Dutch authorities sue parents of 13 year-old to stop solo sail trip around the world

[J-man]

The Dutch child protection services have sued the parents of 13 year old Laura Dekker.
The girl wants to set the record as youngest person who ever circumnavigated the world in a sailboat. She wants to leave in September (when she will be 14) and the trip will take at 1-2 years.

The child protection services believes that a 14 year old cannot over see the dangers of solo circumnavigation. She will also miss school but she has said she will do schoolwork that has been E-mailed to her.

She has permission from her parents (who are divorced) to go. The child protection wants to remove the parents (partially) from custody because otherwise they can only intervene when she's already on her trip and absent from school.

What do you think? Can a 14 year old girl sail around the world solo?

 

[Cheetah]

Taking a child on a 2-year sail trip isn't really a probl- wait... SOLO?

A 14-year old can NOT sail around the world ALONE!

Unless the parents are planning to sail next to her in support ships, this is one of the most spectacular cases of irresponsibility I've heard off.

As for the poll: In a ideal world she should be able to, in a real world she simply can not.

 

[Rossiya]

Girls can't swim.

 

[Harvin87]

Total irresponsibility . . . it would be like commiting suicide in advance for her...

 

[IglooDame]

What is it with link-less OPs lately?

Anyway, article here, quoted partially below:

Previous experience

Laura was born on a sailboat near New Zealand. She is an experienced sailor and has done several solo voyages; one recently from The Netherlands to England reported the Dutch newspaper.

The paper also said Laura’s parents sailed around the world for seven years and approve of her sailing on her own around the world. Her father is preparing her boat, Guppy, for the voyage.

With that context, and my usual preference for less active government, I think that she should be allowed to go.

 

[Cutlass]

Taking a child on a 2-year sail trip isn't really a probl- wait... SOLO?

A 14-year old can NOT sail around the world ALONE!

Unless the parents are planning to sail next to her in support ships, this is one of the most spectacular cases of irresponsibility I've heard off.

As for the poll: In a ideal world she should be able to, in a real world she simply can not.

It's been done. So you can't say it's impossible.

 

[bhsup]

I'm siding with IglooDude on this one.

 

[Yared]

A 15 year old guy did it.

 

[Cutlass]

In 1965 a 16 year old boy sailed around the world alone (took a few years). And he didn't even have GPS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Lee_Graham

 

[J-man]

What is it with link-less OPs lately?

Anyway, article here, quoted partially below:



With that context, and my usual preference for less active government, I think that she should be allowed to go.

I couldn't find an English language link.

 

[Cheetah]

It's been done. So you can't say it's impossible.

In 1965 a 16 year old boy sailed around the world alone (took a few years). And he didn't even have GPS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Lee_Graham

Huh. Well, I'll admit I feel partially proven wrong. It is not as far fetched as I thought.

Still, I will point out that there is a difference between a 16-year old guy anno 1965 and a just-turned 14-year old girl anno 2009.
Also, I assume that small, fast boats used by local pirates and criminals in several of the worlds waters are more available and numerous now than in 1965. (Granted, I base this on nothing but my common knowledge, and that I don't know which route she is planning to sail.)

PS: I would like to state that I do not doubt her navigational abilities or her abilities to sail a boat. I am heavily objecting to sending a 14-year old girl on a worldwide trip all by herself.

 

[Mise]

She's too young to do such a dangerous activity like that. There are age restrictions on sky-diving and bungee jumping too. When she's 16 (or 18 or whatever it is in NL) then she can do it.

 

[Yared]

The thing I'm most concerned about is her becoming socially ******** due to spending a couple of years on some boat in the middle of nowhere all alone.
And, as much as it pains me to say it, having a computer with internet access isn't enough.

 

[emzie]

I wish her luck. Seems she's taking GPS, satellite internet, phone... sounds like an adventure.

 

[IglooDame]

Huh. Well, I'll admit I feel partially proven wrong. It is not as far fetched as I thought.

Still, I will point out that there is a difference between a 16-year old guy anno 1965 and a just-turned 14-year old girl anno 2009.
Also, I assume that small, fast boats used by local pirates and criminals in several of the worlds waters are more available and numerous now than in 1965. (Granted, I base this on nothing but my common knowledge, and that I don't know which route she is planning to sail.)

Somali pirates notwithstanding, the nautical world is safer now than it was in 1965.

And a 17-year-old did it last year, making the point moot.

The thing I'm most concerned about is her being psychologically impaired due to spending a couple of years on a boat all alone.

Granted, she does have a computer with internet but that's not enough.

Does everyone understand that she'll be making port visits every now and then? It isn't a non-stop circumnavigation. And really, socializing-via-internet beats hell out of what was available to small boaters even a decade ago.

I'm not particularly thrilled with the parents' choice, and I don't think I'd be allowing my daughter (experienced mariner or not) to undertake something like that at that age, but I don't think it is foolhardy or abusive to allow her (and assist her) in doing so.

 

[warpus]

Taking a child on a 2-year sail trip isn't really a probl- wait... SOLO?

A 14-year old can NOT sail around the world ALONE!

Unless the parents are planning to sail next to her in support ships, this is one of the most spectacular cases of irresponsibility I've heard off.

As for the poll: In a ideal world she should be able to, in a real world she simply can not.

An american teenager recently sailed around the world, solo. I think he was 15 or 16.

It's not impossible - but yeah.. dangerous.

 

[woody60707]

A 15 year old guy did it.

Yea, a guy. We can't have her leaving the kitchen for 1-2 years!

But really, the government shouldn't be stepping in on this matter. This isn't some random whim. This is a very well thought out and plan trip.

Yea, she might die, life is kinda funny like that, no matter what you do.

 

[J-man]

One aspect that is pointed out a lot (here in Holland) is that 14 year olds need also development in social aspects. Making friends with other teenagers and such. She won't be able to do that at sea (OK, she will visit ports but only briefly.)

 

[Mise]

A 14 year old visiting several foreign ports on her own? I can't believe anyone in their right minds would sanction this. What til she's 16, then she's old enough to do things like travelling to foreign countries on her own.

 

[woody60707]

One aspect that is pointed out a lot (here in Holland) is that 14 year olds need also development in social aspects. Making friends with other teenagers and such. She won't be able to do that at sea (OK, she will visit ports but only briefly.)

Do the Dutch authorities go to everyone's house to make sure there kids are out playing enough? Is it illegal to allow your kid to spend all there time on facebook?

While it is a valid point, I can see how it's legal to only force that standard on one family, and not others.