abby sunderland

Abby Sunderland is the youngest person who set about sailing the world alone at the age of 16.

From Wkipedia:

Abigail “Abby” Sunderland, born October 19, 1993, is an American sailor who in 2010 attempted to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. When Sunderland rounded Cape Horn on 31 March 2010 she was the youngest solo sailor ever to have done so.

Sunderland initially set sail from Marina del Rey, California in her 40-foot boat Wild Eyes on January 23, 2010 but had to stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She restarted her circumnavigation on February 6, 2010, planning to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted, leaving from and returning to Cabo San Lucas, but autopilot problems then forced Sunderland to stop at Cape Town for repairs.

On June 10, 2010 while sailing in heavy seas and high winds in a remote area of the Indian Ocean, her sailboat was dismasted and she activated her two manual emergency EPIRB distress beacons, triggering a search and rescue effort. She was rescued two days later, almost four and a half months after setting sail from Marina del Rey.

She had announced plans to write and publish a book about the journey. After her rescue, Sunderland said she hoped to make another attempt at circumnavigation some time in the future.