Laura Dekker

Laura Dekker ( born September 20, 1995, Whangarei, New Zealand ) is a Dutch- German - New Zealand sailor.

Life

Laura Dekker was born during a world tour of her parents Dick Dekker and Barbara Müller in New Zealand Whangarei. Through her father she has Netherlands, by the mother of the German and the birthplace of the New Zealand nationality.

Your sailors' career began on a boat in the Optimist class, this was later followed by a Mirror dinghy. After her parents' divorce in 2002 she lived with her ​​father, an enthusiastic sailing boat builders without qualifications, first in Wijk bij Duurstede Netherlands. With her ​​former sailboat, a Hurley 700 named Guppy, she undertook single-handed sailing trips, including in May 2009 at the age of 13 years of Maurik (Netherlands) Lowestoft ( UK ) and back. About this trip Dekker wrote an article for the Dutch magazine rows.

From the 18th December 2009 it was listed as missing; but it was recovered two days later in Sint Maarten in the Dutch Caribbean. Whether their disappearance had to do with its planned circumnavigation of the world, is still unclear. Her paternal grandparents, Dick and Riek Dekker, gave the youth department to blame for the disappearance, since the Office had forbidden her planned circumnavigation of the world and she wanted to commit to a home. The life companion of the mother suspected the father to have planned the disappearance. The dispute over custody escalated into in the meantime. So it was announced that her mother did not want to approve the daring solo sailing trip of the daughter. She held the plan to be too dangerous.

Planning the circumnavigation and restriction of parental authority

In September 2009, Dekker wanted to break up with their boat, one from a sponsor borrowed Hurley 800 to a one - circumnavigation what the public led to considerable discussion because of their age of 13 years.

By a court decision prevented that she could set sail on September 1, 2009. It was the custody of the parents, with their consent and support of the company should be held, limited initially for two months. During the two-month period, a child psychologist should clarify whether Dekker was able to survive alone a circumnavigation.

In a hearing before the family court in Utrecht on 30 October 2009, the court ruled that Dekker earliest in the summer of 2010 could put to sea. In the court's opinion, the court explained, such a long and quite dangerous sailing trip could " endanger Laura's health and intellectual development ."

Thus the court following a request of the Office of Child Protection to keep Dekker for the next few months under its supervision. Thus, the right of education of parents Dekkers was initially restricted to July 1, 2010. The guardianship should ensure that enough time remained, "to consider whether the journey is sufficiently prepared, and to monitor that Dekker does not start in an irresponsible manner ." The inserted by Dekker and her father appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in Arnhem on May 4, 2010.

If the guardianship would not be extended, Dekker wanted to put to sea after July 1, 2010. The first preparations for it had already been taken. Her father had bought her a new boat, a Jeanneau Gin Fizz, as the main sponsor withdrew from his original pledge and thereby the Hurley 800 was no longer available. The Two Masters ( ketch ) is 11.5 meters by just over 3 meters longer than Dekker's last sailing yacht with 8.5 meters. The new boat was at that time in the harbor of Den Osse in the southwestern province of Zeeland, where father and daughter were in the meantime of Maurik moved ( near Utrecht).

On 17 May 2010, a request for renewal of guardianship of Laura Dekker to 1 August 2010 has been filed with the Family Court in Middelburg from the Office for Child Protection in Utrecht. A hearing closed to the public was held on 14 June 2010. The family court Middelburg granted the application of the Child Protection Agency on 17 June 2010. The reason was called, among other things, that the plan for the preparation or implementation of Dekker's circumnavigation was filed too late (first at the hearing on 14 June 2010) and the authorities had no opportunity to have this checked by an independent expert. On 27 July 2010, the family court ended to Middelburg, the guardianship of Dekker with immediate effect. Dekker announced on 31 July 2010 to want to sail together on 4 August 2010 with her father to Portugal. Move the boat should be thoroughly tested. From Portugal Dekker wanted to start her solo circumnavigation of the world, but this was prevented by the local authorities. As a fallback port finally Gibraltar was chosen.

Solo circumnavigation from 2010 to 2012

The circumnavigation began after communication of their former manager on August 21, 2010.

Your route included the following stations:

• August 21, 2010 Start of the circumnavigation alone from Gibraltar
• August 25, 2010 arrival in Lanzarote
• Abwettern the Atlantic hurricane season in the Canary Islands with family visiting from home and " sightseeing "
• November 10, 2010 Departure from Gran Canaria
• November 18, 2010 Cape Verde
• December 2, 2010 start of the Atlantic crossing from Cape Verde to Sint Maarten ( 2,200 nautical miles )
• December 19, 2010 Arrival in the Simpson Bay Lagoon Sint Maarten in the Netherlands
• 5th - 14th January: Guest stay on the Stad Amsterdam
• January 20, 2011: departure from Sint Maarten.
• February 5, 2011 arrival on Bonaire
• The crossing of the Panama Canal took place from 10 to 11 April.
• April 26, 2011: Arrival at Santa Cruz, Galapagos
• May 25, 2011: Arrival on Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
• June 8, 2011: Arrival in Papeete, Tahiti
• July 18, 2011: Arrival in Suva, Fiji
• August 25, 2011: Arrival in Darwin, on the north coast of Australia, on the 369th day of its voyage around the world. Thus it has the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean completely traversed.
• September 25, 2011: Departure from Darwin to an unknown destination
• 12 November 2011 arrival in Durban, South Africa ( 5,540 nautical miles )
• November 18, 2011: Arrival in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
• November 26, 2011: Passage to Cape Agulhas, South Africa. Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point on the African continent. Dekker, reaching also the southernmost point of their circumnavigation. She sailed then with a northerly course and that for the second time since the drop in the Netherlands.
• November 27, 2011: Arrival in Cape Town, South Africa, after successful circumnavigation of the Cape of Good Hope.
• December 12, 2011: Departure from Cape Town.
• December 20, 2011: Crossing the longitude 5 ° E and thus the longitude of the Netherlands. Based on the unofficial start in the Netherlands Dekker had thus crossed on their circumnavigation all longitudes.
• January 21, 2012: Arrival at about 15:00 local time clock in the Simpson Bay on the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten, thus completing the circumnavigation. The last line ran directly from Cape Town 5600 nautical miles ( 10,400 km ) to St. Maarten.

More Actions

• On April 14, 2012 Dekker Bonaire left towards Whangarei, New Zealand, where she arrived on 2 September.

Media coverage and discussion

About Dekkers planned circumnavigation was reported extensively internationally. In addition to personal circumstances, it was time to discussing in particular the general question of how far the state must prevent adolescent risky behavior, or may, if it is supported by the parents.

During the circumnavigation and compared to the previous " record holder " - the Australian Jessica Watson, who needed just 210 days at sea - long time course - Dekker was on arrival in Darwin, Australia, already 369 days on the road - the father expressed mid-2011 to the effect that it does not go to his daughter primarily to the achievement of record to be youngest solo Weltumseglerin. Rather, the "Tour the goal " is. On January 21, 2012 Dekker finished her circumnavigation successfully and is the youngest Einhandweltumsegler before Jessica Watson.

During their journey, Dekker wrote a weekly column for the Rotterdam Algemeen Dagblad, which is available in German translation.

" Maiden Trip", the documentary of American director Jillian Schlesinger about Dekker's trip, was premiered on March 10, 2013 as part of the South by Southwest festival in Austin.