He did it! Teen finishes solo sail around world
17-year-old from Calif. becomes youngest person to circumnavigate globe
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Teen finishes sail around the world July 17: Seventeen-year-old sailor Zac Sunderland arrives in Southern California to complete a 13-month solo voyage around the world. He is the youngest person ever to achieve the feat. TODAY’s Natalie Morales reports. Today show |
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 | Teen nears solo sailing record July 12: The loneliness of circumnavigating the world by yourself is enough to sink the dreams of the most experienced sailor – but not 17-year-old Zac Sunderland. NBC’s Miguel Almaguer reports. Nightly News |
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MARINA DEL REY, Calif. - A shaggy-haired 17-year-old from Southern California has become the youngest person to sail around the world alone.
Zac Sunderland docked Thursday in this coastal community west of Los Angeles, completing a 28,000-mile trip that began last year. His family, friends and hundreds of curious onlookers cheered as his 36-foot Intrepid boat entered the harbor.
He later gave a whoop of joy as he approached a microphone to address the crowd.
"It's awesome to finally get back here," he said.
Sunderland was 16 when he left Marina del Rey on June 14, 2008 — a voyage that included encounters with pirates and wild storms. His father is a shipwright who has met him at various stops around the world, often to help him repair damage to the boat.
On Sunderland's Web site, a series of videos document his travels.
In one video, Sunderland tells the camera he's about to sail into a "massive squall," adding, "I need to just put away all the sails right now, so I gotta go."
Sunderland's record may not last for long. British sailor Mike Perham is a few months younger than Sunderland and is sailing a bigger, faster boat in an attempt for the record.
The record was previously held by an Australian who was over 18 when he completed the voyage in 1996.
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