COULD HE BE THE YOUNGEST SOLO CIRCUMNAVIGATOR?

Zac Sunderland The World Awaits ^ | May 29, 2009 | Zac Sunderland

[La Enchiladita]

Zac Sunderland is attempting to be the youngest person in history to sail around the world alone.

Though the goal is simple, achieving it is not.

Sailing around the world is one of the oldest and most difficult adventures of all time. Man has tested himself against this task for over 500 hundred years.

...Zac is 17 years old, and he is growing up in Southern California. A year and a half ago, he had a dream to sail around the world. It would have been easy to dismiss such a far fetched fantasy, but Zac took his own money, earned like most kids from summer jobs, and bought a 36 foot sailboat. He named his boat Intrepid. His parents had hoped he would find something that would create a fire in him, a passion that would direct him away from all the negative and harmful influences that are so prevalent in our society, but even they were stunned by the scope of his dreams and desires.

[La Enchiladita]

Zac sailed out of Marina del Rey last year on June 14th, and it is estimated he will return the third week of next month, also June.

Have a look around the site. Here is his blog: http://www.zacsunderland.com/blog/index.html

He just completed sailing east to west through the Panama Canal and now plots his course northward to home.

[La Enchiladita]

Possible interest ping.

[BGHater]

Thanks, I remember hearing a NPR story about him. I’ll see if I can find it for back story.

[La Enchiladita]

Thanks. He got some mention on the local PBS station this week. Excitement builds.

[Travis T. OJustice]

Do you know him?

Hell of a feat!

[BGHater]

Teen to Attempt Solo Sail Around the Globe

Sailing The World At 17: Rounding Africa

[La Enchiladita]

I don’t know him but hope to be there when he returns. The marina’s just a few miles from me.

[Travis T. OJustice]

Very cool! I’d be there if a local kid did that.

[LonePalm]

East to west through the Panama canal is from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

Check a map.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[Robert DeLong]

Ummm no, it is from the Caribbean Sea (Northwest) to the Pacific Ocean (Southeast), so I would say both the article and you have not quite spoken in accuracy.

[Sherman Logan]

Man has tested himself against this task for over 500 hundred years.

Who knew people first sailed around the world 50,000 years ago? I learn so much from these articles.

[La Enchiladita]

Up yours, Sherman Logan. Just Kidding.

[La Enchiladita]

You found it!! He went through some hairy stuff and came out okay. Great story. I expect we will be hearing more in coming weeks.

[LonePalm]

The Atlantic side is WEST of the Pacific side.

If you go East to West you go from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

I got it right. Learn to read a chart.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[La Enchiladita]

Thanks for the map. While a certain FReeper seems to having a bad day, others of us are marveling at the amazing and skillful adventure of Zac Sunderland. :-)

[Islander7]

Zac took his own money, earned like most kids from summer jobs, and bought a 36 foot sailboat.

What the heck did he do for summer jobs?

Sorry Zac, Robin Lee Graham circumnavigated in Dove many long years ago. He was barely 16 when he set sail.

[La Enchiladita]

Technically speaking there may be a claim there. But it also looks like Graham took some big old time-outs during his trip. Zac has been on a non-stop trip as far as I know. I think it’s great what he is doing, and you will notice there is a question mark in the title.