Calif. teen becomes youngest to sail solo around world after arriving in Marina del Rey

California teen youngest to sail solo around world

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. — A 17-year-old boy in Southern California has become the youngest person to sail around the world alone.

Zac Sunderland docked Thursday in Marina del Ray, completing a 28,000-mile trip that began last year.

The teenager’s family, friends and hundreds of curious onlookers cheered as his 36-foot Intrepid boat came into the harbor.

But the shaggy-haired Thousand Oaks native might not hold the record for long. British sailor Mike Perham is a few months younger than Sunderland, and is sailing a bigger, faster boat.

The record was previously held by an Australian who was over 18 when he completed the voyage in 1996.

Sunderland was 16 when he left Marina del Ray on June 14, 2008.