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Posted on 01/18/2012 4:49:02 PM PST by ml/nj
Reaching the end of my circumnavigation, I look back with joy at the adventures of the past year. I am also thinking hard, and trying to come to terms with the year prior to my voyage. The Dutch government was not kind to me. As a 13 year old girl, it was never my intention to be the center of world news. From the moment my plans became public, Youth Care and other government organizations tried to stop me. During the first court case, in August 2009, (even before Youth Care had ever seen me, or had spoken to me…), they asked the Judge to take me away from my father and to lock me up in a secure clinic! By doing this they tried to stop me from sailing. Another five court cases followed and another five times Youth Care asked the judge to lock me up. I only wanted to go sailing! Fortunately the judge never honored this terrible request. Over a period of 11 months, I was constantly afraid that Youth Care would lock me up. Also during this period, there were intimidating interviews with Youth Care workers. It was all a frightening and traumatic experience. So often these terrible memories come to me. I can’t ignore them. It is painful. Now, after sailing around the world, with difficult port approaches, storms, dangerous reefs, and the full responsibility of keeping myself and Guppy safe, I feel that the nightmares the Dutch government organizations put me through, were totally unfair. I think that the nightmares will follow me for the rest of my life... At sea, I feel comfortable and I come to rest. I especially enjoy the long passages over the Indian and Atlantic Ocean. I hear now that the Dutch government organizations have started causing problems again. I am seriously thinking about not returning to the Netherlands. Of course I will discuss this with my parents. We will make decisions carefully, such as finishing my high school education and making plans for my future. Last but not least, I would like to say that I realize my voyage would not have been possible without the support of all my fans from around the globe and my sponsors. I am very grateful to them and I would like to thank them all! I can’t be negative about the Netherlands, a country with so many good people. Because of my past experience with the Dutch government organizations, I have the feeling that it will be very difficult for me to return to the Netherlands. I will complete my solo circumnavigation on the island of Sint Maarten. I am sorry if I disappoint my Dutch fans. What a party it would have been if Hoek van Holland or IJmuiden had been my port of arrival…!!!.. Who knows, it might still happen one day…
Laura
For those who don't know Laura Dekker is a young Dutch girl who, in three or four days, will become the youngest person to complete a solo round-the-world sail.
I have been following her pretty much since she left the Netherlands, though I missed the legal wrangling that she alludes to here. If I recall correctly, she sailed from the Netherlands to the Canary Islands with her father, so her solo sail officially started there. And I expected her to finish there, or back in the Netherlands, but somewhere along the line she obviously decided to continue on to Saint Maarten. This entry of hers in her blog hints at the reason.
Following her has been an incredible joy for me. Her English started out a bit spotty I thought, and still occasional errors creep in. But the way she is able to express herself in her second language is just amazing to me.
All the do-gooders and government types who think kids should be enslaved in government boxes for long years really need to think about what they are doing. There is probably no young teen in the world in a government school who has learned as much as Laura has during her year and a half journey.
Bureaucrats do not like to be embarrassed so things may not be easy for her in the weeks and months to come. Whatever happens I will be rooting for her as I have been all throughout her voyage.
ML/NJ
Great story.
The Prussian school systems and socialist societies are trying to destroy these kind of people-—exactly the type of people like Mark Twain-—Abe Lincoln—Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, etc. etc. etc.
Prussian school systems adopted from European models (Dewey completed the socialist schools in US in 30’s) are designed for mass brainwashing and conformity to the marxist worldview. Out-of-the-Box thinking is destroyed—as is Judeo/Christian Ethics and perseverance, and knowledge-—using BF Skinner technique—and curricula written by communists (Ruggs, Counts—Billy Ayers) destroys real Classical education which is filled with knowledge and wisdom. We put The Beats in their place-—the homosexualization and sodomizing “hanging boys” glorified by university professors and put in the place of Dickens, Plato, Aristotle and Cicero. No Duty, Justice, Moral Rectitude allowed in schools any more-—like in the McGuffey Readers which was replete with Bible verses and Moral Law.
We need to get rid of DOE and our education system which keeps kids infants until age 26 intentionally. Government schools are designed exactly like what JS Mill said—it makes slaves for the state.
Reading between the lines it sounds like she’s afraid that she may get locked up if she returns to the Netherlands.
And 15 is the new 18.
It doesn't always work. But when it does they take awesome levels of maturity in only 12 months.
Solo officially started in Gibraltar. It was to be Portimão, but the Portugaese caught the Dutch disease and her father had to stay on board until Gibraltar.
Leaving Capetown, current and wind make Sint Marteen a lot easier to reach than Gibraltar, the Canaries, or Cape Verde Ils.
Besides, this way she becomes the youngest person to solo the Pacific, the Indian, and the South Atlantic.
WOW!
Thanks for posting this.
I’m getting to where I can recognize a savagesusie post in a sentence or 3...good stuff. Thanks.
Numerous people have said (including Hitler) if you repeat the big lie enough times, it becomes the truth.
So, I figure if I repeat the truth enough time, it will return to being the Truth.
It is people being so nice in the 80’s, not trying to “hurt” feelings or making people “feel” bad about their awful behavior. This political correctness came right from the vial mind of Herbert Marcuse and it is to destroy Western Civilization-—particularly Christianity and the Natural Family.
Feminism, Homosexuality, multiculturalism and tolerance-—GOT to get rid of it all-—they are designed to destroy the worldview and thinking of the next generation-—we won’t recognize them—they will have the morality and logic of Afghanis.
All those ideas INTENTIONALLY-—destroy all logic, reason and science. We will be as irrational as the postmodernists if we throw out Natural Law Theory (Common Sense) which is the basis of Rule of Law (Just Law) Cicero.
(I took a course on Natural Law Theory!!!) ;-)
Thanks for the post. Every once in awhile her story gets posted on FR and I vow to follow her - but I never do. Perhaps I can remember for the next few days.
It sounds like she may be in for a bit of a let down as her adventure ends. But I imagine it won’t be too long and she will think of another!
WHEN WE ARE YOUNG
WANDERING THE FACE OF THE EARTH
WONDERING WHAT OUR DREAMS MIGHT BE WORTH
LEARNING THAT WE’RE ONLY IMMORTAL -
FOR A LIMITED TIME
As a sailor whose career calling trumped any serious off-shore voyages, I love to hear such stories of true adventure, personal courage and determination. You’ve usually got to do things like this when you are young, albeit with forethought, effort, discipline and experience - because later in life complications creep in. This young woman embodies the best of the human spirit, and can rightfully be proud of her achievement. The Dutch government can go to hell.
What does it say when a person has less fear of sailing alone around the world than of their own government?
Tania Aebi (George's daughter, whose story is told in her book Maiden Voyage) may have been three years older than Laura but she really knew nothing of sailing and the sea. Laura was born on a boat (well, almost) and owned her first boat at age six. I only found out about Tania and subsequently read her book through a reference made by John Taylor Gatto in his Underground History of American Education. (highly recommended, and also available on-line for free)
You say it doesn't always work out, which seems intuitive. But do you know of any of these efforts which turned out any worse than Abby Sunderland's? (Her brother, Zach is the one who got me started following these kids. I also followed Jessica Watson for the last part of her trip.) Abby may have been demasted somewhere in the Indian Ocean (She started from LA.) but my guess is that she is also much better off now than the kids she left behind in California and their schools.
ML/NJ
ML/NJ
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