Laura Dekker was said to be in good spirits on Saturday 21st August 2010 as she said goodbye to her father and friends to begin her solo world voyage on her 11.5 metre boat, "Guppy".Laura’s original plan was to depart from Portimao in Portugal but she ended up leaving from Gibraltar because Portugal does not issue permits for sailing vessels to people under 18. This regulation does not apply on British territory.
Laura and “Guppy” are now en route to the Canary Islands, the first of several planned stops, where they will wait out the hurricane season. Then they plan to head through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean and on to Australia, the southern tip of India and through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean.
Bon Voyage Laura & “Guppy”. May you have the time of your life.
