Teenager sails solo around the world

He’s not old enough to drink, he’s not old enough to vote, but he’s old enough to sail solo around the world.

American teenager Zac Sunderland, 17, has become the youngest person ever to circumnavigate the globe alone. When most kids his age are playing Xbox or hanging out in the mall, Zac decided to achieve his dream.

He started his 28,000 mile (45,000 km) voyage from a marina in Los Angeles 13 months ago when he was still just 16 years old, and faced storms, equipment failure, and a close call with pirates before making it back to the same marina yesterday.

During a speech after he made it home Zac said that he was amazed at the generosity of people in the developing world, and he hopes his journey will inspire other teenagers to do more with their youth.

“Society puts younger people into a kind of a box. . .nobody is expected to do much,” he said.

Well Zac, as a father myself I have to say that I hope my three year-old will be just as crazy as you in a few years, and I’ll be just as nervous and proud as your dad must be.