Laura Dekker's Circumnavigation

[MacG]

Thats how nature goes ......

[deckofficer]

It wasn't just me that misses the blogs from Laura, it was a high point for my 92 year old dad.

[MacG]

It is absolutely great that you have such a compassion for your (distinguished) father.
I had to bury mine two years ago at same age. We still miss him every day.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Neither Guinness world records or the World sailing speed record council recognise young record attempts. They can not be called " records" in the conventional sense

It's also a fact that the WSSRC did not accept Jessica Watkins claim, either as they do not have a " youngest" record nor did they accept that Watsons route as a circumnavigation

All these young people are fabulous, record holders they are not

Dave

And who gave them the authority to decide what a record holder is? They both started in one spot and ended at the same. I don't have the rules for a circumnavigation memorized but someone has to call a spade "a bloody shovel."

[MacG]

It' s not of interest what any bystander say, it' s what you achieve/accomplish yourself.
I think Laura can do without anybody' s bravo. She is her own director.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by MacG

It' s not of interest what any bystander say, it' s what you achieve/accomplish yourself.
I think Laura can do without anybody' s bravo. She is her own director.

+1 I agree

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by MacG

I am afraid she will not join. But it would be great if she did.

Why..... ??
It'd be great if Angela Jolie joined as well...
now thats what I call great rail crew...
Don't get me wrong... I think she's great as well..
just don't fancy reading the over the top gushing she'll likely get anymore than she probably does...
later in life in life when she's done her thing and time to spare from interviews, public lecture tours, book, her own site... more sailing..
Maybe she'll wander in when the spotlight dims and 'Swing the Lantern' with us lot... but till then no bragging rights I reckon....

[MacG]

Laura is bred like the Mongolians. Before they can walk they can ride. Before she could proper walk she could know how to carry on in a boat.
Her emotion is deeper than ours. Her imprint is natural.
In this respect she will outmatch anybody.

This is where I will leave this topic. I do not think that she will be on the frontline for some time to come.

[deckofficer]

I wish I shared her sixth sense, being able to push a boat hard, but never too hard to either get in trouble or break something. Blowing out old sails not included. I wonder what kind of passage numbers she would have trimmed had she set out in the old production MacGregor 65? When the Dutch government said "You need a larger boat than your 7 meter", I think that old monster would have been a good reply "Big enough?"

Do many remember, that for its length, the high production number MacG 65?

[MacG]

I saw one and had second thoughts about design characteristics. As for the other one, the 26' .....

[Hirophant]

I was just catching up with Jeanne Socrates blog about her continuing circumnavigation odyssey which I hadn't read for a few months when I saw a familar face. Interesting to see that Jeanne's voyage has led to her meeting the Queen! Doesn't look like she took Laura to Buckingham Palace with her though.

[deckofficer]

Evidence Laura is still hanging at Simpson Bay.

[Hirophant]

"Laura Dekker joins a Youth Sailing Class" — better late than never I suppose! Her social workers will be pleased.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by Hirophant

"Laura Dekker joins a Youth Sailing Class" — better late than never I suppose! Her social workers will be pleased.

Love that post. Looks like you have followed her trials (no pun intended) with the Dutch government.

[deckofficer]

Laura is moving on


From her site LauraDekker.nl de Jongste solozeiler ter wereld! -

A quick update after sailing into Sint Maarten, 366 days after I saw it disappearing behind the horizon. It was really nice to spend some time with my family in Sint Maarten. They really enjoyed the warm weather and listening to all my stories and so did I listening to their stories. After 10 great days everyone started to head home again, except for my dad who sailed with me to Bonaire. There was a good breeze and we did the 470 miles in 2 days and 21 hours. It was nice to sail with someone else for a change but I also had to get used to it. Also my dad enjoyed it pushing Guppy a whole lot more than I would have done. I've sailed quite enough the past year and especially the past months, 2 oceans within 4 months. Probably I will start missing the sea soon enough and I want to head out again.

Laura

And today's entry

I'm already in Bonaire for a while now. But time is flying, I'm really busy trying to make something out of my diary's that I can hopefully soon call a book. I also really have to start thinking about a name for it now. So Any suggestions? Everything else is going fine over here, the first days in Bonaire I was slowly dying because of all the bugs in my boat, so I finally did make mosquito nets in front of the hatches after one and a half year.. And that's working really good. It made me realize how lucky I was that I never had so many mosquito's.

Laura


I like the part where she says her dad is pushing Guppy harder than she would, that's coming from a woman, that as a girl would venture out in heavy weather "just to see what it could do". Also, it was in these same waters that someone got a picture of her flying a hull on a cat.