Laura Dekker, at Age 16 Became Youngest Ever to Solo Circumnavigate the Globe

The Happiness Quotient

Can you imagine achieving at the age of 16 what other dream their entire lives of doing and even then never take the first step toward embarking on the journey of their dreams?

Our remarkable guest today knew from a very early age that she wanted to sail around the world, alone...in her own boat. It appeared as if everyone in her sphere were conspiring against her, to dash her dreams….well, I should say that her parents were very supportive, and encouraged her to put her thoughts into action.

In fact, she was born in New Zealand, during a seven month sailing trip by her parents, spent the first five years of her life on at sea...was given her first boat at age six, a small dingy made for children… She named her boat Guppy, all her boats have been named Guppy

Her name is Laura Dekker. She’ll be 26 on September 20th….she has a Dutch, German and New Zealand citizenship...truly a citizen of the world.

At age 14, with a solo trip to England …..and back - departing from her home in the Netherlands

under her belt and months, even years of experience alone aboard a ship….she announced her intentions to circumnavigate the globe, solo.

Now, you know when you were a kid and you had this amazing idea and someone told you how dumb it was and somehow you agreed and gave up that dream, and suddenly the years go by and you wonder why the hell you ever listened to the doubeters in the first place?

Well, Laura had many doubters, in fact the government f the Netherlands got involved, the Child Welfare Office objected, a family court judgment was obtained that placed Dekker in shared parental custody with the Council for Child Care who intended to stop her departure.

Dutch naval law said a person under 16 wasn’t allowed to captain a boat over seven meters long….

the Dutch court ended supervision of Dekker, and decided it was "up to the girl's parents to decide whether she can make the trip."[34] Dekker reported that she would depart "within two weeks".[35]

Laura later commented about the authorities in an interview, saying "They thought it was dangerous. Well, everywhere is dangerous. They don't sail and they don't know what boats are, and they are scared of them." 14 years old!

Well, she made, at the age of 16 became the youngest person ever to solo circumnavigate the globe….it took her two years, threw her into the international spotlight, she was awarded prestigious sailing awards, and everyone it would seem wanted a piece of her.

When I caught up with her this summer and Laura Dekker agreed to this interview I wanted to ask her about her true calling….her now...and not trap her into telling the story of sailing around the world alone yet another time….there are dozens and dozens of videos and interviews on YouTube and beyond….and she has a book...

Fast forward 10 years from her remarkable accomplishment and now Laura has devoted her life to inspiring children and youth with her LAURA DEKKER WORLD SAILING FOUNDATION.

Aboard her new ship, also called the GuppYa 21 meter, 53 ton Scorpio 72 (stay tuned in this interview for the fate of the Guppy that she sailed around the world),

The foundation provides programs for young people to develop life skills like team work, self confidence, responsibility, creativity, and leadership. The challenge of expeditions in foreign lands and long distance sailing aboard the foundation’s training vessel provide a uniquely powerful and extremely effective environment for the personal development of children

Support the show