A Dutch teenager born on a yacht in New Zealand has achieved her ambition of sailing solo around the world.
Laura Dekker waved and cried as she sailed her ketch Guppy to a dock in the Caribbean island of St Martin on Saturday local time, a year and a day after she left, media reported.
Her website says she is the youngest person to sail around the world but neither the Guinness Book of Records nor the World Speed Sailing Record Council recognise records for youngest sailors to discourage dangerous attempts.
Dutch officials tried to block her trip, arguing she was too young.
Dekker was born on her parents' yacht when it was docked in Whangarei, making her a New Zealand citizen.
"Today is the last time that my days start in an endless valley of waves and end in an endless valley of waves," she wrote in recent a post on her website.
"I am looking forward to my arrival. I will have fresh food, I will take a walk or even a little sprint and I will be with my family again."
Ms Dekker has been flying the New Zealand flag since she departed Darwin Australia, Sail World reported.
NZN