Feminist icon Dekkar inspires us to chart our own course
Dear Reader,
Last time we talked about my experience with the Texas Water Safari, and I decided it was appropriate to #KeepGoing… When I got out of our tandem aluminum canoe at Seadrift in 2016, not only did I want to do that dagnabbed race again, but I wanted to learn to sail. After paddling the entire 260+ miles of river and making it all the way to the gulf, I wondered how I could see more. There’s only so far you can get with your arms (with the exception of Ellen Magellan — she’s going to paddle her way around the world, and I’m so inspired by her).
However, sailing is the thing I decided was one of the things I wanted to do in this world. I started taking sailing lessons and classes, and soon, I started getting invited to crew in some regattas. My next, and wisest decision, was to start consuming all movies and television shows that were boat related. Sidenote: This is how I became obsessed with “Below Deck,” but that’s for another column. A teammate from a regatta recommended that I watch a movie called “Maiden” about an allwomen’s sailing team that sailed around the world.
It wasn’t available on my Amazon Prime, but that’s how I discovered “MaidenTrip.”
If you’re not familiar with this documentary or the extraordinary teenager, Laura Dekkar, get ready to embark on a voyage of inspiration and marvel at the awesomeness of the youngest person to ever sail around the world solo. I’m in constant wonderment over this young, fearless woman who took on the world, challenging societal norms, and sailed her way into the record books.
In 2009, when she was just 13 years old, Laura expressed her desire to sail around the world alone. The Dutch government, concerned about her safety, intervened and attempted to block her from embarking on the journey by taking away her parents’ rights and giving them to the government. Eventually, in 2010, after a series of legal proceedings, Laura’s parents’ rights were restored, and she set sail from Gibraltar on Aug. 21, 2010, aboard her 38-foot sailing yacht called “Guppy.”
She spent two years on this journey because her goal was to be the youngest, not the fastest. She made several stops visiting various countries to restock supplies, sightsee, and make repairs to her boat.
On Jan. 21, 2012, at the age of 16, Laura completed her solo circumnavigation when she arrived back in St. Maarten in the Caribbean.
The case sparked a heated debate about the rights of parents, the role of government, and the capabilities of young individuals to undertake such challenges. With the wind in her hair and the determination of a thousand feminists, she shattered stereotypes and proved that age is just a number.
While some might call her journey risky, Laura was too busy embracing the thrill of the unknown. She faced storms, conquered towering waves and probably had more profound conversations with seagulls than most of us have had with actual humans. Talk about living life to the fullest.
She’s my feminist icon. In a world that often tries to confine us to predefined roles, Laura broke free, charted her own course and sailed toward her dreams with unwavering determination, reminding us that we, too, can be the captains of our own ships.
Laura Dekkar proves that there’s no adventure too grand for us to conquer.
Fair winds and happy solstice, everybody.
XOXO,
Kelly Stone is an educator, comedian, mother and author who loves the heck outta the river. She accepts e-notes at kellystone.org and the kind with neat folds passed discreetly through the classroom.
