Dutch sailor girl put under care

A Dutch court has put a 13-year-old girl under state care for two months, stalling her bid to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.

After read the article, I have to agree with the Dutch children protection agency and the court. The girl is too young to sail around the world. I do not doubt her sailing skills. It is her mental maturity /capacities and inexperience in the real world that I am worry about. The natural elements are not the only thing she has to face and battle. The world is full of people that will take advantage of a 13 year old girl. Whenever she is in a port for supplies, who is she going to turn to? If she blindly trusts anyone who helps her, she may be conned out of her possessions/money. However, she can’t finish her quest if she mistrusts everyone. Does she have enough life experience to know who to trust? And if things gone wrong, does she know how to deal with it? Even if her parents arrange for someone to take care of supplies, she could still be taken advantage off financially. How about her personal safety? A cute 13 year old white teenage girl all alone, surrounded by horny sailors in seaports!? I am dreadful of the consequence. I kind of understand why her parents support her decision to sail around the world. They probably want to help her to grow into an independent woman. But I think they should take baby steps. You don’t teach a baby to walk by enlist her in a marathon. You don’t teach a girl of being independent by let her sail around the world alone. This is not to say the girl should never be allowed to sail the world alone. Just take baby steps and teach her slowly. Eventually, she will be mature enough to take the trip. Obviously I don’t know this girl. When I was a 13 year old girl, I wasn’t even fully aware of boys. I was an immature girl who thinks I can take on any challenge the world could have thrown at me. She may be far more mature than I was. She could be the most intelligent, most worldly person EVER, which is why I agree with Dutch court’s decision to hold off her plan and evaluate her first. I fully support her if the court thinks she is smart enough and mature enough to take the trip.