Tania Aebi

Tania Aebi (born October 7, 1966) is an American sailor. She completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe in a 26-foot sailboat between the ages of 18 and 21, finishing it in 1987, making her the first American woman and the youngest person (at the time) to sail around the world. Her record was not recognized by Guinness, because she sailed through the Panama Canal, which required assistance. She also sailed eighty miles with a friend in the South Pacific. (For the first American woman to attain the relevant Guinness World Record, see Karen Thorndike.) Despite many challenges, Aebi accomplished her goal.