Teen Sailor Begins Record Trip

Another teenage girl has set sail on a round-the-world trip after slipping reporters. Laura Dekker, a Dutch 14-year-old, had been waiting to start her journey for almost a year as a Dutch court held up the trip. Dekker set sail from Portugal around 9 a.m. local time, but from exactly where is unclear. She arrived in Portimao after battling child welfare authorities in the Netherlands who wanted to prevent the dangerous stunt. Dekker hopes to break the record for the youngest solo sail, which was set in May by 17-year-old Jessica Watson. Her first trip alone came when Dekker was 11, when she sailed to the northern Netherlands. She was born in New Zealand while her parents were making their own round-the-world trip.