{"id":1112,"date":"2011-11-28T09:19:37","date_gmt":"2011-11-28T09:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/11\/courageous-laura-braves-cape-of-storms\/"},"modified":"2011-11-28T09:19:37","modified_gmt":"2011-11-28T09:19:37","slug":"courageous-laura-braves-cape-of-storms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/11\/28\/courageous-laura-braves-cape-of-storms\/","title":{"rendered":"Courageous Laura braves Cape of Storms"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IOL<\/p>\n

CAPE TIMES<\/p>\n

Laura Dekker, 16, attempting to become the youngest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe, arrives at the V&A Waterfront. Picture: CANDICE CHAPLIN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A Dutch teenager, attempting to become the youngest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe, arrived in Cape Town in winds gusting at up to 50 knots and rough seas that deterred even seasoned skippers.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, day 463 of her odyssey, Laura Dekker, 16, spoke from the V&A Waterfront where she was briefly docked. She described sailing in the stormy weather as \u201cbeing on a rollercoaster that\u2019s underwater\u201d.<\/p>\n

Local businessman Alon Kowen, a seasoned skipper who sailed to welcome Laura at sea and met her off Llandudno, said the weather had been awful.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot even the most seasoned skipper will round Cape Point in winds like that. She\u2019s a very brave girl,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Laura, who had been sailing from Port Elizabeth for three days, rounded Cape Point shortly after midnight in winds of up to 50 knots.<\/p>\n

She was soaked through, with waves continually crashing over her 38-foot yacht, Guppy. She arrived in Cape Town Harbour hours later and docked at the Waterfront around 9am.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the first things I\u2019m going to do is clean up my boat. It looks like a house hit by an earthquake, but with lots of water,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Laura was 14 when she set out on her solo voyage, something she said she had longed to do, from Gibraltar on August 21 last year.<\/p>\n

So far the seafaring schoolgirl has needed no rescuing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m doing this for myself. At first, I had moments when I thought: \u2018What am I doing here?\u2019 But now it\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really get lonely. I\u2019ve got radio contact \u2026 At times it\u2019s confining because it\u2019s a small yacht and after three weeks, you really want to run.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the more gruelling passages of the journey was from Darwin in Australia to Durban \u2013 a voyage that took 47 days at sea.<\/p>\n

Laura said that, during the voyage, she had seen sharks, whales and dolphins around her yacht.<\/p>\n

\u201cDown here I saw some whales. One time I had two sharks passing right behind the boat. I mostly see the fins. I\u2019m not scared. It\u2019s not like I\u2019m planning to jump over,\u201d Laura joked.<\/p>\n

Now that she was back on land, she longs to eat fresh vegetables and food as she does not have a refrigerator on her yacht.<\/p>\n

She has been eating mostly spaghetti and rice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also want fresh water. I don\u2019t have a lot on the yacht and I don\u2019t waste it on showering\u2026 After the first wave hits I get really salty. In the beginning it was so itchy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The schoolgirl has school books on board so she can keep up to date with her studies.<\/p>\n

The schooling issue and her age initially led Dutch authorities to try to prevent her from undertaking the solo voyage, but a Dutch court eventually permitted her to do so.<\/p>\n

Laura said she wanted to do the voyage while she was young and agile and could fully enjoy it.<\/p>\n

On Sunday her father, Dick Dekker, also a sailor and from a family of seafarers, was in Cape Town to see his daughter for the second time during her epic voyage.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s doing it all on her own. I\u2019m so proud, but also a bit scared,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Laura was not sure how long she would remain in Cape Town before setting off for the Caribbean.<\/p>\n

She was expected to finish her voyage within months.<\/p>\n

She said that after this odyssey,she hoped to sail around the world again, spending more time at each destination. – Cape Times<\/p>\n

caryn.dolley@inl.co.za<\/p>\n

Click here for more Cape Times stories<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

See the original post:
\nCourageous Laura braves Cape of Storms<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CAPE TIMES Laura Dekker, 16, attempting to become the youngest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe, arrives at the V&A Waterfront. 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