Laura Dekker finishes her solo sailing sojourn
January 12th, 2012 - 10:38 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattAmsterdam, Jan 12 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Laura Dekker has announced that she has had enough of the Dutch authorities. After years of legal battle, Dekker finally secured the permission to sail solo around the world on condition that she will continue her education in the process.
The 16-year-old is currently sailing on the Atlantic Ocean with the yacht Guppy. Dutch officials recently announced that Dekker is not keeping up with her schoolwork. The officials called Dekker’s father to discuss the issue but he failed to attend the meeting.
To protest the “interference” of the officials in her life, Dekker has replaced the Dutch flag with that of New Zealand on her yacht. She has also decided to stay in New Zealand and continue her studies there. She was born on the territorial waters of New Zealand so she is considered a citizen of the country. Her mother and father were going round the world in their yacht when she was born.
Dekker’s lawyer Peter de Lange told reporters that, “Laura has had enough of Dutch authorities. She was almost put into care. And now this…Who knows, maybe they’ll be waiting for her with handcuffs at the finish line.”
Dekker is on a quest to become the youngest sailor to go round the world unaided.
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Tags: amsterdam, atlantic ocean, citizen, dekker, dutch authorities, dutch flag, dutch officials, education, finish line, guppy, handcuffs, interference, lawyer, mother and father, new zealand, schoolwork, sojourn, solo sailing, territorial waters, yacht