THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Thirteen-year- old Laura Dekker wants to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world, and her parents think that’s a great idea.
But the Dutch Council for Child Protection is so concerned about the dangers, it has asked a court to give it temporary custody of Laura so it can do what her parents refuse to: Halt the trip.
Judges at Utrecht District Court were to announce a decision Friday.
Laura was born in New Zealand while her parents were on a round-the-world sailing trip and spent the first four years of her life on the ocean. She was not available for comment Tuesday.
But speaking recently to a Dutch children’s news show, Laura said she had been sailing solo since she was 6 and began dreaming of sailing around the world when she was 10.
“I asked my parents if I could — please — start now,” she said.
