Zac Sunderland raising his sails as he departs Cape Town, South Africa, for St. Helena.
For the past year, while his buddies in California were learning to drive and scoring touchdowns, Zac Sunderland has been battling rogue waves, snapped booms and loneliness.
But those blips on the radar haven't deterred the shaggy-haired 17-year-old from pursuing his dream: to be the youngest person to sail around the globe - solo.
Now, just weeks from completing his 24,000-nautical-mile voyage, only one threat to his mission remains: He is not alone.
A 17-year-old English sailor named Mike Perham is racing to break the same record, which is held by an 18-year-old Australian.
Ever since Mike set sail from Britain last November, the teens have chased each other like pirates.
Zac, a home-schooled kid and the oldest of seven siblings, is steering the Intrepid , a 36-foot vessel he bought for $6,000. Mike, who already holds the record for youngest person to sail solo across the Atlantic, set sail five months after Zac and is navigating a larger, faster, chartered yacht.
Both teens are heading toward Panama, their final stopover before the home stretch. Zac predicts he will reunite with his family in Thousand Oaks, Calif., by mid-July.
Mike's journey across the Atlantic to Portsmouth should take several weeks longer, but because he's a few months younger than Zac, he only has to get home before November to take the record.
But both camps are already claiming victory.
"The world record will be great," says Mike's father,Peter Perham. (Mike was not available for an interview).
"I'm going to be the first person under 18 to sail around the world, so they can't take that away from me," Zac says, despite the suggestion that his title will be short-lived.
Both teens have already reaped more rewards than mere titles.
"I've learned so much more than I would've sitting in a classroom," says Zac, speaking by satellite phone from a cabin that seems the opposite of school: there's a sleeping bag, microwave, laptop, video games and a cupboard stuffed with Pringles.
Like Mike, Zac grew up sailing with his parents. In his free time, he liked skateboarding, surfing and In-N-Out burgers, but by the time he was 16 he had floated the idea of becoming the fourth solo circumnavigator to leave home before turning 18.
He used money he'd saved working on boats to buy the Intrepid, which he refurbished with his father, Laurence, a boat builder by trade. The journey - which has cost more than $100,000 (U.S.) - was paid for by sponsors and his parents.
Five months after Zac launched the Intrepid into the Pacific at the port of
Marina del Rey, Mike began his voyage, looking for a new challenge to outdo his record on the Atlantic. Teachers at his sports academy had given their blessing (and some homework), and his chartered 50-foot yacht was named after a sponsor, TotallyMoney.com.
But what was supposed to be a 41/2- month voyage has already stretched past seven months, and he's sailed thousands of nautical miles off course. Mike had planned to sail unassisted - meaning he could not accept help or supplies from anyone during his journey - but that quickly became impossible as he was plagued by equipment problems.
Mike and Zac's parents say they encouraged their sons' quests because they are experienced and gutsy enough to survive them. Both teens have been bolstered by their fathers at various ports - in Hawaii, Australia, Portugal and South Africa - but they've spent up to 30 days alone during some stretches at sea.
During those times, their parents wait anxiously for daily updates by satellite phone, and pray for no emergencies.
"I live by the mobile phone," Mr. Perham said. "I just live with that fear, actually: of the call that says, 'Dad, I'm in trouble.'"
That call has come several times. Just this month, lines tangled around one of Mike's rudders. He dived underwater again and again, eventually freeing them so he could steer. "He showed that he had the ability to adapt to adverse situations," his father says.
Zac has also faced danger: Pirates trailed him in the South Pacific, a 30-foot rogue wave crashed over him, and for several sleepless nights and days he drifted with a broken radar and a missing cellphone. His parents, hearts in their throats, tried not to imagine the worst.
Still, for every near-disaster there are myriad tales of adventure. Mike's upbeat blog posts describe swimming with sea turtles and his delight in opening a food bag stuffed with his favourite dried meals and Toblerone bars.
"Very few things that are legal give you this feeling," Zac says of the sailors' high.
The teens met once, when they crossed paths at a port in South Africa. "He's a nice enough guy," Zac said of Mike. But he wouldn't say they're friends.
They have media exposure in common. A documentary crew is following Mike, while Zac's sun-kissed good looks adorn the cover of June's ESPN Magazine.
Along with his family, Zac expects he'll be greeted by cameras, sponsors and a rocker whose tunes have been the soundtrack to his journey: Deryck Whibley from the Canadian band Sum 41. He plans to pull into San Diego for a haircut before his final landing: "I don't want to look like a beach bum."
Of course, no glory is everlasting.
An Australian named Jessica Watson, who just turned 16, plans to set sail in September. She hopes to circumnavigate the globe unassisted.
"Both of us could be beaten by a girl," Zac said.
Sailor boys, and girl
Who will be the youngest person to sail solo around the globe? Here are the contenders:
Zac Sunderland
Born: Nov. 29, 1991
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Favourite food: In-N-Out burgers
Vessel: a 36-foot islander called the Intrepid
Sailing experience: Zac's first bed was a basket on a boat, and he's spent his life sailing up and down the Mexican coast. He had not sailed a solo trip before setting off to circumnavigate the globe.
Set sail: June 14, 2008
Estimated arrival: mid-July, 2009
Website: www.zacsunderland.com
Mike Perham
Born: March 16, 1992
Hometown: Potters Bar, England
Favourite food: chicken with white sauce and pasta
Vessel: a 50-foot racing yacht named TotallyMoney.com
Sailing experience: A sailor by age 7, Mike became the youngest person to sail across the Atlantic single-handed at age 14.
Set sail: Nov. 15, 2008
Estimated arrival: early August, 2009
Website: www.sailmike.com
Jessica Watson
Born: May 18, 1993
Hometown: Buderim, Australia
Favourite food: Chocolate
Vessel: The S&S (Sparkman and Stephens) 34, a 34-foot yacht.
Sailing experience: A sailor since age 8, Jessica has significant sailing experience around Australia and the South Pacific.
Expected departure: September, 2009
Website: www.youngestround.com