16 and Sailing Around the World

June 14, 2008 — -- Zac Sunderland is only 16 but he's already setting out on the adventure of a lifetime: a round- the-world voyage aboard a miniscule 36-foot sail boat.

If he completes it, as hoped, in the next 12 to 18 months he'll be the youngest sailor ever to circumnavigate the globe alone.

Sunderland, who has had little sleep in the days leading up to his departure, speaks in low tones about the adventure he is about to embark upon.

"It's a lot of prep right now just getting everything ready," he said. "It's kind of crazy here. I don't know [how it will change me], it's going to be an amazing adventure. Life changes you as you move along through it."

You can follow his progress at his blog, www.zacsunderland.com.

Sunderland, the oldest of seven siblings, has spent his entire life around the water. His father, Laurence Sunderland, was a ship builder and now manages yachts. The elder Sunderland says he's more comfortable letting his oldest son sail around the world than he would be letting him do a cross-country drive.

"This is not something I'd recommend for everybody," Zac's father says. "Zac has been raised on the ocean. He's been a night watch captain since the age of 13. He's traveled 15,000 miles on the ocean. He's cruised with me everywhere. He's phenomenal seaman."

Those seafaring skills will be put to the test. Weather is his biggest worry. Sunderland will be backed up by a satellite phone, email, a professional weather watcher keeping him informed about what lies ahead and sophisticated weather gear on board.

But the open ocean in a storm is brutal and life threatening, particularly in such a small boat.

Sunderland will be using ClearPoint's High Definition weather gear on board. He says that with it "I can see everything -- waves, wind, everything. ... It takes down a lot of the risk as opposed to five, ten years ago."

Still there are dangers. Experienced sailor Ken Barnes tried to go non-stop around the world last year. His dream ended when he got caught in a storm that ripped both masts off his 44-foot boat and cracked its hull.