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A Dutch girl who wants to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world has been placed under state care for two months.
Judges fear Laura Dekker would face mental and physical risks if she were allowed to go ahead with her trip.
The ruling means the 13-year-old's parents, who support her bid, have temporarily lost the right to make decisions about her while a child psychologist assesses her capacity to undertake the journey.
Laura had planned to spend the next two years preparing and embarking on the attempt to break the record set this week by 17-year-old Briton Mike Perham, who completed the trip in nine months.
Her father Dick, an experienced sailor who raised his daughter on a yacht for the first four years of her life, had supported her plan.
But Dutch social workers had argued that Laura was too young to weigh up the dangers of the trip and psychologists said the isolation would be damaging at an important time for a teenager's development.
The country's child protection agency applied for Laura to become a ward of court and today judges in Utrecht granted the order. The court said she could continue living with her father but would become the responsibility of Dutch child care officials while an independent child psychologist evaluated her case.
Laura will not be removed from her father's home and the possibility of her eventually going on the round-world trip was not ruled out.
She was out sailing today and did not attend the court hearing but Mr Dekker listened to the decision from the three judges. The family's lawyer, Peter de Lange, said Laura accepted the court's decision "very positively".
Laura was born on a boat in New Zealand while her parents were sailing around the world.
She holds New Zealand citizenship as well as Dutch nationality from her father and German nationality from her mother. Her parents are divorced, but her mother reportedly also gave her consent to the voyage.
Even social workers fighting to stop the trip have acknowledged she is an accomplished sailor.
This year she sailed alone to England, where authorities briefly detained her and told her father to help her sail home. Her father went to England but Laura eventually made the voyage alone.
Mr De Lange has said Laura would consider moving to New Zealand if Dutch child protection workers blocked her record attempt.
But New Zealand authorities could also stop her sailing if they believe she is endangering herself or potential rescuers.
The court will issue a second ruling on 26 October on whether to extend the council's responsibility for Laura. By that time she will have turned 14.
Yesterday teenager Mike Perham, from Potters Bar, became the youngest person to sail solo around the world, having completed 28,000 miles in nine months.
Reader views (3)
Graham Rodhouse, while I agree that she shouldn't be allow to do this, to say her ambitions can wait is ridiculous.
The main reason she wants to go is to be become the youngest person to do it.
Regardless of that what decent parent would allow this anyway?
- Dan Dan, Australia, 01/09/2009 06:44
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Utterly ridiculous. This amounts to state kidnapping. We are NOT the property of the state. As for "education", that can wait a few years until she has realised her ambition.
- Neil, London, London UK, 28/08/2009 16:18
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The Dutch court has made a completely correct decision. No matter how precocious and capable this young girl may be, her ambitions can wait a few years until she has completed her education.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands, 28/08/2009 14:42
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