Laura Dekker readies for Atlantic crossing

Dutch teenager Laura Dekker completes the first leg of her record-breaking journey

Five days carried 14-year-old Laura Dekker and her 38-foot sailboat from Gibraltar to Grand Canary off the northwest coast of Africa. This was only the first portion of her bid to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe.

“It was a great first leg and I can look back at it with a good feeling,” Dekker said on her website.

Alone and completing homework assignments aboard her ship, Dekker must finish her odyssey by September 16th, 2012 to claim the unofficial record currently held by Jessica Watson of Australia.

The Dutch teenager navigated difficulties before setting out to sea. Her launch was delayed by child welfare authorities in The Netherlands who held Dekker in state guardianship for nearly ten months until July 20 of this year. Her voyage was further complicated when Portuguese authorities denied her a sailing permit for being underage.

Despite being an experienced sailor, Dekker’s bid has stirred controversy after American teenager Abby Sunderland was rescued at sea earlier this year. Last December, Dekker ran away from home, escaping to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten before being escorted home by police.

Dekker will remain in Grand Canary for approximately two months before attempting an Atlantic Ocean crossing to the port at Bridgetown, Barbados. The delay will allow her time to catch-up on schoolwork, and avoid the storm season in the Atlantic.

Dekker aims to cover 2,600 miles on the next leg of her journey. From Barbados, she will proceed across the Panama Canal into the Pacific, eventually re-entering The Mediterranean via The Red Sea.