On a foggy weekend in Southern California, when most kids his age were settling into a summer break, 17-year-old Zac Sunderland of Thousand Oaks set sail on what he hopes is a record-breaking solo voyage around the world. Sunderland took off last summer from Marina Del Rey in his 36-foot sailboat, "Intrepid."

 
If he completes the trip in time, Sunderland will become the youngest sailor to circumnavigate the globe alone. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, until now the youngest to pull off the feat is Australian David Dicks, who circled the globe at age 18 in 1996.

It has been a challenging voyage for Sunderland from the very start, as light winds and technical glitches hampered his journey. On June 28, two weeks after the start of his voyage, he wrote:

"The boom vang came detached from the boom early today and banged against the dodger...My mom asked me today if I felt like quitting ever. I don't feel like quitting at all but I am tired and wishing for wind to get me going faster! I wouldn't mind pulling over for some In N Out either." -- From Zac's blog

Sunderland's plan, which will inevitably go through many changes, is to return to California later this month. You can follow his progress as he continues his journey here.

Last Fall, Zac was forced return to port under sail -- no small feat for a solo sailor in 25 knots of wind -- after his engine failed as he was leaving Port Moresby, New Guinea.

Sept. 4
"As I headed out I had to dodge a tug towing a barge. Right as I got past it the engine stopped dead! I tried to start it again with no success. So now it's blowing 27 knots blowing me on a reef about half a mile away. I spun the boat around, pulled out the genny (short for "Genoa," a large sail in front of boat) and turned back toward the yacht club about 2 miles a way sailing in between massive container ships all the while trying to make enough up wind progress to clear the reef."

With his engine repaired, Zac, shown below sailing out of Port Moresby, was able to finally leave New Guinea and begin his passage to Darwin, Australia, where he is expected to arrive sometime this week.


But soon after, his parents became deeply concerned when Zac, who normally check in like clockwork, failed to contact his family in 18 hours. Zac's parents, Marianne and Laurence Sunderland, expressed their worries on Zac's blog:

Sept. 7
"Had Zac's quest to become the youngest man to sail around the world alone met ill fate? Was Intrepid on one of hundreds of reefs in the area?"

After an agonizing wait, Zac checked in on his satellite phone. Other boats in the area reported that he was well as he made his way toward Australia. After he stops in Darwin, he'll have the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape of Good Hope ahead of him. On the final leg of his journey, for example, he hopes to spend time in the Galapagos Islands before turning north toward Los Angeles and home.

August, 2009
Justin Finch catches up with Zac, and gets the scoop on what inspired his journey, what he learned along the way, and which of his experiences on the boat were most memorable (hint: it involves pirates!).

If you'd like to contact Zac, you can send him an e-mail at: mailto:zacsworldadventure@yahoo.com