Laura Dekker - Youngest Ever Solo Circumnavigator

Laura Dekker and her trusty 38ft Jeanneau Ginfizz ketch "Guppy" have today dropped anchor for the last time, completing their circumnavigation, which officially makes Laura the youngest person ever to sail solo around the world.

The following is an excerpt from Laura's Weblog entry of 11th January:

"I have learned very much about myself along the way and I also have learned very much from all the different places and the many different people that I came in contact with in so many different countries. I have learned from the Pacific Ocean and its islands I had only seen in my dreams. I have learned from the Indian Ocean which snapped me out of my world of dreams showing me bad weather, storms, calm winds and what a long crossing is. And so too I am learning from the South Atlantic Ocean with its soft trade winds and smooth sailing..."

When the student is ready, the teacher appears. Laura Dekker was born ready!

So long Laura and thanks for a truly inspirational ride. May you go on to live a long, happy and extra-ordinary life, what-ever you do and where-ever you choose to do it.

Laura Dekker - Are we there yet?

Laura Dekker is expected to arrive in the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten within the next week (weather permitting) which would make her the youngest person ever to sail solo around the world.

Her father, Dick Dekker said "She should finish her circumnavigation between January 20 and 25, perhaps on January 22 or 23”. If there was an official record to be broken, Laura would break it "by more than half a year!" Mr Dekker said.

It’s been a long battle for Laura whose original plans to set sail when she was 14 were blocked by a Dutch court. She was placed in the care of child welfare officers on the grounds that she was too young to guarantee her own safety at sea.

Mr Dekker said that after she completes her circumnavigation, Laura plans to live in New Zealand where she was born, saying his daughter was "tired of the Netherlands, which has not ceased trying to put a spoke in her wheels".

Laura Dekker - Happy New Year 2012

Laura Dekker - Arrives in Cape Town

Laura and Guppy have said goodbye to the Indian Ocean and hello once again to the Atlantic Ocean.

They are presently in Cape Town for about 2 weeks, enjoying a visit from Laura's dad before heading north for the first time this voyage.

Here's an excerpt from ExplorersWeb.com

TeenSailor: Dekker finished her third ocean Dutch 16-year old Laura Dekker crossed the Indian Ocean in silence to avoid pirates. Alone in her vessel, the young sailor has now crossed three oceans on her way around the world.

Laura Dekker - Arrives in Durban South Africa

Laura Dekker and her 38ft ketch “Guppy” have arrived safely in Durban after a 6000 nautical mile passage across the Indian Ocean from Darwin 47 days ago.

Laura kept this leg of her circumnavigation a secret due to piracy concerns.

Laura and Guppy have now crossed the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans since they left home some 450 days ago. Their next challenge will be rounding the Cape of Good Hope before making their way north and towards home.

Remembrance Day - 11-11-11

Remembrance Day

Lest We Forget

Today at 1100hrs let us take a minute in silence and spare a thought for our diggers.

Margaret River Western Australia - Winter 2011

Roz Savage - Indian Ocean Victory

At approximately 0630hrs on the morning of 4th October, Roz Savage made landfall in Grand Baie, Mauritius after rowing 4,000 miles across the Indian Ocean from Fremantle in Western Australia.

Roz Savage has just spent the past 5 months living within the confines of her small purple rowboat named “Sedna” carrying everything she anticipated needing, including watertight food storage bins and a water desalinator to make fresh drinking water. She had a small cabin to sleep in and a satellite phone for communication.

Many voices around the globe are joining together today to congratulate Roz on a job well done!

Laura Dekker - Happy Birthday

Laura Dekker sailed to England alone when she was 13 and 6 months later she got the idea to sail around the world. So she started to prepare for her voyage and a year later she left.

She and Guppy are now in Darwin with her father who came over to celebrate her 16th birthday together. They are in the process of preparing Guppy for the next leg of their voyage and the plan is to set off on September 24. At this stage Laura has no firm plans as to where her next stop will be.

Laura Dekker - Welcome to Australia

"Guppy is slowly pointing her nose into the Van Dieman Gulf....and if all goes well, we should be in Darwin tomorrow..." Laura Dekker.

http://www.lauradekker.nl/English/News.html

Laura Dekker demonstrated exceptional sailing skills in negotiating her way through the Torres Strait and is now heading for the Van Dieman Gulf on their way to Darwin.

It will be interesting to see which route she decides to take across the Indian Ocean.

Tom Yum Goong (Thai Hot and Sour Soup with Prawns)

Laura Dekker - One year on

365 days have passed since Laura Dekker left Gibraltar, on 21st August 2010, in chase of her dream..... "youngest ever solo circumnavigator".

With the Pacific Ocean behind them, Laura and Guppy are now in the Torres Strait heading for Darwin.

Laura Dekker - International Date Line

The 180° line of longitude, exactly half way around the earth from Greenwich, UK
and 0° longitude is approximately where the International Date Line is located.

If you cross the IDL from the east to the west you gain a day (24hrs), as was the case for Laura and Guppy, who are now anchored at Vava'u in Tonga.

Laura Dekker - Marquesas on the horizon

"Hup, Guppy, Hup!
You are the best!
I established a new record: 194 nautical miles in a day... I beat my father's record by one mile..."
Laura - 13th May.

Roz Savage - "Purple Hearts" from Mother Earth

Photo: Colin Leonhardt.

Sponsor-A-Mile for Roz Savage: http://bit.ly/FollowGreenRowe

To follow Roz's voyage and/or show your support, go to http://www.rozsavage.com/

Laura Dekker - Galapagos to Marquesas

I don't know who took this picture and I hope they don't mind me posting it here but it is sooo beautiful I just had to share it.

With a heavy heart upon leaving the "most extraordinary" Galapagos Islands and the people she met there, Laura and Guppy set sail today for the Marquesas Islands.

The distance between the Galapagos and the Marquesas is approximately 3,000 miles which would make it the longest leg of Laura and Guppy's epic voyage of adventure.

Laura Dekker - Celebrates Guppy

Laura Dekker and Guppy have had a number of reasons to celebrate recently, including crossing the Panama Canal, then the Equator to arrive at the Galapagos Islands exactly one year after Guppy was launched.

Next stop...Marquesas.


HAPPY 'BERTH'DAY GUPPY!

Roz Savage - Indian Ocean challenge

A 43yo British woman, Roz Savage left Fremantle today in a bid to row solo across the Indian Ocean.









Roz has already rowed across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and will attempt to be the first woman to row across three oceans.

She hopes her journey, spanning 6,400kms across the Indian Ocean (destination yet unknown for security reasons) which is expected to take four months, will raise awareness about marine pollution.

At the very least, may it serve to inspire everyone to do their bit, notwithstanding those who have actually had first hand experience sailing through such destructive pollution and...well, when all is said and done, there is more said than done!

I sincerely wish you fair winds and calm seas and that you stay well and healthy throughout your epic voyage. Respectfully....Sam

Laura Dekker - Crosses the Panama Canal

Laura Dekker and her lovely ketch Guppy are on track to navigate the next leg of their voyage, the crossing of the Panama Canal.

(Image courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory)

Making their way between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans amongst ever-increasing traffic in a relatively confined space could be a cause for concern at the best of times.

Fortunately Laura took advantage of an opportunity presented to her beforehand to experience the crossing there and back as a line handler on another vessel which has given her some knowledge of what to expect when she and Guppy go "live" on the 10th and 11th April.

So apart from "good luck" there's nothing more to say other than "goodbye Atlantic, hello Pacific!" Woohoo!!!

Vietnam - March 2011

Each woman was as skilled as the other. It was awesome to watch!