Three teenage girls had a dream…a dream so big it burned inside them and they couldn’t deny it! Couldn’t stop!
The courts of the earth could not kill the dream, they tried, a large container ship could not plow the dream… Being dismasted in rough seas and drifting in the ocean could not discourage the dream!
Parents were criticized and attacked for allowing…even encouraging and supporting their dream! The media questioned his dream… too young, too risky and irresponsible… the people of the world had mixed opinions!
These three teenagers came from different parts of the world, from Australia, Holland and California, USA, the only thing they had in common was that they all had the same dream.
What was his dream?
To sail alone around the world, circumnavigate the globe! This is a massive trip even for a fully crewed yacht, but these were teenagers planning to go around the world alone.
Two of these girls wanted to solo non-stop and one of the girls wanted to stop and explore some of the amazing countries and cultures this planet has to offer. What are her stories?
Jessica and her solo circumnavigation:
Jessica Watson:
Jessica had been racing boats since she was eight years old and dreamed of solo travel at eleven years old. She read books by people who have done it and how they managed it… like Kay Cottee and Jesse Martin, two solo circumnavigations. This fueled her dream!
After convincing mom and dad and showing her determination and competence, she began mentally preparing herself for this epic journey she was determined to undertake. Part of that was talking to a sports psychologist that being alone in the sea for a long time is not something you can practice, but she prepared herself the best way she could.
Unlike many solo travelers before, his technology is now very advanced and he had Internet access and a webcam to communicate along with many other pieces of equipment to make it easier and safer. There was also a good ground team with high-tech support and information.
His yacht was a 34-foot S&S, the same one that Jesse Martin sailed to make history by circumnavigating the world solo at the age of 17. His plan to follow the rules of a true circumnavigation was to start in Brisbane, then sail northeast across the equator to Washington Island in the North Pacific, around Cape Horn below South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, to across the Indian Ocean and finally up the east coast of Australia back to Brisbane. This covers about 23,000 nautical miles and takes about 230 days.
Not everything was smooth sailing! On his test run before his round-the-world attempt… he failed to detect a 64,000 ton cargo ship on his radar. It was his first night at sea and he had just gone to sleep when he collided with the ship. His Pink Lady yacht was dismasted and severely damaged.
There was a huge outcry that he should not go ahead with his planned solo circumnavigation and a lot of discouragement from different sources, including the media.
Did Jessica hesitate and think about giving up on her dream? No way she at 16 years old she became the youngest person to sail solo unaided non-stop around the world. She set the record and in May 2010 she sailed to Sydney, Australia and was greeted by a huge crowd on shore and on the water. She was triumphant… I saw it on TV and shed tears of happiness and pride for this teenager!
Jessica said ‘she was just an ordinary girl who had a dream!’
Determined teen!
Laura Dec:
A 14-year-old girl has appeared in court in the Netherlands in the midst of a year-long battle with Dutch authorities that has sparked a global media storm. Youth Care and other government organizations were involved in the first court case, in August 2009, asking the judge to take her away from her father and lock her up in a secure clinic. She was placed under the guardianship of the Dutch protection agencies!
Why? Was she a delinquent… troublemaker… girl who committed a crime?
Laura’s crime was that she had a dream and was determined to fulfill it! Her dream of hers is to sail alone around the world! The courts argued that she was too young to care for herself at sea! She finally won her battle with the courts in July 2010 and sailed from St Maarten on January 20, 2011.
Laura was born on a yacht off the coast of New Zealand to sailor parents who lived aboard a sailboat and sailed alone for the first time at the age of six. Her friends have described her as an intelligent, independent and disciplined girl. She dreamed of crossing the world since she was 10 years old.
Laura fulfills her dream aboard her 38-foot Guppy sailboat exploring the world in search of freedom and adventure. Unlike other teenage sailors, she anchored in ports along the way to sleep, study, and repair her sailboat. She explored places like the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia, Australia, and South Africa. She surfed, scuba dived and discovered and met many new friends along the way.
Laura said: “There were times when I thought, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ but I never wanted to stop,” she told reporters after battling high seas and strong winds off Cape Town, South Africa. “It’s a dream, and I wanted to do it!”
He celebrated his 16th birthday during the trip, having a donut breakfast after spending time in port with his father and friends in Darwin, Australia.
“Laura has tremendous willpower and ambition,” said attorney Peter de Lange, who advised Laura and her father. “Her desire for her to do this was something that came from her heart and her soul and no one was going to stop her.”
Laura set sail for port at the St Maarten yacht club on Saturday night, a year and a day since she began her epic journey, aged 16; She was greeted by crowds of supporters! She had fulfilled her dream of a solo circumnavigation!
Laura set sail two months after Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old American sailor who was rescued in the middle of the Indian Ocean during a similar attempt. Jessica Watson from Australia completed her solo trip at the age of 16, a few months older than Laura Dekker. The difference was that her trip was non-stop and unassisted.
Another teen with a dream!
Abby Sunderland:
A distress beacon signal was picked up halfway between South Africa and Australia, it was that of Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old girl on her yacht ‘Wild Eyes’ who was on the other side of the world in a solo circumnavigation attempt. She had been on a satellite phone with her family when she went out in a wild storm that rocked her 40-foot yacht in 30-foot waves.
Fortunately, she was rescued from the Indian Ocean amid great debates about the wisdom of teenagers who go on dangerous journeys like this.
Michael Kalim, of a San Francisco Yacht Club, told reporters: “It’s not something a 16-year-old can decide if he’s capable of doing. It’s potentially irresponsible for parents.”
Her father’s response to this onslaught of criticism was, “I never questioned my decision to let her go. We get overprotective of our kids nowadays,” Laurence Sunderland continued, “Look how many teenagers are killed in cars every year. Should you? for teenagers to drive cars? I think it would be silly if we didn’t.”
Abby managed to round the southern tip of South America, but then ran into equipment problems and had to stop for repairs in South Africa. She decided to continue her journey around the world anyway and had only just reached the halfway point when her ship succumbed to severe weather conditions causing her to activate the distress beacon and she was finally rescued.
Laurence Sunderland, her father is a carpenter, and said his daughter had thousands of miles of solo sailing experience before leaving and that he had tested her skills.
He said: “This was not a strange decision. Abigail has been raised on the ocean all her life. She has lived more than half her life on yachts. This is like second nature to Abigail.”
He said the team of experts who worked on Wild Eyes and the circumnavigation project were “second to none”. The ship had already circumnavigated the world and was equipped with sophisticated communications systems, navigation systems and backup systems.”
What was Abby’s response to this media ‘shitstorm’? “It wasn’t the time of year, it was just a storm in the Southern Ocean. Storms are part of the deal when you set sail to sail around the world. As for age, since when does age create giant waves and storms?”
She told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “I’m definitely going to sail around the world again or really try again. I’ve wanted to sail around the world for years and definitely will sometime.” She may have left behind a broken boat, but her determination is still intact! Abby was following the achievement of her brother, Zac, who successfully soloed around the world at the age of 17.
In summary!
Sailing and life in general is dangerous! I’ve sailed solo… solo coastal starting in my 40’s and have been in situations at times where I’ve questioned what I was doing and sometimes my judgment. My age made no difference and neither did my experience. For me, fatigue sometimes played havoc with my judgment. So we can all have our opinions on the aspect of age and experience. I believe in following your dreams!