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Calif. Teen Finishes Record Round-the-World Sail

Zac Sunderland, 17, breaks record for youngest person to sail around the world

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 16, 2009 3:45 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Zac Sunderland, 17, returned to Los Angeles today, completing a 13-month journey and earning the title of youngest sailor ever to circumnavigate the globe, the Times reports. Sunderland, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., was greeted by cheering crowds aboard yachts and sailboats. He traveled 25,000 miles, crossing three oceans and five seas, enduring a pirate scare, a rogue wave and numerous boat malfunctions.

Sunderland may not hold his record long: Mike Perham, a British teenager who is a few months younger, cast off last November on a similar circumnavigation voyage. Perham, however, is sponsored and making the trip in a 50-foot yacht; Sunderland captained a 36-foot sailboat. “It’s like one guy’s got a Ferrari and the other guy’s got a VW,” said the director of the American Sailing Association. “There’s really no comparison.”

Zac Sunderland, 17-year-old sailing solo around the world, on the cover of the new issue of ESPN The Magzine.
Zac Sunderland, 17-year-old sailing solo around the world, on the cover of the new issue of ESPN The Magzine.   (Photo: Business Wire)
In this July 13, 2009, file photo, Zac Sunderland, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., takes a look out the front hatch of his 36-foot yacht in San Diego.
In this July 13, 2009, file photo, Zac Sunderland, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., takes a look out the front hatch of his 36-foot yacht in San Diego.   (AP Photo)
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He left thinking that he knew a lot about life, and the difference now is, he does. You look into his eyes; he's very much a deeper thinker now. He tries to anticipate things more so now, before they happen.
- Laurence Sunderland

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 6 comments
hamsammichs
Sep 21, 2009 10:17 AM CDT
If I had my own 36 ft. yacht hell yeah I would drop everything and sail. Thanks Mom and Dad!!
Yourself
Jul 17, 2009 12:13 PM CDT
Motivator teenager with goals and amibitions FTW! who cares where he's from....
Reader65069154
Jul 17, 2009 5:22 AM CDT
No doubt congratulations are in order. In an interview I heard him say Mt. Everest was his next goal. I wonder how rich mommy and daddy must be to keep funding his ambitions.
US • World

 
world record • sailing • world • yachts • teenager • boating • Zac Sunderland • Mike Perham

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