Laura Dekker's Circumnavigation

[GordMay]

Having completed a 2200 nm solo TrasAt, Laura Dekker & “Guppy” (Jeanneau Gin Fizz 38) are in Sint Maarten.

Overall, the solitude of the trip wasn’t difficult, she said, although she did have fleeting bouts of homesickness. “There were two or three moments that I thought, ‘OK, why the hell am I doing this?’ But they were not for very long. If I feel really lonely I can always call my parents or something so then it’s over,” Dekker said.

On arrival, she told the AP that she wasn’t sure how long she would stay in St. Maarten or precisely where her next leg would take her.

“I will just stay here now for a bit and I will think about that,” Dekker said. “I’ve not really a plan. I just want to be in the Panama Canal in May, April, so until that time I will cross the islands, I think.”

➥ Laura Dekker Arrives in St. Maarten : Old Salt Blog – a virtual port of call for all those who love the sea

Laura's website ➥ LauraDekker.nl de Jongste solozeiler ter wereld! -

[Dave the Canuck]

Isn't MarkJ there. Geez. Someone should give her a heads up.

[MarkJ]

No, I'm in the BVI's for a few weeks.
When I was in St Martin I went to visit her but she wasn't on her boat.


Mark

[Dave the Canuck]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

When I was in St Martin I went to visit her but she wasn't on her boat.

Mark

Should have known...

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Dave the Canuck

Should have known...

She'd already had the "Heads Up" that Marks tight with the beer....

[callmecrazy]

Here's a radio interview with Laura in St. Martin

http://j.mp/gnH3vr

[boatman61]

Nice one ...Cheers... love the 'Attitude'

[deckofficer]

I followed Jessica, Abby, and now Laura's passages and 'Attitude' . IMHO, even though Laura is the youngest, I believe her to be the wisest of the group. I just can't see boarding in a port and not stopping to take in the cultures enroute, just to set a record and disembarking in that same port. Laura is soaking it all in, go girl.

[Astrid]

Exactly, why go around the world if you are not going to take in the sights, meet people, and further your knowledge of other places and cultures.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Because they are racing yo be the youngest to compleTe an RTW.
More power to them. Waste of time and cultural experiences..

If I had my dates right, Robin Graham was younger than Zac Sunderland when they left. I may be wrong about that, but if I'm right, IMO RLG was the youngest until the girls sailed.

And Robin was cruising not racing.

[marc2012]

RLG had the best idea IMHO.We spend too much of life with deadlines & schedules.Difficult to stop & not think of things as a mission.STOP & SMELL THE ROSES.marc

[TaoJones]

Robin Lee Graham was sixteen and single when he began his circumnavigation aboard a Lapworth 24 . . . but twenty-one, married and sailing an Allied Luders 33 by the time he finished almost five years later. More than once while en route he wanted to abandon the enterprise, but his father had made a deal with National Geographic and insisted that he finish.

While Robin Graham's dream was certainly unique and bold in its time, it was a far different voyage that those of the young sailors undertaking to circumnavigate today.

TaoJones

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

Robin Lee Graham was sixteen and single when he began his circumnavigation aboard a Lapworth 24 . . . but twenty-one, married and sailing an Allied Luders 33 by the time he finished almost five years later. More than once while en route he wanted to abandon the enterprise, but his father had made a deal with National Geographic and insisted that he finish.

While Robin Graham's dream was certainly unique and bold in its time, it was a far different voyage that those of the young sailors undertaking to circumnavigate today.

TaoJones

I don't see that they are all that different. The technology is different, yes, the not stopping at ports along the way yes. But the being alone on a boat in the middle of the sea, outside pressures pushing you to complete, those are all the same.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

I followed Jessica, Abby, and now Laura's passages and 'Attitude' . IMHO, even though Laura is the youngest, I believe her to be the wisest of the group. I just can't see boarding in a port and not stopping to take in the cultures enroute, just to set a record and disembarking in that same port. Laura is soaking it all in, go girl.

I think that's a little unfair. A bit like saying a proctologist is not as good as a cardiologist... they just entered medicine with different areas of interest.

Surely the way to assess their 'wisdom' is to measure their preparation and achievements against their objectives.

Jessica wanted to try to become the youngest person to sail nonstop, single handed around the world, and she did it. If you've heard her speak you can't help but be impressed with her maturity, and wisdom.

I'm open to correction here, but I thought Laura's original goal was to do the round the world non stop thing too. Was it equipment failure that made that goal unachievable quite early in the piece?
But full marks to her for re-setting the goal and carrying on with plan B. She's also an inspiration.
Sure that's a wise choice and better than giving up altogether after a setback to Plan A, but greater wisdom?

Just the way I see it...

[callmecrazy]

Laura was not interested in a non-stop record. She was making her plans at 13 years old right about the time Zac was doing it. She did want to get a record, but only because that was still a possibility back then. Once the possibility of a record disappeared, she didn't hesitate for a moment to continue with her plans. I believe Laura is in it for the love of sailing and adventure, not for any type of competition. I think her attitude and determination are unique to this particular group of sailors, and I don't think it's unfair to consider her the 'wisest' of the bunch, but not because of her choice of route, because of her level of maturity and mode of thinking.