Laura Dekker Sails On

posted by Draft Day Suit
Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 6:08pm PST

A (usually) humorous look at sports written by popular parent bloggers and some of their friends.

Laura Dekker, 14, was born on a boat and apparently still just wants to sail. Go ahead and tell her she can’t. She’ll do it anyway.

Authorities in Dekker’s hometown of Utrecht, Netherlands, told her in October that she couldn’t attempt the sailing trip around the world she wants to take in order to break the record for youngest person to accomplish it alone. The courts say she isn’t ready. Her mother is on the fence and her father is reported to be more supportive.

She was reported missing from her Utrecht home last week, and was found today on the island of St. Martin in the Dutch Antilles.

laura_dekker

Dekker, born on a yacht in New Zealand waters to two sailing enthusiasts, wants to break the record currently held by Mike Perham, 17, of England.

Although Dekker lives with her father, she has been placed under the guardianship of local authorities. She is required to get permission from them before attempting any sailing trips and was not permitted to leave the country until July, 2010.

Utrecht police spokesman Bernhard Jens said that Dekker’s yacht, Guppy, was still in its usual spot. Dekker’s parents are separated and reportedly disagree regarding her readiness for such a trip.

Investigators said they were not treating the case as a crime. There is no comment yet from the Dekker family.

Source: The Guardian

Photo credit: Slaapwandelaar.web

~Laurie

View Original Post at draftdaysuit.com

Filed Under:
Sailing, Sports, More, Youth, Student-Athlete

There is 1 comment on this post. Join the discussion!

haresh

hii am 19 year old man plese laura i also want to come with u .i want 2 see all world.plese
pese i want to come with u

Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 9:26pm PDT

SIGNUP FOR A WOMEN TALK SPORTS ACCOUNT:

A Women Talk Sports account allows you to maintain a profile at www.womentalksports.com and login to comment on posts using your WTS identity.

Fields marked with a * are required.

Your First Name*:

Your Last Name*:

Your E-mail*:

Your Website:

Your Location:

Your Twitter Username:

Create a WTS Username*:

Create a Password*:

Confirm Password*:

Check here to receive bi-weekly emails from Women Talk Sports and partners highlighting discussions on our site and upcoming women's sporting events, as well as informing you of new products, services and special offers.

I accept the Terms & Conditions for joining Women Talk Sports