"She asked if she could fly the Sea Shepherd flag"

[flvegan]

World’s Youngest Sailor Sets Sail Under the Sea Shepherd Flag

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Founder and President, Captain Paul Watson, along with Sea Shepherd Netherlands Directors Laurens de Groot, had a unique conversation around midnight on August 3, 2010 while driving north on Highway 405 from San Clemente to Los Angeles, California. It was early morning in the small Dutch harbor of Den Osse in the Netherlands when Captain Watson called Laura Dekker—a 14-year-old sailor from the Netherlands—just as she was setting out with her 38-foot sailing yacht Guppy to begin her quest to be the youngest sailor to circumnavigate the globe solo.

Dekker was born on her parent’s sailing yacht off the coast of New Zealand. She has already crossed the North Sea solo at the age of thirteen. Two months ago, Dekker met with Sea Shepherd Netherlands Directors Geert Vons and Laurens de Groot in the Sea Shepherd Amsterdam office. She asked if she could fly the Sea Shepherd flag and promote the efforts of Sea Shepherd during her voyage.

Vons, De Groot, and everyone else within Sea Shepherd Netherlands and Sea Shepherd International were immediately enthusiastic.

“I have always said that people should be willing to live their dreams and to be undeterred from pursuing their objectives,” said Captain Watson. “Laura fought the Dutch authorities in court and won. She was not going to let them tell her she could not follow her dreams. Sea Shepherd has always stood for the power of the individual to make a difference, to challenge the odds, and to boldly go where others have feared to venture.”

http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-100806-1.html

[WillParkinson]

1. It's terribly sad that we cannot rec in this forum...

I'd like to give this a huge thumbs up.

[dhill926]

2. good for her............n/t

[onestepforward]

3. I can't wait to see a picture of her boat with the SS flag!

Awesome! I wish her a safe and successful journey.