"I was so thankful that my parents trusted me enough and had enough faith in my abilities to let me follow my passion …"

"One day that same year, I told my dad that someday, I would sail around the world alone."

"Fewer people have successfully solo-circumnavigated the globe than have journeyed into space."

"All the ingenuity, all the high-tech gear, all the jury-rigging—sometimes the sea would rip it all away until there w…"

"I wanted to break the record, of course, and become the youngest person to sail around the world solo and unassisted."

"On October 19, 2009, my sixteenth birthday, Wild Eyes officially became mine! Now it was really happening."

"The critics barged in to harp on every decision we made. . .Sadly, I began to doubt myself. Maybe I was too young. Ma…"

"After the week of stormy weather, she set sail under sunny skies, on a glassy sea with a big swell running."

"Being at sea is like watching the whole world in high-definition."

"It seems like people my age are over-protected today, even to the point where a lot of parents refuse to put their ki…"