Column-Logbook for the Algemeen Dagblad
Thursday, September 9, 2010

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Each week in her column-logbook for the Algemeen Dagblad Laura Dekker will relate her journey around the world aboard her sailboat Guppy on her attempt to become the world's youngest circumnavigator.
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'Tormenting myself with chemistry and walking on the moon'


Argh! I was just tormenting myself with chemistry at the moment. So I am quite happy to set aside my schoolwork for a while in order to write another of my logbooks. Last week I wrote about the reparation to Guppy's rudder with my father who came flying in for that. There was a problem with the bearings which could have made the rudder rust too. On a non-stop sailing journey I probably would not have noticed this. But once in the harbour I realized that the rudder was heavy to move. I didn't have the tools to do the repairs with me and so my father brought his with him. In fact my father had planned to drop by just for a quick visit but there are not so many flights in or out of Lanzarote... But we used this extra time to learn more about the island not just about the coast, and so we made a round trip in a rented car. The island has countless volcanoes and is largely covered with lava - really extraordinary. In some places it felt like walking on the moon. We have seen lava tunnels, a grotto with a small lake surrounded by trees and bushes. That's something I did not expect at all. Even though there is almost no vegetation here, the locals try to grow a little of everything. The way they go about it is kind of odd. They dig holes into the mountainside and plant something in it, then they enclose it with a little wall to prevent the whole thing from being blown away by the wind. Odd but nice to see! So even though my geography lessons don't cover the earth's crust so far, I gratefully welcomed this free lesson.
My father has now returned home and I will be sailing out to another island soon. Even though I have sailed on a few occasions with the kids from the sailing school, it is now time to hoist Guppy's sails. Shall I head for Tenerife or La Gomera or maybe... Nevermind, I'll have plenty of time to think about it!

Adios, Laura"