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Dutch delay 13-year-old sailor's worldwide trip

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-29 17:50

UTRECHT: Dutch judges Friday called a 13-year-old girl's plan to sail solo around the world "undeniably daring and risky," but refused to scupper it completely, in a high profile clash between child care authorities and liberal Dutch parenting.

A Dutch court has ruled that 13-year-old Laura Dekker (pictured) cannot set sail on a solo round-the-world voyage next month and ordered her to be placed in the temporary care of social services. [Agencies]

A panel of three judges at Utrecht District court ordered authorities to take temporary guardianship of Laura Dekker, delaying her plan to set sail next week on her 26-foot (8-meter) yacht Guppy and become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.

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In her first reaction, Laura appeared unconcerned by the ruling.

"I wouldn't go if I or my boat wasn't up to it, so things have stayed the same, except it is going to take a little longer," Laura told Dutch national broadcaster NOS.

The court appointed a child psychologist to report on her capacity to cope with the risks she faces and the possible harm of two years of isolation.

The ruling came a day after 17-year-old Mike Perham of Britain grabbed the crown Laura covets.

After crossing the finish line, the teenage sailor listed some of the physical skills Laura will need to complete her trip.

The sailboat 'Guppy' that belongs to 13 year-old sailor Laura Dekker is seen in Maurik, the Netherlands. [Agencies]

"It's whether she's got the physical strength, the mental strength and the technical ability," he said. "You know, can she strip an engine blindfolded? You know, can she build boats, is she an electrician, is she a mechanic as well - because you can't just be a sailor to do a trip like this."

The Utrecht court will make a final decision in Dekker's case on Oct. 26.

Laura ignored the legal storm swirling around her and took advantage of fresh winds whipping across the Netherlands Friday to - what else? - go sailing.

Her lawyer, Peter de Lange, said friends told her about the court's decision and "she accepted it very positively."

He said that if Laura gets the green light in two months her record bid would still be on track, although she may have to take her boat to Portugal to avoid autumn storms that regularly lash the Bay of Biscay.

De Lange likened Laura's quest to the "Dutch East India Company mentality," a reference to the trading company whose ships plied the world's oceans in the 17th and 18th centuries, an era considered the Golden Age of Dutch sea travel and still a source of national pride.

While the judges ordered child care workers to take responsibility for Laura, they stopped short of removing from her father's home.

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