I haven’t heard about any government criticism of her or any attempts to put her in state custody. That could change before the middle of December, but it seems likely that she’ll set sail without any state interference.

Abby Sunderland, Laura Dekker, and Jessica Watson are three teenagers with similar goals but divergent experiences — and those differences are a result of the actions of their respective countries’ governments. They’re a reminder that policies can change the course of people’s lives.

To learn more about Sunderland, check out her blog.

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The court said that while Dekker’s sailing skills were adequate and a psychological report concluded that the voyage would not harm her social or emotional development, there were questions about safety and her ability to continue her schooling while at sea.

It turns out that the psychological assessments were given simply for the purpose of digging up a reason to stop Dekker. She wouldn’t have been allowed to sail had she failed them, and she’s not allowed to sail now that she’s passed.

I’m appalled that Dekker’s inability to attend school while sailing is given as a reason for the state to detain her on land. By this reasoning, a court could prevent kids from going on extended vacations with their families or participating in any competitive sports.

The post Dutch Court Abandons All Pretense of Impartiality in Dekker Case appeared first on Show-Me Institute.

Dekker is bending over backward to respond to criticisms of her plans. She’s delaying her trip until after this school year. She says she’ll study while she’s sailing, and take exams when she stops at ports along the way. She’s already submitted to an IQ test for the court’s scrutiny. (What will they ask her to do next? Postpone the voyage until she gains entrance to Harvard Law School?)

Another boat will shadow her in the most challenging waters, and a veteran sailor has volunteered to escort her the entire way.

And the big news is that she might have her own reality show. I can hear the response now: “These reality shows have gone too far. People need to stop doing outrageous things to get on television.” But I think a show could be a positive thing. It would involve a lot of close monitoring of Dekker’s voyage, and probably extra safety measures. Dekker would not be able to recklessly head off into a storm or other dangerous situation into which a film crew would not agree to come along. (Although I doubt Dekker would act foolishly on her own, considering that she intends to break up the trip into short segments and take other precautions, the close presence of people and cameras should reassure everyone further.)

I’m looking forward to hearing the court’s decision. There are just a few more days to wait!

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Meanwhile, Laura Dekker remains on land, waiting for Dutch authorities to decide whether she’ll be allowed to sail. We’ll see later this month if she gets to try to circumnavigate the globe, too.

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A spokeswoman for Child Safety Minister Phil Reeves said yesterday there was no trigger for intervention because child protection laws had been written to protect children who were either being abused or neglected rather than taking solo sailing trips […]

A police spokeswoman said as long as Ms Watson had a valid licence and her boat met safety regulations, they could not intervene.

It turns out that child welfare laws are useful when fighting abuse and neglect, which the laws were written to combat, but not when trying to prevent sailing trips, which the laws weren’t intended to do. And impartial license policies aren’t much good when you want to stop one particular person from sailing.

It’s too bad Laura Dekker and Jessica Watson can’t team up and make the trip together. I guess that wouldn’t satisfy them, though, because each wants to do it solo. But at least it would reassure everyone that they’d have someone to socialize with on the journey, and they already face obstacles in common.

The post “My Boat Is on the Shore, and My Bark Is on the Sea” appeared first on Show-Me Institute.