Dutch teen solo sailor gets green light from court

8:04 PM Tue 27 Jul 2010 GMT

'Laura Dekker smiles with relief that her voyage will now take place' .

'I was so happy I almost jumped into the water,' were the words of Laura Dekker, 14-year-old would-be sailing circumnavigator, describing how she felt when a court in Middleburg, Netherlands, gave her the green light to begin her world sailing voyage. Laura, who has purchased and prepared her Jeanneau Gin Fizz Guppy for her solo world trip, is expected to leave with in two weeks. If the court had left it any later, it might have put a commencement this year in doubt. The best time to sail south to the Canary Islands is September, before the winter gales set ...

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by Nancy Knudsen