Laura Dekker was born to be a sailor.  It’s easy to say that about a girl who is born on a yacht off the coast of New Zealand.  She took to the sport at an early age and at age 13 was trying to become the youngest girl to sail solo around the world in her beloved boat, Guppy.  However, she was denied her attempt by Dutch courts.  When faced with this rejection, she did what any teenager would do:  she ran away from home.  She got all the way to St. Martin, in the Dutch Antilles, before authorities caught up with her.

I can understand wanting to keep a young girl from doing something crazy.  Kids are prone to flights of fancy.  However, this girl is already a world-class sailor.  If her parents are willing to sign off on it and let their daughter risk her life to hold a world record, then I’m not sure how the courts could stand in their way.  Given that she’s got New Zealand citizenship, she could always just go to her other home country and leave on her attempt from there anyway.  If someone wants to do something, a court won’t stop them.

Tags: Laura Dekker, missing teen sailor, youngest girl to sail around the world apprehended in the Dutch Antilles, Netherlands, girl runs away from home to sail around the world. St. Martin

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