Algemeen Dagblad - Tania Aebi interview of July 2010
"Let Laura follow her
dream"
by
Jacquelien Nienhuis
It was her father who said to
her: you got such a Micky-Mouse life, better go sailing. In 1985 the then 18
year old Tania Aebi started on a sailing voyage around the world. "You
have to follow your own dreams" she says in support of Laura Dekker.
Tania Aebi clicks her tongue
as she reads the recent news about the preparations of the Dutch
"Zeilmeisje" Laura Dekker on her computer. "She planned it way
better than me. She has a good boat including all the necessary navigation equipment
and she is also an experienced sailor. I first had to learn to navigate,"
the American laughs.
Aebi started on her circumnavigation
in 1985 at an age of 18 with her boat "Varuna" from New York. Up to
then she was the youngest person ever who did an adventure like this. And like
Laura´s adventure there were many comments from people everywhere. She shrugs.
"When Columbus had listened to all those naysayers then America might have
never been discovered. You have to follow your own dreams".
Aebi doesn´t like to compare
her voyage to those of the nowadays young sailors. "I had to use a sextant
and sea charts. Now there is GPS, you can send e-mails, you can phone and write
blogs. Considering all this, the idea of the lonesome sailor who is sailing
completely on her own fades. There are so many eyes watching that I´m in doubt
if there is any room for being depressive and lonely. And there must be room
for fear because it keeps you alert.
Being a rebellious teenager,
Aebi was provoked by her father to do the circumnavigation, hoping that she’d
give up her slovenly life. "He said: ‘You are living such a Mickey-Mouse
life – you’d better go sailing’. Well, that impressed me". A handful of
souvenirs in her house at Corinth, Vermont, reminds to her voyage. On the wall
there is a black and white picture on which her boat seems to be dispatched by
an enourmous wave. "This was taken in the Red Sea. It was very dangerous
there due to storms and pirates."
Nevertheless, Aebi is not in
sorrow about Laura´s safety. "There will be some waves but she sails in
seasons when there are no great storms to be expected. And once she reaches the
Red Ocean I´m sure she gets an escort."
Of course, there are riscs
Aebi adds. "She might die underway, yes. But this will be because she
follows her dream. This is not a crime, this is inspiring, nearly mythological.
By the way: there are also riscs at home. Youth-Festivals, drinking, smoking
and driving. There were moments when I thought: My kids would be much saver at
sea."
Aebi obviously is upset about
the critics from outsiders on Dekker´s adventure. "Her parents know her
best. As they have faith to her then how can someone else dare to interfere on
this? Many people who shout "scandal" compare their son or daughter
to Laura. They forget that each child is different. Not long ago my youngest
son of 18 was one week alone at home. After two days he had demolished my car.
I wouldn´t sent him at sea solo. But Laura for it´s very clear that she is a
special and smart child.
Her own voyage helped her to
find into life, Aebi says - and peace. "I have reached something, I have a
good story and I don’t need to prove anything to me any longer."
She names this "a
perfect school". "You learn to be creative in repairing the equipment
and in taking care of yourself." That Dekker will miss some years of
school makes her laugh. "You can go back to school later at any time,
that´s what I did, too. But you can only once sail around the world at
fourteen."
On Tuesday [July 27th
2010] it will turn out if Laura is allowed to do so. Then the Court decides
whether the supervision over Laura will be extended or not.
Algemeen
Dagblad - Tuesday, January 24th 2012
LAURA
'DIVES' BACK INTO HER SCHOOLBOOKS
By Susanne Docter
By Susanne Docter
Laura
Dekker sailed around the world. She fulfilled her dream and she hasn't thought
of a new dream yet. According to her manager it is as sure as eggs is eggs what
she will do now: she will go back to school and get her graduation.
After an
exhausting arrival sailor Laura Dekker took the chance to relax completely for
several days. She was kept away from the media and several other duties.
According to her manager Gerard van Erp, serious talks about her schooling will
follow still this week. "We will discuss that with her to make it clear to
her - fortunately, her family supports me - that she has no other choice than
to go back to school and get her graduation."
Since her
departure Laura is following a correspondence course of the Wereldschool
['World School', Lelystad, The Netherlands]. According to the school Laura 'may
restart on her studies at anytime she wants'. Laura has all the necessary books
aboard and she does exactly the same as her peers ashore, however, during the
last months of her trip Laura put her schooling on the backburner.
Chemistry
experiments
She also
has to write synopses of books and to write businesslike letters, she has to do
math exams and she even has to do chemistry experiments aboard. Since her boat
is her 'home' she will continue with her studies while she is at berth in Sint
Maarten.
It's up to
Laura to choose her way - whether to continue her schooling via the
Wereldschool or at a normal school ashore. She said that she has definitely
decided that she feels like going back to school. "Not because I have to
do so. I never do anything because it has to be - I do it because I want
it."
In van
Erp's opinion this will happen in the island of Bonaire where he is living with
his wife and his two teenage kids. "She already spent five weeks with us
[in early 2011] and it worked perfectly. There is a post-secondary school in
Bonaire she can go to and she can have company with my kids. At the moment a
student is living at our house and he could give her some extra lessons in
chemistry, the only subject she is behind on."
The chance
that Laura is bothered by school officials is very little at the moment.
Especially since she is no longer registered as a citizen of The Netherlands
and the obligation to attend school is limited to those children who are
registered.
Ingrado,
the organization of the school officials, already declared before Laura's
departure that they won't bother her anymore since she is no longer registered.
Jeugdzorg [Youth Care] and the Raad voor de kinderbescherming [Council for
Childprotection] too promised not to cover with Laura's case furthermore.
The only
one who could be affected is Laura's father since he failed in his role as a
father. According to the school official in Goes [Dutch province of Zeeland] he
deliberately made sure that Laura could no longer be affected by the obligation
to attend school from deregistering her from the registration office.
The officer
relies upon a ruling of the Court of Den Bosch [Dutch province of
Noord-Brabant] on parents who deregistered their children to go on a world trip
for nine months. In the end they were fined with 1500 EURO.
In theory
Laura's father might face a similar fine. In van Erp's opinion this is very
unlikely since the period thru which Laura neglected her schoolwork was shorter
than nine months. Around her 16th birthday she decided to put her schoolwork
aside.
Since Laura
is 16 now she has no longer an obligation to attend school. Nevertheless, she
has an obligation by law to receive a graduation before her 18th birthday.
"This will be very easy for her" van Erp declares. "She is not
too far behind".
As an
official comment, Carry Rozemund, chairman of Ingrado, the organization of the
school officials in the Netherlands, says that Laura first has to get some
rest; it's an advice to all the school officials to leave Laura in rest for the
time being. "Laura has an extraordinary trip behind her and she first
needs to recover. All the pressure 'have to, have to, have to (go to school)'
certainly was not good for her." Rozemund says. "If she decides to
come back to the Netherlands and wants to go to school there, the official
might help her. However, all she needs now is rest."
FILM ABOUT
LAURA'S ADVENTURES AT SEA IN THE WORKS
Simpson Bay
- With concentration Jillian Schlesinger watches film scenes showing Laura
Dekker's arrival in Sint Maarten. Schlesinger followed Dekker's journey all
over the world and is busy working on a documentary about it that will be
released in summer. "The shooting is over", she sights, "and now
the postproduction follows". An article about Laura Dekker in the New York
Times in August 2009 caught the American filmmaker's attention. "It was
titled 'How young is too young to sail around the world?' and I was fascinated
by her story" And it kept fascinating her. "It seemed so
extraordinary to me: a young woman who fights for her dream that was completely
impossible for a woman only a few generations ago." She tells that she can
find herself in Laura's dream. "My father was a passionate sailor and when
he brought me to bed he always told me stories about sailing. When I was five
years old he took me with him on sailing tours, and there I learnt what it
means having only water all around me." Schlesinger wrote a letter to
Laura, telling her that she would like to make a documentary about her.
"She liked my idea and in fact we do it together. I even started filming her
before the beginning of her trip. When I met her and learnt about her skills
and her thirst for knowledge, I immediately knew that her trip would end up
successfully." She met with Laura on nine different places all over the
world. The American hopes that the film will be finished before summer. Then
she would like to show it on film festivals, in schools and to sailing
societies. "I think this will be an important film especially for women
since it shows that you can make your dream come true if you really want it. No
matter if it is about sailing around the world or simply learning to read and
to write." She herself also learnt her lesson. "Now I know for sure
that I want to go on making films about unusual people or places. I am sure
that Laura will inspire not only me but many millions of people. She is a
real-life-super hero."
All
articles were written by Suzanne Docter
Many thanks
to the Algemeen Dagblad, Rotterdam
Algemeen Dagblad - Saturday, January 21st 2012
'AND NOW I
WILL TAKE A LITTLE REST'
By Suzanne Docter
By Suzanne Docter
After one
and a half year Zeilmeisje [Sailor girl] Laura Dekker (16) can hug her family
again
Zeilmeisje
Laura Dekker will arrive in Sint Maarten this afternoon. The team that is
preparing her arrival expects thousands of spectators. Laura herself is
shrugging about that. 'Everyone is nervous except me' she says.
The sun is
brightly shining this early Friday morning as Laura Dekker (16) is bobbing up
and down 170 nautical miles [315 kilometres or 196 land miles] off the coast of
the island of Sint Maarten. Her satellite phone is not working and so no one
can phone her at the very last day before her arrival, but actually the little
'radio silence' is very welcome.
Now she can
spend the last 24 hours of her round the world trip with reading, listening to
music or with watching the waves and sailing of course. "And with avoiding
the islands", the teenager jokes via her on board mail connection that is
still working.
"Unlike
everyone might think I am not nervous at all. I am sure that those who are
waiting for me are much more nervous than me" she writes quite certain.
The wind is
well meaning to the deep tanned, petite but extremely strong sailor. If everything
goes well, she only needs to go another 40 nautical miles on Saturday morning,
a distance she can easily cover before her planned arrival on 3 pm.
"We
expressly told her that she must not stop anywhere and keep on sailing, around
the island in case of need... you never know" her new spokesman Gerard van
Erp declares with an certain undertone of misgiving.
The Sint
Maarten Yacht Club where Laura will arrive this afternoon. One day before her
arrival it is as quite like aboard the sailor's boat. Only a poster on a wall
and an article in a local newspaper lying on one of the tables reveal Laura's
arrival. The island's locals know about her arrival but they don't know the
exact time. 'We'll know it when we see it' is their favourite proverb, and
that's the way they do it - even today.
However,
the arrival was prepared in fever for weeks. Van Erp has lunch with the club's
manager Petra Gilders when suddenly security guards come along to ask for the
very last details. Tomorrow the Yacht Club will be hermetical closed. Everyone
who is not a member of Laura's family has to watch her arrival from a distance.
"I
expect some 300 spectators," says Petra to Gerard, who looks at her with
an expression of surprise and then starts laughing. "No, there will be
much more! How many people are living here? Eighty-thousand; don't you think
that many of them will come? There will be dozens of Dutch fans, too... there
was no flight to get."
Petra nods.
"And there will be many people with boats to welcome her at sea."
One of
those boats will carry Laura's father, mother and her grandparents who will
arrive here this Friday. And of course her sister Kim, who got permission by
the school officials at the very last moment.
Laura can
hardly wait to hug her family again she wrote today in her weekly column that
she kept writing for one and a half years for the Algemeen Dagblad, the
newspaper in that she brought her plan to the public in 2009. She wrote that it
will feel 'weird' once she has finished the trip. "I don't know if I will
sail around the world again. First I'll take a rest."
She has not
seen her mother and her sister for one year. And if the planning for her
arrival had been up to the teen, she undoubtedly would have chosen for a dinner
at the McDonald’s.
Instead she
gets a big welcome that is scheduled meticulously. She will be welcomes by
Rhoda Arrindell, the minister of sports and education of Sint Maarten. In the
evening there will be a dinner aboard a mega-yacht. According to Gerard van
Erp, the official ceremony will be over then. There are dozens of people 'who
want something from Laura'. From cash-offers for a photo shooting - "we
don't start on something like that" - to 246 requests for an interview
from all over the world.
"Thomas
Gottschalk, the German TV presenter that hosted Wetten dass? for many years,
would like to have Laura on his new show on Monday night. He wants to send a
private plane for her, money is no object. No way" van Erp says. "On
Sunday morning Laura will give two interviews, and after that we will see what
she feels like."
The sailor
really deserves some rest after her long voyage. However, van Erp insists that
after several days there will be serious talks about Laura's future. "She
has to finish school and she has to think about what she wants to do after
that."
There is no
lack for offers. Director Jillian Schlesinger hopes that she and Laura will
visit film festivals, sailing societies and schools together to present
Schlesingers documentary 'about a girl who had a dream since she was eight
years old and who did something no one believed she could do'. "Laura is a
great inspiration for women all over the world. No matter if it is about
sailing around the world or studying."
No matter
how busy everyone is about her arrival - Laura stays calm as ever. She 'simply'
wants all the hustle and bustle wash over her.
Earlier she
told that she wants to sail to New Zealand "to settle down there and to do
'something' with sailing over there" thereafter. Will she make this plans
come true...?
First she
has to arrive. It must not go wrong so short before the finish line. She has to
keep watching the islands and to stay alert, but sometimes her mind wanders.
"Of course I am looking forward to it. To me this is neither an end nor a
beginning. It's just another arrival - like many before."
__________________________________________________________
No entry in
the Record Books
Laura's
sailing trip won't be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. The
publishers don't want to recognize any more age records to avoid encouraging
even younger people to try a similar record attempt. Laura was aware of this
even before she started on her voyage and she does not care about it. "I
do this trip for myself and for no one else."
