A year ago, Dutch courts put Laura Dekker under the control of child care services while they assessed her physical and mental fitness for the risks involved in her proposed multi-stage 2-year singlehanded voyage around the world.
I think they got it about right. In the intervening period, Laura has undertaken training that would have been necessary at any age. She has learned first aid aimed at solo adventurers, including being able to suture her own wounds, and she should have a better idea of how to identify the effects of sleep deprivation and how to cope with them.
She has also changed to a larger boat. Quite a few people have sailed the oceans in 26-footers, but it’s slow going and there’s less room for all the stuff that doesn’t change size as the boat gets bigger – nav and comms equipment, autopilots, food and water… Her choice of a 38-foot ketch keeps sails to a manageable size, and offers a proven storm rig.
The Dutch child psychologist pronounced her well able to handle the rigours of solo sailing for extended periods, which does not surprise me. I am not a professional psychologist, but I’ve had my share of personal trauma and have watched several people of all ages undergoing experiences that seriously challenge their abilty to handle events that damage their world. Three committed suicide, but with very different effects on the people they left behind. This is not a statistically valid sample, but it makes me favour the view that age does not improve a person’s ability to handle psychological challenges – if anything, the reverse is true. It is more about a person’s ability to remain calm and rational, and to be flexible. (I count myself odd in this respect, flapping about minor things but doing fine when it really matters).
However, there is a real risk at any age that a person has been persuaded into something they are afraid to back out of. Donald Crowhurst was a mature adult when he set out in Teignmouth Electron.
If I were the parent of a prospective teenage circumnavigator, I would not be offended if the authorities sent someone to check that I wasn’t the driving force behind the venture. I know the Americans did this in Abby Sunderland’s case, and I imagine Dick Dekker has suffered a grilling or two, but I don’t know whether the Australian authorities had a go at Jessica Watson’s parents.
If you have what it takes, age seems unlikely to make a difference. I believe it is better to assess whether the prospective adventurer and his/her support team have done their homework. What do you think?
