Laura Dekker

Laura Dekker is a Dutch-born sailor who completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe in 2012, aged 16, aboard her yacht Guppy.

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Guppy (yacht): Guppy is the yacht aboard which Laura Dekker sailed around the world alone. The 11.5-metre ketch was her home and sailing vessel throughout the circumnavigation.
Dutch family law: Dutch family law governs legal relationships within families, including parental authority over minors. Authorities used its rules on parental authority to intervene in Dekker’s plans.
Dick Dekker: Dick Dekker is Laura Dekker’s father and a sailor who supported her circumnavigation plans. He backed the voyage and accompanied her during part of its preparation.
Child autonomy: Child autonomy is a young person’s capacity to make choices and exercise agency, often within legal and caregiving limits. Dekker’s determination tested how much independence a capable minor should be allowed.
Solo circumnavigation: A solo circumnavigation is a voyage around the world completed by one person, generally aboard a vessel. Dekker’s achievement belongs to this demanding class of single-handed voyages.
Parental authority: Parental authority is the legal responsibility and power to care for a child and make decisions on the child’s behalf. The dispute concerned whether her parents could authorize an extended voyage while she was underage.
Babs Müller: Babs Müller is Laura Dekker’s mother, a German-born woman who opposed her daughter’s proposed voyage. Her objections became part of the family conflict surrounding the expedition.
Risk perception: Risk perception is the way people judge the likelihood and seriousness of potential harms. Supporters and officials reached sharply different judgments about the voyage’s dangers.
Cape Horn: Cape Horn is a headland on Chile’s Tierra del Fuego archipelago, where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet. Rounding this notorious maritime passage was one of the voyage’s major challenges.
Child protection: Child protection comprises laws and services intended to prevent harm to children and safeguard their welfare. Officials argued that the voyage posed risks requiring state intervention.