the Netherlands overruled the objections of the social workers and permitted her to begin her circumnavigation in September of the following year when she turned 15.[30]

On 27 July 2010 the Dutch court ended supervision of Dekker, and decided it was "up to the girl's parents to decide whether she can make the trip."[31] Dekker reported that she would depart "within two weeks".[32]

Dekker later commented about the authorities in an interview, saying "They thought it was dangerous. Well, everywhere is dangerous. They don't sail and they don't know what boats are, and they are scared of them."[33]

While in Australia, Dekker gave an interview[34] in which she admitted that she was not doing much schoolwork, since she was busy with sailing, maintenance, customs procedures and other tasks related to her journey. This led to press and other commentators suggesting that she had quit school and thrown the school books overboard.[35][36] She tried to correct this by saying that she had not stopped studying totally and would continue her academic studies after returning to the Netherlands.[37]

On 14 October 2011, Dekker was nominated for the Conny van Rietschoten Trophy, a very prestigious Dutch sailing award, in the ocean sailing category.[38]

Preceding Dekker's journey, the sailing press appeared rather sceptical, but became more positive during the journey, and acclaimed her after the Indian Ocean crossing and the Cape of Good Hope passage. [39][40] General media in countries she visited have often also been impressed, at least on later stages.[41] General media in the Netherlands mostly avoided writing about her during the journey, since the journey went mostly as planned. An exception was the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad which had a weekly column about her[42] and displayed a standing link on the front web page to a collection of articles about the teenage sailor.[43] However, on 4 January 2012, Dutch and German press started to write much more about her,[44] both about the fact that she soon was expected to finish the circumnavigation,[45] and about the fact that she did not want to return to the Netherlands, but to settle in New Zealand.[46] After the arrival on 21 Jan 2012 there were articles in newspapers all over the world.[47]

Boat

Yacht "Guppy" in Den Osse, Netherlands, on 3 August 2010

Dekker had planned to sail a Hurley 800 she named Guppy, that had been lent to her by a sponsor. This Guppy had a length of 8.30 metres (27 ft) and a beam (width) of 2.75 metres (9 ft).

In February 2010 she and her father acquired a new boat, a French-built 11.5-metre (38 ft) two-masted Jeanneau Gin Fizz ketch, which Laura has also named Guppy.[48]

2010–2011 solo circumnavigation

Dekker sailed from Den Osse, Netherlands, on 4 August 2010, headed for Portugal.[49] This segment did not constitute part of the solo circumnavigation, as her father was on board to coach her and test the new boat. The published plan was that the solo voyage would commence from Lisbon. Instead, Dekker and her father sailed to Portimão, arriving on 15 August. She sailed with others from Portimão to Gibraltar on 18–20 August, because according to Portuguese law, she was too young to be formally qualified to captain her ship.[50]

2010–2012 Solo circumnavigation progress:

  • Departed Gibraltar on 21 August 2010.[51]
  • Arrived at Lanzarote on 25 August.
  • Stayed in the Canary Islands for several weeks because of the Atlantic hurricane season.
  • Departed Gran Canaria on 10 November for Cape Verde.
  • Commenced Atlantic crossing from Cape Verde to Sint Maarten—a distance of 2,200 nautical miles (4,100 km; 2,500 mi)—on 2 December; finished when she reached Simpson Bay Lagoon on 19 December.;[52] having encountered calm weather on this leg of her journey, used the engine for two days in order to arrive on time.[53]
  • Served as crew member for ten days on the tall ship Stad Amsterdam, departing from St. Maarten on 5 January 2011.
  • Departed Sint Maarten on 20 January; visited the islands of Îles des Saintes, Dominica, Bonaire and San Blas Islands, all located in the Caribbean.
  • Flew home on 27 February; stayed to 10 March to speak at a boat show and other places, now a figure of considerable media attention in the Netherlands.
  • Completed the passage of the Panama Canal on 11 April 2011.;[54] visited Pearl Islands thereafter.
  • Crossed the Equator on the evening of 25 April; reached the Galápagos Islands the following day.
  • Departed the Galápagos Islands on 7 May and arrived at Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands on 25 May, having sailed about 2,960 nautical miles (5,480 km; 3,410 mi) in 18 days, the longest leg so far; encountered open sea only, with no islands near the route.
  • Sailed from Marquesas Islands to Tahiti between 1 and 8 June, a journey of 770 nautical miles (1430 km); demanding leg of the journey with shifting winds, many reefs, ships, and little sleep.[55]
  • Visited Moorea and Bora-Bora, and then sailed the 1400 nm (2530 km) journey to Vava'u, Tonga in 12 days, where she arrived 8 July.
  • Arrived 17 July 2011 at Suva, Fiji, having sailed for four days, and on 30 July at Port Vila, Vanuatu after having sailed for three days.
  • Sailed from Vanuatu on 8 August, heading for Darwin, Australia; arrived in Darwin on 25 August after one of the toughest legs of her journey, which included passage through Torres Strait, filled with reefs, islands and large ships; father visited her in Darwin, their first meeting since she had visited the Netherlands in March 2011; together, undertook a major overhaul of the boat; celebrated Dekker's 16th birthday.
  • Departed Darwin on 25 September, heading west; published information about this leg of her journey in her blog following about two weeks delay, because of security concerns regarding Indian Ocean pirates.
  • Sailed to Durban, South Africa, arriving 12 November, after 47 days at sea non-stop; reported wind varying from dead calm to hard wind that often shifted direction; sometimes encountered rough waves (distance Darwin–Durban is 5,540 nautical miles (10,260 km; 6,380 mi)).
  • Arrived at Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on 18 November.
  • Passed Cape Agulhas, South Africa, on 26 November, southernmost point on the African continent, and southernmost point of her journey; sailed thereafter a northerly course for the first time on her journey from the Netherlands.
  • Passed the Cape of Good Hope on 27 November in rough weather; reached Cape Town the same day; father and journalists[56] and the boats of the Volvo Ocean Race met her there.
  • Sailed from Cape Town on 12 December, heading northwest.
  • Reached the longitude of her unofficial starting point in the Netherlands on 20 December; had already crossed all longitudes in the course of her circumnavigation; faced another 4800 nautical miles for her official completion.[57]
  • Arrived in Simpson Bay on Sint Maarten on 21 January 2012 at approximately 3 pm local time after a non-stop journey of 5,600 nautical miles (10,400 km; 6,400 mi) from Cape Town, thus completing her full circumnavigation of the world, at the age of 16 years, 123 days.[2][58][59]

Later activities

  • 3–6 February 2012 Laura and her father sailed with Guppy from Sint Maarten to Bonaire. She spent several weeks there.
  • In March she visited the Netherlands (flying there). She attended the TV talk shows Pauw & Witteman[60] and Gottschalk Live and visited the HISWA boat show.
  • On 1 April she flew back to Bonaire where her boat was. There she started to prepare for sailing to New Zealand.
  • From 14 to 22 April she sailed from Bonaire to Colón, Panama, with a stop at the San Blas Islands.
  • After passing the Panama Canal on 9 May, Laura sailed from Panama City to the Galápagos Islands. Then sailed 2,960 nautical miles (5,480 km; 3,410 mi) to Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands, which this time took 25 days, arriving on 26 June. After Hiva Oa, she also visited Tahuatu, Rangiroa, Tahiti and Moorea.
  • Left Tahiti on 25 August, heading for Whangarei, New Zealand, a 2,200 nautical miles (4,100 km; 2,500 mi) journey.
  • Arrived to Whangarei on 2 September 2012[61]
  • During the rest of 2012 she visited New York and Tokyo, where she received an award. She also sailed on a race boat (The Coastal Classic and transport sail Hobart-Auckland).
  • During summer of 2013, she took part of the recording (in Morocco) of the reality TV show Atlas[62] which was broadcast in the Netherlands in August–October 2013.
  • In July 2013 she visited Australia, and in August 2013 she was in Thailand, borrowing a Jeanneau Gin Fizz sailboat which she sailed during a week with some friends.
  • In September 2013 she attended a few TV talkshows in Netherlands and Germany, in connection with the release of her book in German (released earlier that year in Dutch).
  • On 26 September and 6 October 2013 she gave German language presentations in Hamburg[63] and Windeck.[64]
  • On her way back to New Zealand, she took part as a crew member in a sail race in Dubai, and then was a co-skipper on a boat going from Tahiti to New Zealand (in November 2013).

See also

References

  1. ↑ Laura Dekker close to completion of solo round-the-world sail. The Christian Science Monitor, 11 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Youngest sailor completes solo trip around the world(registration required) . The Globe & Mail (AP), 21 January 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  3. ↑ CNN: Dutch teen completes historic, controversial solo sail around the globe. CNN – Latin America, 23 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  4. ↑ "Solozeiler Laura (13): 'Alles is rond'". Het Parool (in Dutch). 24 August 2009. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Gemeente wil Laura Dekker nog niet uitschrijven". Binnenlands Bestuur (in Dutch). 25 August 2009. 
  6. ↑ Spiegel (5 September 2009). "Mutter absolut gegen Weltumsegelung" (in German). Retrieved 2009-12-21. 
  7. ↑ "Laura heeft zout in haar bloed" [Laura has salt in her blood]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 24 August 2009. 
  8. ↑ "Info on Laura Dekker and Guppy". Website Laura Dekker. 
  9. ↑ "Dreams scuppered for Dutch sailor girl". BBC News. 29 August 2009. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Corder M (20 December 2009). "Dutch teen who sought solo sailing trip disappears". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. 
  11. ↑ Jeanneau Gin Fizz 37. Bluewaterboats.org, retrieved 28 January 2012.
  12. ↑ "Laura Dekker warned to steer clear of the Gulf of Aden". Rnw.nl. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Op koers". Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  14. ↑ Vragen van een lezer aan Laura Dekker ad.nl. 9 September 2009
  15. ↑ 'Laura, mag ik met je mee op wereldreis?', Algemeen Dagblad, 19 September 2009
  16. ↑ "Zeilmeisje Laura Dekker". Retrieved 2012-01-24. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Spiegel (20 December 2009). "Weltumseglerin Laura Dekker verschwunden" (in German). Retrieved 2009-12-21. 
  18. ↑ CNN (28 August 2009). "Dutch court halts girl's solo sailing plans". Retrieved 20 December 2009. 
  19. ↑ "Teen solo sailor Laura made a ward of court". Dutchnews.nl. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 2010-11-19. 
  20. ↑ "Dutch court delays schoolgirl's round-the-world bid". Google News. Agence France-Presse. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010. 
  21. ↑ Karla Adam (30 August 2009). "Dutch Delay 13-Year-Old's Dream of Sailing the World". The Washington Post. 
  22. ↑ Whipple, Tom (29 August 2009). "Court bans teen sailor Laura Dekker from record-breaking voyage". London: The Times. Retrieved 7 May 2010. 
  23. ↑ "MainSail Social workers threaten to thwart teen sailor's record bid". CNN. 30 August 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010. 
  24. ↑ "Laura Dekker, 13, must wait before trying to sail around the world alone". Los Angeles Times. 29 August 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.  Unknown parameter |hrsg= ignored (help)
  25. ↑ 'Wettekst BPR' – Overheid.nl
  26. ↑ Zeilmeisje Laura Dekker vermist, Omroep Gelderland, 20 December 2009
  27. ↑ "Update – BNO News reports that teen Dutch sailor Laura Dekker is found safe on Saint Martin.". BNO News. 20 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-20. 
  28. ↑ "Solo sailor girl found on Caribbean island". Dutchnews.nl. 21 December 2009. Retrieved 2010-11-19. 
  29. ↑ Mike Corder, AP (22 December 2009). "Teenage Dutch sailor Laura Dekker sees life unravel after court blocks dream voyage". 
  30. ↑ NZ Herald (26 December 2009). "14-year-old given permission to sail around world". Retrieved 30 December 2009. 
  31. ↑ Stanglin, Douglas (27 July 2010). "Dutch court OKs bid by 14-year-old to sail solo around the world". Content.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  32. ↑ "SpitsNieuws : Laura gaat rond de wereld zeilen". Spitsnieuws.nl. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  33. ↑ "15 Year Old Laura Dekker Crosses Atlantic". Allatsea.net. February 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
  34. ↑ "The boat is more important". Jeugdjournaal.nl. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  35. ↑ "Laura Dekker gestopt met school (Laura Dekker dropped out of school)". Static.nos.nl. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  36. ↑ "Schulbücher über Bord (School books overboard)". Spiegel.de. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  37. ↑ ""De boot is even belangrijker" (The boat is more important)". Jeugdjournaal.nl. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  38. ↑ "genomineerden Conny van Rietschoten Trofee". Vanrietschotentrofee.nl. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  39. ↑ "Laura Dekker, 16-year-old super solo sailor, on her final leg (Sail World, 16 Dec 2011)". Sail-world.com. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 
  40. ↑ "Laura Dekker Sets Out on Last Leg of Circumnavigation (Blue Water Sailing, 21 Dec 2011". Bwsailing.com. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 
  41. ↑ 28 November 2011 at 11:19 am By Caryn Dolley (28 November 2011). "Courageous Laura braves Cape of Storms (Cape Times, 28 Nov 2011)". Sundaytribune.co.za. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 
  42. ↑ http://zeilmeisje-lauradekker.blogspot.de/p/lauras-column-logbook-for-algemeen.html
  43. ↑ "AD Laura's zeilreis". Ad.nl. Retrieved 2011-03-19. 
  44. ↑ "News search on 4–5 Jan 2012". Google.com. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 
  45. ↑ "Dutch teen sailor nears end of round-the-world voyage". Dutchnews.nl. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 
  46. ↑ "Sailing girl Laura Dekker does not want to live in the Netherlands anymore". Dutchdailynews.com. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-29. 
  47. ↑ "News search on 21–25 Jan 2012". Google.com. Retrieved 31 March 2012. 
  48. ↑ Richard Durham (22 March 2010). "Dutch girl, 14, planning world cruise | Sailing news". Yachting Monthly. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  49. ↑ "Youtube video, departure from Den Osse". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2010-11-19. 
  50. ↑ Schabner, Dean (21 August 2010). "Laura Dekker, 14, Sets Off on Round-the-World Sail". ABC News. Retrieved 19 December 2010. 
  51. ↑ "Laura, 14, sails off in secret on record breaking global yacht trip". Daily Mail (London). 22 August 2010. 
  52. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Judy (19 December 2010). "Teenage sailor on solo voyage reaches St. Maarten". Washington Post. Retrieved 19 December 2010. 
  53. ↑ , 6 December 2010 "Yesterday I had some wind and finally, after two days, I could turn the engine off.",
  54. ↑ Laura Dekker's Blog on 13 April and the day before. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  55. ↑ "de Jongste solozeiler ter wereld! – ◦ News ◦". Lauradekker.nl. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  56. ↑ "Courageous Laura, 16, braves Cape of Storms". Cape Times. 
  57. ↑ Dekker's blog, 20 December 2011.
  58. ↑ Laura Dekker, Teen Ends Globe-Circling Voyage In St. Maarten. Huffington Post, 21 January 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  59. ↑ Stebner, Beth (21 January 2012). "She did it! Dutch girl, 16, becomes youngest to sail around the world on her own". The Daily Mail Online. Retrieved 31 March 2012. 
  60. ↑ Video from Pauw & Witteman TV talk show (Dutch)
  61. ↑ Laura Dekker sails into NZ
  62. ↑ nl:Atlas (Nederlands televisieprogramma)
  63. ↑ http://www.yacht.de/panorama/laura_dekker/ich-bin-nicht-ganz-normal/a83555.html
  64. ↑ http://www.extra-blatt.de/rag-vwp/docs/769027/windeck

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