Teen girls who sail, solo and unassisted, around the world: this seemed to offer an interesting comparison between the timorous Old World and the adventuresome New World. Then I found that this demanding or extreme sport sheds light on cultural difference, but not as I had first thought.

Jessica Watson, born 18 May 1993, is an Australian now heading home; when she arrives in Australia, she will become the youngest person to have sailed around the world without stopping, assistance, or fellow sailors.

Laura Dekker, born 20 September 1995, is a Dutch subject (with dual New Zealand citizenship) who made news last October, when a Dutch court forbade her from undertaking a round-the-world solo sail. After Dekker went missing a couple of months later, turning up in Sint Maarten on a solo boat-shopping spree, Dutch welfare authorities petitioned the court to have her removed from her parents’ care and placed in a shelter.

From these facts, it would seem that the Old World, uneasy with enterprising young people, magnifies risks; whereas the New World takes a more individualistic view and lets young people strive for great things.

In this case, the whole story seems more complicated.

The court that examined the Dekker case in December, after the Sint Maarten spree, reportedly set down conditions that Dekker will satisfy before she may depart on a round-the-world sail. The court intended that “she should see these conditions as a chance to prove herself rather than as restrictions”. The conditions include first aid training and practice sails abroad. Dekker remains in the custody of her father (who is separated from her mother, a German resident). She reportedly intends to set off on a solo round-the-world trip in September 2010.

In light of these facts, the Dekker case seems to show great concern for an exceptional or unusual case: precocious teen, practically born on a boat; impressive sailing skills, regardless of age; and a sensitive family situation, with support and encouragement from both parents.

Watson undeniably is an exceptional sailor as well. But the more I learn about her trip, the less I seem to know anything about Watson, and the more I worry that she may be a sort of prop or billboard. That Watson would have sponsors is understandable and normal. But is she really the writer of the blog composed in her name? Where does she find the time? How can she be so unfailingly upbeat, even in hard times? Where would she even find the time to write? Why does her Internet presence deal so much with her PR firm and merchandising? Will she actually write the book about her trip, to be released by Hachette in August (about three months after Watson’s return)? All of this seems terribly corporate for a teen adventurer.