Laura Dekker now sailing with youngsters

Laura Dekker sailed solo around the world as a 14-year-old and became world news. Now she is 29, has a husband and two children and a bigger ship, with which she organises distant sailing trips for young people.

The new ‘Guppy’ will spend the next few months in Medemblik harbour, where the bright red hull of the 1984 polyester Scorpio 72 offers a cheerful sight among the average white boats. While the rain lashes against the windows, her sons Tim (6) and Alex (2) play with a Lego ship in the saloon. Dekker – dressed in comfortable jumper and white slippers – sits on the sofa, her boyfriend pouring tea.
It looks like an everyday family scene, but the family by no means leads a conventional life. Since 2020, they have been sailing around the world with groups of international youngsters. From a few weeks to six months, youngsters can sign on to travel to destinations such as the Caribbean or Norway. Along the way, they actively help with sailing and all household chores. The idea is to give the young people not only a special adventure, but also some smaller or bigger life lessons.

Realising dreams

It is a dream she has been walking around with for years, says Dekker. And a dream of Dekker’s, it becomes a reality. She proved that early on, when half the world was falling over her. Going around the world solo as a 14-year-old was a bit too risky, even many sailors thought. The Child Protection Agency saw a unique opportunity to present itself as a guardian of good parenting in front of the nation’s eyes, and tried to strip the parents of parental rights. ‘Irresponsible’ was the friendliest word in the media; many self-appointed experts used considerably heavier terms. However, there were also experienced sailors who tried to look into Laura, and saw in her someone who was far ahead of her peers in terms of experience and perseverance. In 2010, the judge ruled that she leave. Two years later, she made world news again when she had successfully sailed around the world as the youngest sailor in the world. When she set foot ashore again after some 27,000 nautical miles, she was only 16 years old.

Working with young people

The idea of chartering originated in New Zealand, where Dekker emigrated after her circumnavigation of the world. She had had enough of the Netherlands for a while. Down under, she calmed down and discovered new goals: “I enjoyed working with kids and always knew I wanted to have children of my own and do something together with my family. Many people who sail do so alone and their families are at home. Or they don’t have a family because it’s not practical. I wanted to do something where I could combine a family with my work. What my father gave me as a child was mostly his time, and I am very grateful to him for that. So then I came up with this: sailing with young people.”
The first trip immediately lasted six months. Dekker sailed from Europe to the Caribbean and back, with seven youngsters on board. First warming up on a few shorter voyages of one or two months is not her style: “My style is: just go and don’t fret too much. Of course, it is very important to prepare well. I couldn’t have made my trips if I had just said, ‘Hey boat, let’s go!’ Before I left, I wrote a whole book full of all the ports I was going to sail to, and all the positions.”

Safe for parents and teenagers

During the trip, Laura herself is busy with paperwork, plotting the route and checking the weather so they can sail safely. “Sander keeps all the systems on the ship running. In addition, of course, we have two little ones who also require our attention.”
Laura regularly reassures the teenagers’ parents. “I keep everyone informed via e-mail and make sure the teenagers regularly video call their parents. They themselves often seem to be less in touch with the home front. For parents, this is why our trips are often challenging. They learn to let go – something very important as their children get older.”
Laura’s ship should also be a safe space for the teenagers – even if the sea is uncharted territory. “That doesn’t automatically make it dangerous,” Laura explains. “Sure the sea has dangers, but with good planning and keeping yourself in check, that can be limited.”
Laura’s father always used the example during the court cases that she also cycled 13 kilometres alone to school on a dark road with car drivers still half asleep. “‘My child is safer at sea than in the city,’ he thought. And I still agree with that – as long as you go out on the water with sufficient knowledge.”

Sources: the much fuller interview by Amber Dujardin in Trouw (subscribers only) and an interview by Anne Schiphof on Linda Meiden‘s website.
Photos: Laura Dekker World Sailing Foundation.

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