Weblog van Laura

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29-7-2010

Hello everybody,

I have some great news, most of you will already have seen or read about it in
the media.
I got the official permission to sail. The supervision is cancelled!
After a one year "battle" I am allowed to go!! This is so great!!
My father will sail with me during the journey to Portugal for final testing of my
boat and eventually some final improvements. Then "Guppy" will be reliable
and prepared for me to sail singlehanded.
The official starting point of my journey will be in Portugal. To get there is not
a problem because of the help of many people and this time my father will
accompany me.
On the way I will continuously write reports in my blog.

Laura

25-7-2010

25 July 2010

For the past few days we were extremely busy working on the boat. It´s
normal with boats that work will never be finished completely. But now we are
working on the very last things to prepare "Guppy" for her and of course my
great journey.
The new sails, including a beautiful colored half-winder, are in place. Maybe
you already guessed it: the half-winder is mostly red. I also have a sun
canopy which will be very important when in the tropics. Even with the
present weather it´s nice to find some shadow.
On Tuesday there will be another ruling by the Court. I´m curious and I also
have some hope this time. In the opinion of Jeugdzorg I did my very best to
meet all the conditions set up by the Court and I did everything well.
Jeugdzorg asked the Court for cancelling the supervision over me
immediately.
But the Kinderbescherming holds that for mental reasons I won´t be able to
survive my journey. This is so odd because in the past year I had to take a
psychological examination which came to the conclusion that I am able to
survive. I´m one year older now but no longer able to survive? They asked for
an extension of the supervision for another 12 months of time anyway. If the
judges are a tiny bit objective they will cancel the supervision. But during the
past year I experienced so much that I wouldn´t be surprised if they came up
with something new again. I know, this may sound a little strange.
If everything works out I will be able to start on my voyage and sail to Portugal
within the next two weeks. And to continue sailing from there.
I´m looking forward to it!!

Laura

[NT: in the Netherlands the Youth Welfare Department is divided into two
independent organisations. Stichting Bureau Jeugdzorg, Youth welfare, and
Raad voor de Kinderbescherming, Council for childprotection]

16-7-2010

The solar-panel frame is mounted! It fits on "Guppy" really well and
it makes for a very nice cockpit. Now we can finish installing the
windvane. The solar-panels are already in place and connected.
For the past two days I was busy completing a course in survival
skills at Falck Nutec in the Maasvlakte whic is part of the industrial
area of the city of Rotterdam. In a special swimmingpool where it is
possible to simulate waves, wind and rain I was trained in handling
a life raft. I also practiced with a number of emergency signals,
smoke signals and hand flares for example. After that I learned
how to put out some fires.
I was also taught some additional skills in first aid; things like
giving yourself an injection and how to suture wounds.
At the end of the course I was allowed to join another group for a
freefall-lifeboats exercise that they gave there at the same time.
Although it is not necessary for my journey this experience was
really nice.
Today was my last day at school and I picked up my school report.
After that I put the new seats and bunks cushions into my boat.
The covers of those cushions were a little old-fashioned but now
they are of a beautiful red color. Before you ask: Yes, red is my
favourite color. That´s the reason why my boat and now the
cushions are red. And I really find it great!
Now that it is the summerbreak I can spent my whole days with
"Guppy" and I´m really eager for starting on my voyage.

Laura

11-7-2010

In the past days we were very busy replacing the rigging of the masts. I
climbed up and down so often that now I know each square centimetre of
the mast.
We replaced the whole staying of the boat and changed some other things,
too. We set the forestay a little more to astern otherwise there would be
problems with the Genoa-sail when doing a tack. Due to the forestay I
had also problems with getting acess to the anchor compartment.
We also added a diamond shaped rigging. When I will use the stormfoksail
this rigging will keep most of the tension away from the mast. Up
to now there were only the backstays for this purpose. But if those get
damaged in a storm I might loose the whole mast. That´s what I want to
prevent.
With help from an aluminium-manufacturer I was working on the targa
frame for the solar-panels that will be placed at the boat´s stern.
Tomorrow it will be mounted. We now finish some little things and look
towards the coming lawsuit.

Laura

10-7-2010

Court transcripts untrue!

After waiting for half a year we finally received the transcripts from the
hearings of October and December after our lawyer tried over and over
again to get access to them. We wanted those transcripts because this
lawsuit was the only one that went in an honest way and we expected that
the real testimonies would be in these transcripts. By the way: those
transcripts should have been in the possession of our lawyer within one
week after the ruling. As we did not get the transcripts, our lawyer
informed them that he would ask for an injunction. A week later we got
the transcripts but they are not trustworthy. My father, myself and our
lawyer know what we have said but the records don´t show that.
Statements that were originally made by the judge were recorded as
statements by Jeugdzorg and other statements by the judge were left out.
And statements by us were changed in a way that no one can really figure
out what really was said. This was the only lawsuit that went in an honest
way but in a way that changed. We have evidence for this because the
transcript does not reflect the court´s ruling! There were tangible
conditions layed down during the hearing that I had to meet to be allowed
to start on my voyage. I have met those but now due to untrue transcripts
they can come up with new conditions. That is what I call corruption!

Laura

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