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| Laura & Spot photo: Zeilen Magazine |
Photos by Corné van der Stelt and Laura Dekker
SOLO TO ENGLAND
It has become very clear to everyone that Laura Dekker is an extraordinary girl. In 2009 she first sailed single-handed to England with her Hurley 700 Guppy - her first step towards her world circumnavigation.
Enjoy!
Thomas Weber & 45N73W
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| Zeilen magazine article Part 1 |
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| Zeilen magazine article Part 2 |
NOT A CRAZY ACTION
Laura Dekker (13) was born aboard a boat during the world circumnavigation of her parents. Her father Dick taught her to sail both in practice and theory. Not everyone is excited about the young girl's activities. Dick: "It caused a lot of opposition from complete strangers and from parents of her girlfriends as well. However, I know about her abilities and I know how she has learnt them. I have absolute confidence to my daughter; I know that she won't undertake crazy actions and that she is well prepared for all eventualities. She is a better sailor and she has more experience than
many seasoned sailors."
Probably Laura will choose for an occupation related to sailing later, however, she has no ambitions to become The Netherlands' Ellen MacArthur. Laura: "Actually, I like cruising more than sailing competitions. Becoming the youngest person who sailed around the world? Well, yes, this is something I'd like to achieve."
***
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| Laura & Spot Photo: Zeilen.nl |
My name is Laura Dekker and I
am 13 years old. I love sailing very much and I frequently sail the Ijsselmeer
[Lake IJssel - a shallow artificial lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands.
The IJsselmeer is the largest lake in Western Europe] and the Dutch mud flats. I
always sail solo, well, almost solo since my dog Spot gives me company. Sailing
always means very much fun to me, however... at a certain point I liked to go
further. When you think about sailing furter then of course sailing to England
is the first thing that comes to your mind, doesn't it? For me it was. Well,
that's not an idea that just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The story starts
very long ago at times when I was only one day old.
The beginning
I was born during my parents'
world circumnavigation while their boat was at berth in New Zealand. The first
I saw besides my parents were boats and water. You won't be surprised if I tell
you that the first word I could articulate neither were 'mummy' or 'daddy' but
'dinghy'. During the following years I get to know the sea very well, from both
its good and its bad side. For my sixth birthday the well-known beginner boat,
an Optimist dinghy, is given to me. On the next day I proudly tell my father
that I am going to sail on the lake with it right away. He is not too
enthusiastic about my plan since I had never sailed solo before. My father told
me that I first would have to learn how to handle the boat, for example tacking
and sailing at windforce 6.
On the next weekend there is
enough wind blowing to do some exercises. My father goes by my side on a
surfboard and is very much stunned that I am able to complete all exercises he
gives to me at the first try. Even though I feel very uncomfortable at
capsizing in the strong and cold wind, but after several times of practice I
start finding it funny. Straighten up the boat again is a very difficult affair
if your only weight 14 kilogram. However, if I don't succeed in it my father
won't allow me to go sailing, and so I fight through that. For the next two
years I sail over the lake with my Optimist, mostly with strong winds since it
would be not much fun otherwise
***
Guppy
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| Spot on watch duty photo: zeilen.nl |
With the mast laid down I
sail off at the first day of my holidays, crossing the river Vecht and heading
to city of Muiden [near Amsterdam] to enter the Ijsselmeer. In the town of
Lemmer I am awaited by the water police and I have to take berth at the dock.
Spot 'welcomes' the officials with some growling. After a chat with them they
find that I am very well prepared for this trip. By the way, I wear a life vest
and keep clipped to the life line all the time. According to the law I am
allowed to sail this boat since it is shorter than seven meters. Then the
police officers leave again and I can sail on. I sail all over the province of
Friesland and to the mud flat islands, in company of my dog Spot of course. Six
weeks later I am home again.
***
My first own boat
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| Second home photo: zeilen.nl |
I am twelve years now, and
again I sail through the Netherlands with Guppy - my own Guppy this time. Since
I changed to the secondary school, I have holidays for seven weeks, so I can
enjoy sailing with Guppy for one more week. However, the holidays are over much
too soon and I have to go back to school. Grmpf.
In the following time I do
some improvement on Guppy, and I keep asking my parents about their
circumnavigation, and slowly my ambition to do something similar on my own
grows all the time. My father tells me that a circumnavigation it is not fun
all the time and that I first should sail to England, hoping that the strong
winds there will blow that idea out of my mind. Well, he was completely wrong.
***
England
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| To England! photo: zeilen.nl |
It is Friday in the late
afternoon as Guppy leaves the marina of Maurik [near Utrecht], slowly going
towards the town of Culemborg until I go crazy about the bobbing and start up
the engine. Early in the next morning I leave the port and head for Maassluis
[an industrial area south of Rotterdam]. Fortunately, there is some wind
blowing today and with the Genoa up Guppy is sailing very well. The locking in
the Hagestein lock of goes very quickly. Now there is nothing to hold me back.
Heading for the open sea! I engage the automatic steering device and take place
on the stern bench to enjoy the view and the sailing.
Around noon I pass the
Brienoord bridge of Rotterdam. The ship traffic increases and the docks reflect
the waves, so Guppy is wallowed to all directions. I take down the jib because
keeping it up wouldn’t make much sense since it would block my view while we
sail through the curved waterway of Rotterdam.
Then it becomes very
exciting. My mast is 10,6 metres long and the bridge has almost the same
height. Before I reach the bridge, I turn the boat around and against the
current, and slowly I let Guppy go towards the bridge. If her mast does not fit
under the bridge, I still could escape from there by means of accelerating.
Happily, it all goes well and in the afternoon I take berth at Massluis. After
I have had my supper I go to bed early since tomorrow will be a long day.
***
Brrrr
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| Wind! photo: zeilen.n |
Sitting below the sprayhood listening
to the noise of the radio and the automatic pilot, I watch our course while
Guppy is heading to the North West to keep out of the main shipping lanes. Far
in the distance I can see two cargo ships, but they’ll pass me in some distance
ahead. Apart from that there is no ship traffic in sight, and so Guppy crosses
the waterway. At about 6 pm the fog gets thicker and I even cannot see my
windvane any longer, hence I hoist the radar reflector.
On the next morning the fog
has lifted and the wind starts blowing again, unfortunately it is coming
directly from ahead. But it does not matter at all! Since Guppy is already very
close to Lowestoft, I could make it in two long close hauled tacks.
Fortunately, the wind is still blowing from west as I approach Lowestoft. Since
there is a very strong current off Lowestoft, a wind from a contrary direction
can create very high waves over here. Without ruffle I sail into the port and
the bridge opens at once to let Guppy pass, heading for the 'cheaper' marinas.
I sail along some old, half sunken cargo ships and ruinous docks. It's very
contrasting to the Netherlands. The past glory - very impressive.
***
Duct Tape and going under the
spinnaker
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| Laura in action photo: zeilen.nl |
Because my holidays will end
on next Thursday - and into the bargain I have to go to school again -, Monday
is the latest departure day. Early in the morning Guppy leaves the marina with
westerly blowing wind. With this nice wind I take the chance to hoist the
spinnaker. Using Duct Tape I attach my camera to the sprayhood to take a
picture. It's very nice since I don't have frequently chance to go under the
spinnaker. Slowly but surely the wind picks up and finally I decide to take
down the spinnaker. This time I will do so before its pole had broken off -
something I managed to do a while ago. Guppy is enjoying it and tells me that
she would rather have me hoist the high aspect sail in place of the Genoa. Can
I deny her request?
And so I make my way to the
foredeck where I immediately receive a shower by a wave. Brrrrrrrr, it's really
that cold! Not much later Guppy again asks something to me: whether I'd like to
reef the mainsail. Happily, that's quite an easy affair compared to a changing
the jib.
Guppy is rushing back to Hoek
van Holland. I don't understand why she does so since I am not too eager to go
back to school. In the middle of the night the wind picks up to force 7 on the
Beaufort scale, blowing from south-south-west. On the very last miles Guppy has
to sail on a close tack since I have to avoid the shipping lanes. Walls of
water wash over Guppy and me. It's dark and cold. That is what my father was
talking about.
***
"Do you speak
Dutch?"
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| Collage photo: Laura Dekker + zeilen.nl |
Sailing along the harbour of
Rotterdam, a boat from the port-control authorities comes closer to me.
"Do you speak
Dutch?"
Well, yeah, I forgot to take
down the Union Jack, my guest flag. Stupid me...
"Yes, of course I speak
Dutch."
"Are you alone
aboard?"
"Yes..."
"And you come... from
England?"
"Yes, what's the
problem...?"
"How old are you?"
"Thirteen."
"Er... well, er... but
please take care, yes?"
"Yes, certainly!"
"Have a safe trip."
"Have a safe trip."
Apparently the people are not
used to anything anymore, right?
And so I continue my trip,
right through the lock at Hagestein and along Culemborg. The darkness starts to
fall but if I keep going this way, I could make it home until 9:30 pm. I take
berth in the box next to my father's boat and have my very own small party
then. I sailed from Lowestoft to Maurik in less than forty hours!
Coming back home my father
hopefully asks me whether I am fed up with ocean sailing. "No, it tasted
moreish" I reply.
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This report was first published in issue 7 in the Dutch ZEILEN magazine in 2009. At the moment [March 2011] Laura and her (new) Guppy are sailing in the Caribbean.
This report was first published in issue 7 in the Dutch ZEILEN magazine in 2009. At the moment [March 2011] Laura and her (new) Guppy are sailing in the Caribbean.
