Welcome to LauraDekker.nl!

Born on a boat in the port of Whangarei New Zealand, from a young age Laura Dekker has dreamed of sailing. But Laura is more a doer than a dreamer. When she was six she sailed her Optimist dinghy across the lake where she lived. As she grew older, she wanted to go further. – too far for some. She had already sailed her previous boat Guppy twice to Friesland, when on a six week holiday only 10 years old, and so she decided to pursue her dream far beyond local mudflats and waters. She wants to circumnavigate the globe – a massive aspiration for a young girl.

Guided by her father, who wrongly thought that her first single handed voyage from Holland to England would cure her of her' wanderlust', Laura has studied tides, weather, navigation, regulations and safety.

At  thirteen, she considers herself ready for her first major solo voyage, and aboard Guppy she left the harbour of Maurik and set her course for England, returning more than a week later. “Such a long time at sea by herself, with wind, rain and waves, she will be cured”, her father hopes secretly.

“No, I have an appetite for more” Laura tells anybody who will listen.

So now Laura is ready for the adventure of a lifetime.