16-year old Zac Sunderland from Southern California just embarked on a journey that most adults would be hesitant to take. On Saturday, he left on his 36 foot sailboat Intrepid, to go around the world solo, in an attempt to break a 12-year old record set by Australia sailor, David Dicks.

When Zac set sail on Saturday, he became the youngest American to attempt a round the World solo sail since Robin Graham did it in 1965. However, Robin took about four years to complete his journey, while Zac hopes to do it in 12-18 months, while he is still seventeen.

Zac, the eldest of seven children, has spent his entire life around water. His father was a ship builder who now manages yachts. In fact Zac's first home was a 17-mile Tradewind boat! He has already logged over 15,000 sea hours and his parents are very confident in his ability to be able to fulfill his dream. Intrepid, his $6,500 USD boat has been retrofitted with the best equipment including a state of the art navigation system and a satellite phone. Additionally, his boat has cameras all around to catch his entire adventure on tape.

While Zac is very excited, he also recognizes the dangers he will be facing not only in terms of unpredictable weather conditions, but also from pirates. His route has been carefully chosen to avoid the areas where pirate attacks are most likely. He is expecting to make between 15-30 stops along the way. His father will meet him at some of them.

Zac will pass his time by self-tutoring to finish his senior high school year and blogging his daily adventures on http://www.zacsunderland.com/.

When he returns Zac plans to become an adventurer. We hope he succeeds in his quest and wish him the best of luck!

Sources: zacsunderland.com, NBC, CNNNews, NPR.org