Record-breaking sailor offers New Zealand world exposure but
no one is listening
When 15 year old sailor Laura Dekker
arrives in Australia at the end of this month she will be on
the brink of becoming the youngest person to circumnavigate
the world solo.
For New Zealanders, this should be
personal. Not only is the young sailor a New Zealand citizen
– having been born on her parents’ yacht in the port of
Whangarei – but she’ll take the record from an
Australian, which should bring a smile to the face of every
Kiwi.
For Dekker, her Kiwi nationality is not taken
lightly. She has embraced her birth-country since starting
to feel disconnected from The Netherlands after the court in
that nation stopped her from embarking on her trip at the
age of 13.
Yet she has failed to find any support from New
Zealand, unable even to source a New Zealand flag that she
wants to fly from her boat “Guppy” for the duration of
her trip.
“I am surprised that a country so focused on
tourism seems to want nothing to do with an opportunity for
a record-breaking sailor to fly the New Zealand flag across
the world,” said Dekker’s manager Lyall Mercer, an
Australian.
“Laura has reached out to New Zealand and I
am disappointed that no one appears interested. I believe
that a young adventurer like Laura displays the adventurous
Kiwi spirit that is acknowledged across the
world.”
Mercer said there has been no interest from New
Zealand’s media and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
refused to donate a flag because she was “not a member”.
Even the Prime Minister’s office failed to respond despite
two approaches.
He said as well as a flag, Dekker would
love to visit New Zealand during her two week stopover in
Darwin. “Laura has spoken about coming to New Zealand to
live so she’s really serious about her Kiwi heritage. It
would mean a lot to her to step onto New Zealand soil
again.”
Mercer has appealed to New Zealand tourism
authorities and private companies to contact him if they’d
like to sponsor a visit or help in any other way. He said
that unlike Jessica Watson’s voyage, Dekker’s is
low-budget with only her father as the support team. “What
she lacks in resources is made up by pure passion,” he
said.
Article source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1108/S00326/record-breaking-sailor-offers-new-zealand-world-exposure.htm
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