I was born during my parents’ sea voyage around the world, and always wanted to make the trip myself. They divorced when I was six, and I grew up living with my dad in the shipyard in the Netherlands where he worked.
I started planning my trip around the world at the age of eight after reading the American sailor Tania Aebi’s memoir, Maiden Voyage. I began saving and sailing as much as possible to make that dream a reality. I was a confident sailor: at 13, I crossed the Channel solo. I didn’t tell my parents before I left; I didn’t think they’d say yes.
Then I started seriously thinking about sailing around the world. My parents weren’t thrilled with the idea, but after talking to them about it, they became supportive – they knew I’d do it anyway, and thought it would be better to make it as safe as possible.
After learning of my plans, social services got involved to take away my dad’s custody and prevent my voyage. It became a controversial news story. It was worse than any storm I’ve faced – people left comments online saying: “I hope you die.” It was a real shock.
After eight court cases, my dad got custody back. Soon after, at 14, I set off on my 38ft sailboat, Guppy, in August 2010. My dad sailed with me from the Netherlands to Gibraltar – that way we could test the boat together and make sure I had her well under control.
As I set off from Gibraltar on my own, my emotions were one big jumble. I felt on top of the world and at the same time so nervous I couldn’t sleep for the first few days.
Spotting my first destination on the horizon – the Canary Islands – felt amazing. I knew then I’d keep going: across the Atlantic and the Pacific, through the Torres Strait on to the Indian Ocean, around South Africa and on to my finish line, Sint Maarten in the Caribbean.
Things weren’t always easy. Crossing the North Atlantic, there were periods of no wind but also big swells – waves coming from a distance – so I was rolling back and forth, my sails tearing apart. I also had to dodge reefs and ships. The longest I slept at sea was 50 minutes at a time. Your body adjusts. I was never really afraid: I had trained with my dad to keep my emotions under control.
I completed my education through distance learning. Over the course of the voyage, I made more than 20 stops. Sometimes I stayed just a day or two; rarely, I’d stay for a couple of weeks if my boat needed repairs. For money, I worked odd jobs along the way.
At sea I washed with saltwater, and cleaned my clothes with fresh water ashore. Rain was my best friend – it meant free laundry and showering. For fun, I’d play guitar, read and write. I didn’t really get lonely, even though I was only with other people when I was invited to dinner on their boats, or went ashore. During stops, I’d take my laptop to a cafe, Skype with my family and update my blog about my voyage. I had a long-distance radio so I could send messages to my dad while I was at sea.
I’m not much of a cook, and one of the toughest things about the journey was the food. I ended up eating a lot of pasta, rice, canned food and pancakes – before finding out, three months in, that one really needs veggies. One of my favourite places was French Polynesia. It’s beautiful, with big mountains, blue water, coral reefs and a community-oriented culture. Meeting people from around the world made the journey special and put life into perspective for me.
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I crossed the finish line in Sint Maarten in January 2012, 518 days after leaving Gibraltar, becoming, at 16, the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe alone. I wasn’t sad it was over; I felt ready to start my life. By then, I’d already decided to sail on to Whangārei, New Zealand, where I was born.
I made New Zealand my home and now run a sailing foundation for teenagers with my partner, Sander. Sailing requires communication and teamwork, so it teaches children from all backgrounds to accept one other. Now I have two kids, I understand how brave my parents were to back me. My dad barely slept while I was away. If my kids wanted to do the same thing, I wouldn’t be happy – but I’d try to find a way to support them.
As told to Clea Skopeliti
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