Court extends ban on Dutch teen sailor

by Nancy Knudsen on 18 Jun 2010 After a new case brought by Dutch child care authorities, judges in a Dutch court have extended a ban on a 14-year-old schoolgirl's bid to do a circumnavigation by long range cruising, by one month.

14-year old New Zealand born Laura Dekker was not headed on a non-stop unassisted journey through the Southern Ocean, but is instead wanting to repeat the style of circumnavigation that she has already completed with her parents, a cruising journey, stopping at many points along the way, staying in mostly tropical climes and taking two years to complete it.

Laura Dekker would need to complete her trip by September 2012 to become the youngest person to sail around the world.

It will never be known how much impact US teenager Abby Sunderland's dismasting in the south Indian Ocean had on their judgement, as Laura's lawyers had been led to believe that, given she complete her school year and other training, that she would be allowed to depart.

Abby Sunderland was plucked from her stricken yacht after her dismasting amid much controversy, and is still on her way to the Reunion Islands to fly home. Her yacht has been abandoned. As Laura's route takes here nowhere near the Southern Ocean, and the longest she would be at sea at any one time is around three weeks, the comparison is not valid. In addition, the route she has planned, keeping to mostly tropical parts of the globe and avoiding all hurricane and cyclone seasons, means the strongest wind she is likely to face is around 40 knots.

Ms Dekker had planned to set sail last September, but child welfare officials intervened, convincing the court to put a ban on her until July this year. In the meantime, the girl, with the help of her father, has purchased a larger boat, a Jeanneau Gin Fizz, and has been preparing it for departure.

At a hearing Monday, Dekker’s lawyer Peter de Lange argued that she has been working to meet 14 conditions imposed by the court nine months ago. Child welfare authorities had asked for a two-month ban, so it is still possible that Laura could be allowed to depart this year.

However, if she is to depart this year, she should be travelling south from Gibraltar at least by September, to avoid the winter gales which start soon after.

She has obtained a first aid diploma, practiced functioning with a lack of sleep, and arranged to follow schoolwork via Internet, he said. Last weekend she made a solo trip to England and back — 22 hours each way — to show her command of her small yacht and its seaworthiness.

Last December Dekker ran away from home and traveled alone to the Caribbean. Upset by court-imposed rules and with her grades slipping, she fled with about $5,000 to the Dutch territory of St. Maarten using her New Zealand passport. She was discovered and flew home several days later.

The Dutch court remains worried about the girl's social, emotional and identity development, but her lawyer says it is a dark day for the Dutch legal system.

Ms Dekker's father says his daughter knows first aid, would continue distance schooling at sea and has bought the bigger, safer boat.

Her case will be reassessed next month.