Laura Dekker is a Dutch sailor who gained international attention in 2009 when she announced her plans to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. At the time, she was just 13 years old.
Laura was born on September 20, 1995, in Whangarei, New Zealand, to Dutch parents. Her family moved to the Netherlands when she was a child, and she grew up sailing on her family's boat.
In 2009, Laura announced her plans to sail around the world solo. Her plans were met with controversy, as many people felt that it was too dangerous for a 13-year-old to undertake such a journey. The Dutch government even tried to prevent her from leaving, arguing that she was too young and inexperienced.
Despite the opposition, Laura remained determined to pursue her dream. She spent the next year preparing for her journey, including taking sailing lessons, obtaining sponsorship, and upgrading her boat, a 38-foot-long ketch named Guppy.
Finally, on August 21, 2010, at the age of 14, Laura set sail from Gibraltar, beginning her journey around the world. Over the course of the next year, she sailed over 27,000 nautical miles, stopping at ports in the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia, Australia, and many other places.
During her journey, Laura encountered numerous challenges, including rough seas, equipment failures, and loneliness. She also faced criticism and scrutiny from the media, as well as legal challenges from the Dutch government, which attempted to have her placed under state supervision.
Despite these difficulties, Laura persevered, and on January 21, 2012, she successfully completed her journey, arriving back in St. Maarten in the Caribbean. She was 16 years old at the time, and her achievement made her the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
Laura's journey inspired many people around the world, and she has since become a motivational speaker and author. In 2015, she published a book about her journey called "One Girl, One Dream."
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