17-year-old sails around the world – alone!
In 2008, Zac Sunderland set sail to circumnavigate the globe. He was 16 when he left his home in California on the Intrepid, his 36-foot sailboat.
Zac saved $6,000 to buy the boat. He is home-schooled and kept up with his studies onboard. Thirteen months later, in July, 2009, Zac sailed into the Marina Del Rey harbor completing his 28,000 mile adventure. He became the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
Zac's MySpace photo
Zac is the oldest of seven children and has years of experience sailing with his family. His trip took him west to the Marshall Islands, and then on to Papua New Guinea, Australia, Mauritius and Madagascar, through the Panama Canal and back to California. Along the way, he encountered pirates, storms, and sleep deprivation. His father met him a few times to help make repairs on the boat.
Congratulations, Zac, on your accomplishment and welcome home.
To read Zac’s blog throughout the trip, see: www.zacsunderland.com/blog
A few months after Zac returned home, a young Brit, Michael Perham, beat Zac’s record. And then in May, 2010, Australian 16-year-old Jessica Watson set a new record for a solo, nonstop, unassisted circumnavigation of the world in her boat, Ella’s Pink Lady. To read about Jessica’s amazing adventure, take a look at: http://www.askthejudge.info/australian-teen-sets-sail-to-break-world-record/3522/
