Thirteen years old, alone, around the world on the seas. No matter how experienced she is, what is wrong with her parents?

By bet | August 14, 2009 3:22 PM

to hell with the school, let her do this, it is such an amazing journey/adventure for a young person, home school her !!!

By adhd | August 14, 2009 4:54 PM

Home schooling is an accepted method of education in most of the western world. But of course not in The Netherlands, where rules are never about practicality, but always about bureaucratism. If I were Laura Dekker's family, I'd move back to New Zealand... I'm sure people are still more adventurous there.

By Keith Beker | August 15, 2009 8:41 AM

Let the girl go. She will learn more of the world and social science than she will in a class room. Experience is the best teacher in the world.

By Van Vanderpoel | August 15, 2009 3:57 PM

World travel is something I wish I could have done more of in my youth. The experiences she will go through will be education enough and I am quite positive she will do any 'catch-up' if necessary. It will be a tough journey and incredibly dangerous, but if the appropriate safety measures are in place...she should be okay. Enjoy the journey!

By Miles | August 17, 2009 12:26 PM

I applaud her efforts. However, at 13 years old she should take her school studies more seriously than sailing. In addition, it is incredibly unsafe for a girl her age to go sailing around the world unsupervised. Haven't they heard of the pirates and kidnapping at sea? She should rethink this venture, at least to have some sort of supervision (maybe a supervisory boat)? She has to be so careful these days.

By Karen | August 17, 2009 2:41 PM

The article was originally published by the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad or AD. The best Dutch newspaper! Look at www.ad.nl for more articles about Laura Dekker.

By anna | August 18, 2009 12:40 AM

@ Keith Beker
Home schooling is an accepted method of education, also in the Netherlands. Laura intend to study with WorldSchool. A Dutch institute for educating children at home. The majority of student are expats kids around the globe.

The Dutch educating law requires the presence of an adult to educate a kid. So for the law a family situation is sufficient, there is an adult. If the adult decides not to interact whit the kid's education, we have in fact a self studying kid with no supervision. This is perfectly legal. The law does not obligate the adult to supervise.

Laura is in fact a self studying kid with no supervision. though the adult supervision is not obligated, this is perfectly illegal

A crack in the law...

More about Laura on her site, lauradekker.nl

By Me | August 18, 2009 5:54 PM

A big dream and a big adventure for a 13 year-old, but given her experience at sea, an adventure much more likely for her than for countless others. She can realise this dream for herself. This will add an invaluable and unique experience to her life.

If she can do it and wants to do it, she should do it. There is plenty of mediocrity in The Netherlands already.

She should not allow that to stop her.

By Edwin Hijmans | August 20, 2009 7:07 PM

GO GO GO Let NO ONE ever stop you to for fill your dreams.

By Eric JF Kleijssen | August 22, 2009 8:56 PM

I like how people with no actual experience circumnavigating or even coastal sailing, think they know better.

Her parents should move back to a better country, like New Zealand.

The Netherlands is showing itself to be a bit of a bureaucratic joke.

By RP | August 25, 2009 7:24 AM

Further to my previous comment....
1) She was born on a yacht while her parents were sailing around the world.
2) Laura Dekker had her first yacht at the age of six and at the age of eleven spent seven weeks sailing on her own.

She likely has more skill than half the people out there who fancy doing the same trip.
Age means little... experience means a lot more.

By RP | August 25, 2009 7:28 AM

To call the silly Algemeen Dagblad one of the best newspapers in the Netherlands is a strange thing to read here @anna.

By mescaline | August 25, 2009 10:08 AM

I traveled by bus (Greyhound no less) from New Bern,NC to Tacoma,WA (3,000 miles) by myself at the age of 13; and this was way before buslines had "express" routes! I probably changed buses a dozen times during those three days! And what an incredible experience I had, too! My point being ... how many other people on this planet can say they traveled over 3,000 miles on a bus by themselves at age 13? I say, if this young lady wants to try sailing around the world solo (and she seems mighty quailified to do so by-the-way) let her try it. I applaud her for setting her goals so high!

By M J Willis | August 25, 2009 11:00 PM

Adults need to give teenagers more credit... Yes, this could possibly be dangerous, but so is football, gymanstics, and other sports. If there is any trouble she could send a distress signal. Also, this trip would teach her about the world from its own point of view, and could be just as enriching, or more, than 2 years of school.

By Ariel | August 26, 2009 2:01 PM