Laura Dekker Forced To Stay Home
WEDNESDAY, 28 JULY 2010
The would-be youngest solo around the globe sailor, Laura Dekker, has been stopped once again, as Dutch child protection services in the Netherlands request judges, to lengthen her supervision by 12 months.
Laura says she is totally ready for her 24 month solo sail around the world. She is resolutely determined to complete the trip before Sept 2012, when she turns 17.
Spokesman for the council said the application has been made, because they fear for the girl’s emotional and social development. "A 14-year-old child cannot appreciate the risks of a solo trip of this nature."
Following a court ruling, Laura’s plans to set sail last September were put on hold through the intervention of child care officials. She was placed under their supervision until July 1, when the school year closed.
Running away to the Dutch Caribbean island territory of St Martin, in December, she violated the court order. The supervision was extended to August 1st when the Police ushered her back home.
"We were able to show the court today that she has met all the court's conditions, and an independent sail expert has approved her sailing plan, " her lawyer Peter de Lange said.
De Lange said, “Laura has obtained a first aid diploma, registered with a distance education facility to continue her schooling at sea, gained solo sailing experience and learnt sleep management techniques.”
In May, following a harrowing twenty three thousand nautical mile journey and two hundred and ten days at sea, Australia's Jessica Watson, became the youngest person to sail around the world non-stop, solo and unassisted. Jessica completed the challenge only three days before her 17th birthday.
An American teenager was pulled out of the ocean after her yacht floundered in the Indian Ocean in June, as she tried the solo sail. Particularly after her collision with a 63,000 ton Chinese bulk carrier, during pre-voyage trials, critics had declared her too young and too inexperienced for such a perilous journey.
Guinness World Record no longer allows the category of the ‘youngest or oldest solo sail around the globe’. Australian Jesse Martin gained the record in 1999, at 18.
Source: www.prlog.org
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