16 yo kid to circumnavigate

[US27inKS]

This is the first I've heard of this. Seems like a good kid, I think dad's a Captain. I hope he makes it.

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[Giulietta]

Good luck kid...

Hope you pull it together...

[Freesail99]

When I read stuff like this, I have to ask myself, what the hell is his "Dad" thinking? The kid could easy die doing this, for what purpose, to brag he did it ? Much to young and again, what are the parents thinking.

I have looked at my life as my number one purpose on this earth was my kids. To keep them safe and give them a boot when they needed it, to get back on track. At 16 my son wanted a motorcycle, I said no. He is 20 now, still doesn't have one, but now it is his decision, not mine. I like to think he made it because he listened to WHY I said no.

[Giulietta]

Free, while I am agreeing with you on this, I am also seeing other things..

Kids today don't have objectives and have no models...and you know that now, especially in the US, all kids have is broken homes, drugs, rap, gangs and premature pregnancies, loss of interets in human factors, faliure, wars, and crooked politicians to name a few...

So in a way, altough I aslo see this father puting his kid in harms way, I also see a father trying to make a man out of his kid, with the risks it brings...

I agree with you...but we don't know the rest..we also don't know if he is going to be followed by anyone (including his dad), and maybe the dad's makingthe kid stay away from a bad environment...he doesn't look like he is a starnger to gangs and stuff like that..look at his hat..his hair..his t-shirt...he doesn't look like a school boy...he's already dressed as a modern street gang boy...that's just me looking with my foreign eyes....what do I know...

I encourage the kid...at least he has an objective..a rare thing amongst the youth today....especially in the US

[teshannon]

Tough call. If my kid were 16 I'd probably tell him to wait a couple of years until he could make a better informed decision. What would you do or say if Fred wanted to do that Alex?

[TrueBlue]

Giu, I think you may have the wrong impression of Zac Sunderland. He's not a troubled gang member, but a true adventurer who has his parent's full support. It seems that he's been successfully home-schooled by his parents while sailing the world and working with his dad, who is an accomplished ships-wright.

Check out his website. I wish him best of luck in this venture and am impressed by the unorthodox goals he has set for himself at such a young age.

[Giulietta]

Originally Posted by teshannon

Tough call. If my kid were 16 I'd probably tell him to wait a couple of years until he could make a better informed decision. What would you do or say if Fred wanted to do that Alex?

It's tough as I see Fred at the age he is now...

We would off course talk a lot..

This is what I think..there is no future in sailing as a professional in Portugal, and if there is, you need to be really really good, it's not like in the US where you throw a stone and a half dozen of Denis Conners jump out...

The few pro's there hardly make it to eat....so that would weigh in in Fred's decision of becoming a professional...

Fred sails as a Sports, as he is in a vry difficult school to get in, to be an Engineer or Economist or another trade...that will be his professional target..

While he rides the road to be a professional at the trade he choses, sailing will be second plan, and a hobby/sport/fun thing....

As the future comes, we will see where Fred goes with his school and with his sailing...he will do whatever he choses and at whatever he excells.

I don't know this kid, but I see a different sailing in them...Fred races, the kid in the video is a cruiser, cruised all his life with his parents (that's what I understood)...so in there is a difference already...you may make money as a racer..you only spend money as a cruiser....

Now...if my sone was doing this to race yes 100% suppoort from me...to cruise around to be the youngest??? no...Fred has other objectives...

There is charm and style in being able to say he was the youngest...but I hardy think he can make a career out of that..

My son will have a career....sailing or not....

[Giulietta]

Originally Posted by TrueBlue

Giu, I think you may have the wrong impression of Zac Sunderland. He's not a troubled gang member, but a true adventurer who has his parent's full support. It seems that he's been successfully home-schooled by his parents while sailing the world and working with his dad, who is an accomplished ships-wright.

Check out his website. I wish him best of luck in this venture and am impressed by the unorthodox goals he has set for himself at such a young age.

Sorry about my impression....where I come from we have a saying..."don't want to be called a wolf...don't dress like one" more or less...

Guess I appled my "judge the book by the cover" thing....

Good on him....I still praise and wish him good luck and will support him as I can.

[TrueBlue]

BTW- the shirt and hat are surfing related.

[CharlieCobra]

Alex, most of the teens wear hip hop clothes these days in the US, including mine. Hell, I have some hip hop stuff myself cause I kinda like some of it. I forget how old Robin Graham was when he took Dove on a circumnav but it wasn't much older than this youngster. I say goodon him if he makes it. He'll experience things that most younguns can only dream about.