When 17-year-old Zac Sunderland sailed into the harbor in Marina del Ray July 16, trailed by news helicopters and a veritable armada of yachts and boats crammed with well-wishers, he set two world records – one as the youngest person ever to circumnavigate the globe alone in a sailboat, and the other as the first to do it before his 18th birthday.

Weeks later, a Brit named Mike Perham – a few months younger than Sunderland – broke Zac's first record when he returned to Portsmouth England after spending 10 months aboard an Open 50 racing cutter, its hull cluttered with sponsors like Sketchers and Vocalink. Even the boat's name was sponsor-driven: TotallyMoney.com.

Now, there are two more teens planning voyages – including one girl who is only 13.

While circumnavigation is a life-changing accomplishment at any age, the wave of youngsters competing to be the youngest to gird the globe – Yachting World magazine dubbed them "ocean teenyboppers" – raise an obvious question: Is circumnavigation what it used to be?

Mike Perham broke Sunderland’s first record when he returned to Portsmouth England after spending 10 months at sea aboard a 50-foot racing yacht. Certainly, the weather and seas have not changed, nor have the dangers that can befall a sleep-starved solo sailor, from injury and equipment failure to falling overboard. Yet advances in navigation, communication and safety gear have mitigated those dangers, making it dramatically easier to obtain help, have a conversation with family or even summon a rescue.

Zac, for example, completed his journey on an Islander 36 called Intrepid that, though built in 1972, was outfitted with luxuries that solo circumnavigators from years past could only dream about. During his long voyage, he was able to navigate by GPS, play video games, track ships on radar, update his Facebook page, blog, receive daily weather updates and call his parents twice a day via satellite telephone.

"I don't want to be negative or anything, but I feel like it's more stunt-driven…with the whole Facebook thing," said Tania Aebi, who at 18 became the youngest woman to circumnavigate, making the voyage on a Contessa 26 called Veruna in 1985. "It's becoming like an Olympic sport."

SAFETY AND JUDGMENT

The exploits of these young sailors have set the boating world abuzz and launched a debate about everything from safety to parental judgment.

Zac's parents, Laurence and Marianne, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., said there were several times during his 13-month voyage when they feared their son had run into terrible difficulty, was seriously injured or worse.

Advancements in technology, along with the widespread media attention, have given rise to a number of other youngsters who are hoping to circumnavigate the globe solo, including Zac's little sister Abby, now 15, who is planning her own trip in November.

There's also Laura Dekker, a 13-year-old Dutch sailor who had hoped to depart for her round the world tour on a boat called Guppy on Sept.1, but was stopped by a court order. Authorities had questions about the effects of such a voyage on a 13 year old, and referred her to a psychologist for evaluation.

"All of a sudden there's a lot of kids wanting to do it," said Charlie Nobles, the executive director of the American Sailing Association, the county's largest sailing organization, which certified Sunderland's record achievements (and also helped sponsor his trip).

Mike Perham with his parents.Technology advances are making parents more comfortable, Nobles said. "But it doesn't make it any safer," he said. "It gives them a sense that they can get help more quickly, which may or may not be soon enough if you've got a problem."

Addressing reporters after he finished his journey, Perham, speaking of Dekker's chances, shed some light on what it takes.

"It's whether she's got the physical strength, the mental strength and the technical ability," he said. "You know, can she strip an engine blindfolded? You know, can she build boats, is she an electrician, is she a mechanic as well – because you can't just be a sailor to do a trip like this."

Dekker's parents have said little about her trip, but the Sunderlands have been vocal in defending their decision to allow Zac and Abby to go, noting that the teens are accomplished sailors, raised on a variety of yachts their father managed. So is Perham, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean alone at age 14, and Dekker, who was born on a boat.

"Zac and Abby spent their lifetimes on the ocean," said Laurence Sunderland in a telephone interview from his home. "It's a perfect upbringing to embark on something like this."

SLOCUM'S LEGACY

Nobles's organization estimates that fewer than 250 people have ever circumnavigated the globe alone on sailboat. To put that in perspective, roughly three times as many people have climbed Mount Everest, according to the association.

It began with Joshua Slocum, a 51-year-old American sea captain who left Boston in 1895 – despite the fact that he could not swim – and spent four years sailing around the globe on a rebuilt 36-foot oyster sloop called Spray. Years later, Slocum and Spray were lost at sea during a sail from Martha's Vinyard to South America.

During the 20th Century, dozens nevertheless followed in Slocum's wake – including some powerboaters – almost all of them relying on a sextant and celestial navigation to find their way through treacherous shipping lanes and weather systems.

One of the most famous youths to circumnavigate was Robin Lee Graham, another young Californian whom Sunderland credits as an inspiration. Graham set sail for his solo voyage in 1965, he had nothing but the stars to navigate by, with books and two little kittens for company.

Graham spent nearly five years circumnavigating the globe in two different sailboats, Dove, a 24-foot Lapworth sloop, and Return of Dove, a 33-foot Allied Luders sloop. He endured hurricanes, sharks and nearly collided with a freighter – all while equipped with only rudimentary safety equipment like a radio, flares and orange distress flags. No EPIRB. No PLB.

In his day, Graham, who now lives quietly in Somers, Montana was almost as well-known as Sunderland, who sailed into the harbor last month flying flags of several of his sponsors and a T-shirt designed especially for the occasion. Graham's voyage was chronicled by National Geographic; he later wrote a book about the trip, "Dove," which was made into a 1974 movie.

Aebi too was a young adventurer, only 18 years old when she set sail on her voyage around-the-world out of a harbor in New York City. But, unlike Graham, Aebi had only rudimentary sailing experience. She was forced to learn quickly, teaching herself navigation in rough weather on her way to Bermuda. Somehow, she made port. Aebi and her cat, Tarzoon, ended up sailing to 23 countries before making her way back to the U.S. in 1987, where she wrote the book "Maiden Voyage" about her experiences.

Aebi, now 42 and a writer living in Vermont, said Sunderland's accomplishment differs from hers because it is "an accomplishment of the times."

"It is what it is because of the times," she said.

NICHOLAS BERMERAebi was only 18 years old when she set sail on her voyage around-the-world out of a harbor in New York City.'PRETTY CRAZY'

"I'm sure he had difficult, even harrowing, moments just like any solo circumnavigator before him, right back to Josh Slocum," said Georgs Kolesnikovs, a marine journalist who for many years held a speed-sailing record from New York to San Francisco via Cape Horn. "What's much easier today is communication, being able to talk or email anywhere, anytime. That's made the task much less an exercise in the 'alone.' But the sailing itself, getting that small boat all the way around the planet, that is still as challenging as it has ever been."

Zac hailed from a family of sailors, one of seven children, and spent many of his formative years at sea. The family spent three years cruising and then living on a series of yachts. (The elder Sunderland is a yacht manager.)

Zac's mother said that it was a comfort to her throughout her son's journey that he could call her often from his satellite phone and that he had other high-tech safety equipment on board such as a EPIRB, which would help rescue equipment locate his craft via satellite transmission during an emergency.

"Robin Lee Graham had it a lot harder," Zac Sunderland said. "With GPS you can push a button and get your site... But I would have gone either way."

But all the high tech equipment was a help, it was not always a match for a willful ocean. During the course of his journey, Zac had to battle huge waves, storms, equipment failures (including his radar) and a run-in with a ship he thought was filled with pirates.

He was able to call his dad to talk him through a few of the worst crises – like when he thought the pirate ship crossed into his wake in the Indian ocean. His dad advised him to load his pistol and shoot if necessary, but nothing came of it.

Now safely home, he's planning his next moves. He may climb Mount Everest trailed by a television crew. A possible book and movie deal about his travels are in the works.

"It's pretty crazy," Zac said. "The trip has inspired so many people to get out there and sail more."

And the family also has Abby's journey to think about. She has the lofty goal of completing a non-stop unassisted voyage beginning in November on a 40-foot cruiser. The family is shopping for boats and trying to get sponsors for the $350,000 trip.

As Marianne Sunderland put it, "We're just taking it one day at a time right now."