Finally, at the age of 15, Laura was ready. On January 20, 2011, she set out from the island of St Maarten in the Caribbean on her 38-foot (11.5-meter) sailboat, Guppy. Her trip lasted 500 days in total, partly because she had to stop at different ports to study and check her boat. During this time she visited exotic islands such as the Galapagos, Bora Bora, and Vanuatu, and she also found time to go surfing, scuba diving, and cliff diving. She even discovered a new hobby: playing the flute! Laura was alone for most of her journey, but she kept a blog that was read by many people aroun the world