Teen Sailor Who Ran Away Found in Caribbean

World Teen Sailor Who Ran Away Found in Caribbean

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (Dec. 20) —

Police tracked down 14-year-old Dutch

sailor Laura Dekker in the Caribbean

territory of St. Maarten, days after she ran

away from home leaving her boat behind,

Dutch media reported late Sunday.

Dekker made headlines around the world

earlier this year when she unsuccessfully

went to court as a 13-year-old to fight for

the right to set off on a single-handed

circumnavigation of the world in her boat,

Guppy.

National broadcaster NOS and

newspaper De Volkskrant reported that

St. Maarten police tracked down Dekker

on Sunday after news of her

disappearance broke and she was

expected to be flown home soon. They

cited police on St. Maarten and the Dutch

Child Protection Agency.

Bart Muhl, AP

Laura Dekker, 14, went missing on

Friday. Here, she speaks to the media in

August.

Police and the Child Protection Agency in

the Netherlands could not immediately be

reached for comment late Sunday.

St. Maarten is part of the Netherlands

Antilles, a group of self-governing

Caribbean islands that are part of the

Dutch kingdom.

Earlier Sunday, Utrecht police spokesman

Bernhard Jens said Dutch authorities

issued an international alert after Dekker

was reported missing Friday.

Jens said Dekker’s boat Guppy, was still

moored at its usual berth.

“We do not believe this is a crime,” Jens

said.

Jens would not comment on a report in

Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant that

Dekker withdrew euro3,500 ($5,000) from

her bank account a few days ago.

NOS cited a family spokeswoman as

saying that Laura left a letter for her father

before disappearing. It did not say what

was in the letter.

The spokeswoman, Mariska Woertman,

did not return calls seeking comment.

In October, Utrecht District Court refused

to let Dekker embark on her attempt to

become the youngest person to sail alone

around the world, and placed her under

the supervision of child care authorities

2

until next July, meaning she could not

leave the country without their

permission.

Jens said Dutch authorities had alerted

neighboring countries to monitor airports.

“That happens with missing minors - if

she is seen somewhere else or tries to

leave via an airport or something like that,

authorities know we are looking for her,”

he said.

Dekker has joint Dutch and New Zealand

citizenship because she was born on a

yacht in New Zealand waters. She said

earlier this year she might try to go there

if Dutch authorities refused to let her sail.

“We are doing everything we can to make

sure we can get her back,” Jens said.

“We are certainly concerned about her

health - we are talking about an underage

girl.”

After the October court ruling Woertman

said Dekker remained confident she

would be ready to sail next July and

would still be able to set the record as the

youngest sailor to circumnavigate the

globe.

The Utrecht court first blocked her

departure in August out of concern for her

safety. The decision sparked a worldwide

debate on how much authorities and

parents should limit children’s freedom to

undertake risky adventures.

Laura’s parents, both veteran sailors, are

separated. Laura’s father supported the

attempt, but her mother said in a

newspaper interview in September she

thought Laura was too young.