Dutch teenager Laura Dekker has reportedly left Portugal on her attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
The Associated Press reports that Dekker, 14, departed in secrecy aboard her 38-foot sailboat, Guppy, from an undisclosed Portugal port Saturday, avoiding the media because her manager said she didn't want the attention.
Dekker said goodbye to her father and friends and left en route to either Spain's Canary Islands or Portugal's Madeira Island, depending on the winds, according to manager Peter Klarenbeek.
Adding to the secrecy of the departure is Dekker's website, which features links titled "My Coordinates" and "Where is Laura," but neither was working Saturday, and a porthole-shaped counter of the days of her voyage still stood at zero.
Dekker's trek has been surrounded by controversy even while in the planning stages. The Dutch sailor had hoped to set sail on a voyage around the world last year, but her mother voiced strong objections, while her father supported the trip -- the parents are separated -- and the courts intervened and placed her under the guardianship of a child welfare agency. On July 20, the court released her from state guardianship.
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SOURCE: The Los Angeles Times
