cited: The Guardian

Even as 17-year-old Mike Perham lands in Portsmouth tomorrow as the youngest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe, 10,000 miles away in Queensland, Australia, another teenager is poised to try to wrest the record from him.

Jessica Watson, 16, is the next in a queue of super-teens eager to pit themselves against the elements. Her boat, Pink Lady, is being kitted out, and she goes next month. Abby Sunderland, 15, plans to follow in November, setting forth from California on the same challenge that her brother, Zac, 17, completed in July.

And, had a court not intervened, a Dutch schoolgirl, Laura Dekker, would have left next week at 13. Her dreams of chasing the record were stalled today by judges in Utrecht placing her under a two-month supervision order.

The court ruling highlights the controversy and concern surrounding the recent phenomenon of teenage long-distance sailors. Born on a boat in New Zealand and spending the first four years of her life at sea, no one doubts Dekker has “salt in her veins”. But social workers fear that a desire to impress her father, Dick, an excellent sailor with whom she has lived since her parents divorced, could have influenced her.

This year she was picked up by social workers in Britain having sailed alone to Lowestoft, where she was sleeping on her boat. She was put into care for a night while her reluctant father, who thought she was old enough to sail back alone, was ordered to come and get her.

Now she must be psychologically assessed to see whether she is capable of coping before the court will agree to her two-year journey. While remaining with her father, she will be under the supervision of the Dutch council for child protection.

As the quest to set new records continues, debate is raging. Just how young is too young? And to what extent are vainglorious parents pressurising children into riskier ventures?

“Million-dollar questions,” said Dee Caffari, 36, the first woman to sail solo non-stop around the world in both directions. The decision by the sport’s governing body, the World Sailing Speed Record Council, to abandon its “youngest” category reflects a desire not to further encourage it, she believes.

“If everyone keeps trying to break it, where does it end: with some 10-year-old having a go?”

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, first to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world, said: “The problem is, I don’t know legally how you can have a cut-off. But I would say that 13 is very marginal.

“I think parents are going to have to play a very big part in this. We all know that some parents try to relive their lives through their children. They think, ‘Wow, wouldn’t it be great if my son or daughter could do that. I will get all that glory.’ Then it’s: ‘Right. You’re doing it.’ That’s probably the biggest danger.”

Watson, too, has the proverbial salt in her veins, having been home-schooled on a boat for five years. “I made my mind up when I was 12,” she said from aboard Pink Lady. “It’s not about any records. It’s about fufilling my dreams. And if that brings a record with it, then it’s a bonus”. It’s a statement open to question, given that her website’s address is youngestround.com.

She is prepared, having sailed 10,000 nautical miles. She has “stitched up some chickens and stabbed a few oranges” in first aid training. The ocean, she says, doesn’t care about age: “It respects experience.” As for the run on youth records: “I personally think it is amazing that so many young people are showing the courage and belief to live dreams.”

“If you see someone else do it, then you want to do it. And the more do it, the more want to do it,” said Perham from aboard his yacht heading towards Portsmouth. He has not met Dekker, but “would be fascinated to”. He will not say whether he thinks she should or should not be allowed to sail.

“Anyone, whatever age, has to ask three key things. Are they physically strong enough? Are they mentally strong enough to cope when the going gets tough? And are they technically good enough to fix generators and work as an electrician? The mental side of this trip is huge,” he said.

Knox-Johnston, whose Clipper Ventures allows people to experience round-the-world sailing, said: “You just can’t do this without experience, and maturity to cope with loneliness. If something goes wrong with the boat, and you’ve got a gale coming, and perhaps you’re frightened to deal with it, it’s having the strength to say ‘I’ve got to do this. I can’t sit down below and cry.’”

Caffari, who is currently involved with the Toe in the Water sailing charity for injured service personnel, said her own experiences had taught her just how mentally tough it was. “It’s quite surprising, the effect it has on you. And at a young age, you are not emotionally strong.”

At 14, Perham, from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, became the youngest to sail the Atlantic single-handedly. Now he has set the new record, for how long can he keep it? “Well, it’s going to take Jessica about eight months to get round. So I’ll hold it for quite a while.

“But it’s not holding it that counts,” he added. “It’s getting it.”

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My Take: Kids are going to take chances. That’s one of the benefits of being 16 and bulletproof. At what point should parents allow children to make their own decisions about their lives and safety? And how much of that decision should be reserved for the public?

Personally, I believe people should be able to take whatever chance they want- but good luck selling that line to a mother who’s seen a toddler toddle up to the edge of something quite high, without understanding the danger they are in. So should these parents be stopping their kids? Nah, but they should let them know just how high up they are.

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