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Dutch teen in battle to sail around the world

posted by Pretty Tough | Girls Who Are Fun Fierce & Feminine
Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 11:46pm EDT

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I came across an interesting article about a thirteen-year-old girl who wants to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.

Laura Dekker was born in New Zealand while her parents were on a round-the-world sailing trip and spent the first four years of her life on the ocean. She has had been sailing solo since she was six and began dreaming of sailing around the world when she was 10.

Laura plans to navigate the world in her 8.3-metre-long Hurley 800 named Guppy, financed by sponsors. She hopes to achieve the feat in two years, continuing her schooling through internet correspondence and resting in ports to avoid bad weather. And her parents fully support her.

So what’s the problem?

Laura, whose parents are divorced, reportedly lives with her father on a boat in the central Netherlands. The Dutch Council for Child Protection is so concerned about the dangers of the marathon voyage it has asked a court to grant it temporary custody of Laura so it can do what her parents refuse to: halt the trip.

…the legal battle has ignited a wide-ranging debate even in this traditionally seafaring nation about the role that parents should play in their children’s risky adventures.

The rat race to become a so-called “super child” — the youngest to accomplish some grueling feat — can be fueled by ambitious parents, laser-focused children with talent, or youngsters with a deep need to please or be praised, psychologists say.

Laura is the latest in a long line of children seeking to put their name in the record books, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

Despite the ongoing battle, Laura hopes to set sail in September.

Zac Sunderland, a 17-year-old from Thousand Oaks, Calif., grabbed the youngest solo record last month when he completed a 28,000-mile trip on his 36-foot boat in 13 months.

British sailor Mike Perham, who is a few months younger than Sunderland, is expected to snatch that record away when he completes his own round-the-world voyage in the coming days, docking in the southern English city of Portsmouth.

Should Laura be allowed to become the youngest sailor to chase this dream? What do you think?