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Teen Sails Around the Globe
Well, this would surely look good on a college application: Southern California teen Zac Sunderland recently became the youngest person to sail around the world alone, after docking in Marina del Rey on Thursday, where he was greeted by roaring applause. Throughout the yearlong journey—on a 36-foot sailboat he bought with his own money—the 17-year old braved pirates off the coast of Indonesia, severe storms, loneliness, and exhaustion. "The hardest constantly was the tiredness," he said. "Half the time I haven't slept in 48 hours and it's just hard to get enough rest." Still, he called the 27,500-mile voyage an "amazing year." Next up? "Yeah, I don't know, just go chill with my friends," he said. "Go skate. Go do something normal for a change, you know."
magicman
As always these are great stories. Rites of Passage while at sea. The story has been done before, in a book entitled "Dove", but in no way detracts from the thrill of the accomplishment.
I was never able to do this sort of thing myself at his age, so instead I ran off to Port Jeff Harbor on Long Island and set the World Speed Sailing Record in NF2 in 1977. Now that was thrilling....and woefully dangerous. The thing didn't actually float since it was a hydrofoil. It hobby horsed as it rose on ladder foils that were connected in a tripod arrangement with a forward, Canard style rudder. It pitch-polled terribly at high speeds, thus ejecting the driver, seated in the back of the craft in an ordinary Cafeteria Chair welded to an aluminum Cross Frame, directly into the mast. Yeah. That hurt. NFsquared (NF2) was easily the Trebuchet of Hydrofoil Sailboats, that is until we installed seat belts after the first mishap.
Banjo1
This is an amazing feat. This brave lad is set for life, provided he doesn't let it go to his head like, say, an entertainer with a drug habit and depraved tastes. I name no names.
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zerbit
Nice! Good for this kid to have such an exciting story to tell his grandkids. What a wonderful adventure.
Centrist
He used the Panama Canal, that's cheating. A true around the world sailing voyage means transiting around both Capes.
MaliciousDisorder
Good job man..
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cbt650
"bought with his own money" His own money in his trust fund maybe...
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