Dutch teenager Laura Dekker has completed her solo sailing voyage around the world, becoming the youngest person to do so.

A cheering crowd greeted her as she sailed into St Maarten harbour in the Caribbean after a year at sea. Ms Dekker is now 16 years and 123 days old. She left St Maarten on 20 January 2011 aboard her 11.5-metre boat Guppy.

The teenager, who turns 17 on September 20, has beaten the current record by some eight months. The previous record holder was Australian Jessica Watson, who achieved it in May 2010, three days before she turned 17. But unlike Watson, who circumnavigated the globe non-stop, Dekker sailed from port-to-port and was never at sea for more than three weeks.

Ms Dekker's achievement will not be entered in the Guinness Book of World Records, which has refused to recognise records by minors which are considered "unsuitable." Her manager has stressed that what matters to the teenager is not the record. "What is important, is that her dream has become reality," he said. Ms Dekker was born on a yacht off the coast of New Zealand during a seven-year world trip.

A Dutch court had blocked plans for her to cast off when she was just 14 and placed her in the care of welfare officers on the grounds that she was too young to guarantee her safety at sea. She ran away to Sint Maarten, an island of the Lesser Antilles divided between France and the Netherlands, and police had to escort her back home.

Ms Dekker eventually won a court case against Dutch social services, which had argued that the unassisted world tour could harm her emotional and social development. The Guinness Book of Records decided to stop recognising records for "youngest" sailors after the controversy surrounding her bid.

Two weeks ago said she has kept with her school homework throughout the year she was at out sea. She is planning to graduate later this year. She doesn’t yet know what she will do next, she says. She is determined, however, no to return to the Netherlands.

(cl)

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