Laura Dekker's Circumnavigation

[ZeilmeisjeonFB]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Anybody think she might blow off the media circus and quietly slip over to another port for provisions before heading off to New Zealand?

That's possible...

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by ZeilmeisjeonFB

That's possible...

Correct me if I'm making the wrong assumption, but aren't you part of Laura's support team?

[Hud3]

This from the Sint Maarten Yacht Club...

[MacG]

Well Laura if you ever read this, you may make a long nose to those goathaired sockspeople. Good riddance and believe me that many people here (Holland)
were crossing their fingers but finally you have succeeded!
I remember quite well the Society of the British pilots wishing you the best of success!

[deckofficer]

She is maybe concerned that a Dutch truant officer is waiting for her.

[MacG]

She better denounce that Dutch passport and throw it away ........ She got two other ones: one from Germany and one from NZ ........

Not difficult to execute: a formal change of address will be enough to set the boat into motion.

[deckofficer]

Does she have 3 or 4? Dutch, NZ, French, AND German?

[MacG]

Three Bob, Dutch (Father), German, (Mother), NZ (place of Birth). No French.

[deckofficer]

She sure sounded nervous about the awaiting media. I wish ZeilmeisjeonFB would have responded to my post because I think he is one of her support staff.

[Jim Cate]

Does anyone else find it ironic (actually horrifying) that a government that has historically been pretty accepting of drug use has an agency (Youth Care) that would try to lock up a teenager for wanting to do something as healthy as sailing? Laura's description of the attempts to institutionalize her are just incredible.

I can easily imagine her in Kiwi land. They have some overly protective rules there, but at least they dig sailing! I hope that she and her family can come to a useful resolution to her dilemma... she has earned the respect of the world.

Cheers,

Jim

[deckofficer]

Jim,

I agree, it is ironic. Many times when I had to fly coach (my company was cheap) I would prepare for that long trans Atlantic flight by clearing customs, taking the train into Amsterdam and enjoy a coffee shop, then return to Schiphol for my flight in a state that would allow sleeping in those crummy seats. And also ironic that when Laura was 8 and thinking about making this voyage, age of consent was still 12. As she has famously said "all I wanted to do was go sailing".

[MacG]

The problems with this GO, Youth Care are numerous. The people that staff that organisation are what we call the ultra left part of our society, quite often loaded with marxist-leninst ideals, long forgotten but still existent in this small group of law-makers and followers.
Next to that, they are quite often drug users themselves, at least the social workers do not cater a dislike for this stuff.
Again, this organisation fail in almost any case they are involved in. Where it is necessary, they are not visible; where their intermediate is not required they show a piranha-like attitude.
Laura was a reasonably easy target. She was Dutch, had a home, had a life of herself. No drugs and no wrong friends.
Youth Care thought to have an easy picking. They succeeded for a while but because of their square and all over stupidity they lost their final case.

My late father was a prominent lawyer in Holland, I remember the numerous cases against this social criminal organisation.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Does anyone else find it ironic (actually horrifying) that a government that has historically been pretty accepting of drug use has an agency (Youth Care) that would try to lock up a teenager for wanting to do something as healthy as sailing? Laura's description of the attempts to institutionalize her are just incredible.

I can easily imagine her in Kiwi land. They have some overly protective rules there, but at least they dig sailing! I hope that she and her family can come to a useful resolution to her dilemma... she has earned the respect of the world.

Cheers,

Jim

Ha! Maybe all the Dutch with the right spirit have emigrated and now live in places like NZ, AUS, CAN, USA etc. ... Laura isn't the first...

cheers,
Nick.

[speciald@ocens.]

Just looked at NECOL's websit showing AIS signals out beyond St Barth's. Don't see her out there yet. Is there any update on her position. I know the will open the bridge tomorrow at 3pm to let her into the lagoon.

[LauderBoy]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Does anyone else find it ironic (actually horrifying) that a government that has historically been pretty accepting of drug use has an agency (Youth Care) that would try to lock up a teenager for wanting to do something as healthy as sailing? Laura's description of the attempts to institutionalize her are just incredible.

I don't find it very ironic or surprising. Societies have been children-izing young adults for decades now, in the name of "protecting" them, and since children have no inherent rights or voice it's very easy for government organizations to prey on them.