Round-world teen sailor's father appeals for cash

by Nancy Knudsen on 26 Dec 2010 The 15-year-old Dutch sailor Laura Dekker who has embarked on a round world sailing journey is in need of cash and looking for new financial sponsors.

Laura's father, Dick Dekker told Dutch paper Volkskrant that the team backing her, which consists of family members and others, needs money to visit her during her journey and carry out major repairs which might be needed to her boat Guppy.

They had received some sponsorship money of 25,000 euros from a shipyard, but this has been used to pay debts on the boat before the trip began and other sponsors have not yet come forward, he said.

Dekker said Laura’s only income is the column she writes for the AD and royalties from a book written by her grandmother.

Nevertheless, the trip is not in danger, Dekker said. ‘She can do it all fine. But she is more on her own than we had hoped. And as parents we can no longer visit her when she is in a harbour.

Laura, who is on a solo around-the-world voyage, hoping to become the youngest person ever to do so, set sail from the Netherlands in August and arrived in the Carribean island of St Maarten last week after making a stopover in the Cape Verde Islands. The voyage, which is not to be the longest leg of her journey, took her an uneventful 17 days.

Mr Dekker says he needs about 16,000 euros to get the out of the danger zone and be sure that repairs can be carried out if and when necessary. Laura will stay on St Maarten for a few weeks. She is planning on setting sail for the Panama Canal in January.

The then 14-year-old was thrust into the media spotlight in August 2009 when her ambitious plan was first revealed. She was prevented from setting sail for the two-year world trip by the Dutch Child Protection Agency. The Dutch authorities made her a ward of court in October for a one-year period. In 2010, the judge decided not to extend this period since Laura's parents, who are divorced, are now both in favour of the voyage. Previously, her mother had reservations.

You can learn more about Laura's voyage, or donate to the project by http://www.lauradekker.nl/!clicking_here.