Well, I wouldn't let MY 13 year old daughter do this, but my daughter (currently just 10) seems to have the judgment and planning skills of a, um, a thing with no judgment or planning skills. I was going to say "squirrel" but realized that they have pretty good planning skills. She's just scattered, can't focus on any one thing for more than 30 minutes, and has never shown the persistence it takes to really master a skill of any sort. So I can't imagine her, in three years, having what it would take in the way of skills, inner resources, strength and determination to take on a task like that.

That said, I wouldn't be against the idea in general if the 13 year old in question DID have what it would take to make a journey like this. The article said that two 17 year old boys are finishing up the journey, and they started at age 16. IME 13 year old girls and 16 year old boys are roughly at the same point in development, and I'd imagine that any kid whose parents would let them do something like this is already significantly more mature than most. I don't think a thing like schooling should be a consideration. Yes, she wouldn't be attending school, but someone out on a boat in an ocean these days is able to communicate pretty well with people on shore, so I'm pretty sure she could keep up with her parents overseeing her education from a distance. And even if she couldn't, frankly, missing a year or so of school isn't the end of the world--she could make up the year when she got back.

And about the pirates? How is being five years older or ten or 30 any more of a benefit if you're sailing solo anyway? You're going to be completely vulnerable to them on your own no matter what your age and avoiding them would largely be a matter of luck.

Sarah