American Sailing Association hails 17 year-old Zac Sunderland

8:49 PM Wed 15 Jul 2009 GMT

'Zac in Darwin - photo by Amanda Berkahn' .

The American Sailing Association (ASA), the nation's largest sailing association, estimates that fewer than 250 people in contemporary history have been known to 'circumnavigate the globe via sailboat, solo.' Nearly three times as many individuals have succeeded in reaching the top of Mt. Everest.

On July 16, 17 year-old Zac Sunderland of Thousand Oaks, Calif. will return to Marina del Rey to set two world records - as the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe by himself by sailboat, and as the first person to have ever set this record under the age of 18. The American Sailing Association will officially certify these records upon Sunderland's return.

Sunderland, who left Marina del Rey when he was 16 years old, has encountered experiences and conditions in the past year that few people are in position to appreciate or to comprehend, first-hand.

'Imagine starting this trip at age 16 and doing this alone,' said Charlie Nobles, executive director of the American Sailing Association (ASA). 'Consider the patience this voyage entails - people don't realize that much of the time, you are travelling at a speed under three miles per hour. At times, the wind literally stops - it can be hours, days or weeks until the wind returns and the boat can get moving again. The patience, knowledge and fortitude required for such a journey is immeasurable. And, it's beyond unusual to find those qualities in someone Zac's age - this is an age group we associate with all things instantaneous - texting, tweeting at a mile per second.'

Zac Sunderland sailing the coast of Mexico - www.jenedney.com

'We applaud Zac not only for his great achievement, but also for the attention he brings to the sport of sailing,' Nobles continued. 'Learning to sail unlocks the world for those who participate - many of our members have entirely changed their lifestyles since learning to sail. We say 'turn your passion into your lifestyle.''

A proud sponsor of Zac Sunderland's expedition, the Marina del Rey, Calif.-based American Sailing Association (ASA) is the largest U.S. sailing association. Established 26 years ago, the ASA encompasses an international network of 300 sailing schools in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Central America, Taiwan and China. To date, the ASA has certified more than one quarter of a million students to sail and more than 7,000 instructors to teach. More than 85% of professional sailing schools in the U.S. are ASA members. The mission of the organization is to teach people to sail safely and to bring the life enhancing benefits of sailing to the public. The ASA encourages sailing enthusiasts to 'turn your passion into your lifestyle.'

by ASA