By Nancy Needham  nancy@theacorn.com

THE BEGINNING OF THE END--Zac Sunderland, 17, of Thousand Oaks is shown here in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as he begins the last leg of his sailing trip around the world. He's scheduled to dock at Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey next Thurs., July 16. The journey began a year ago in June when he departed from the same site where it will end.

The boy who's been sailing around the world by himself is coming home.

Zac Sunderland, 17, of Thousand Oaks will arrive sometime Thurs., July 16 at Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey.

Zac left Marina del Rey harbor on his 36-foot sailboat Intrepid at age 16 last June, saying good-bye to his parents, Laurence and Marianne Sunderland, and his six younger siblings as he began his first solo sailing experience.

He's faced bad weather, pirates, equipment failure, rigging problems and hard work, but his mother thinks the most difficult part may have been being alone. His mom hasn't seen him since a year ago, when he sailed off from Hawaii.

"Sailing alone is difficult, not just because of the loneliness, but he could have used the help of an extra set of hands," Marianne Sunderland said.

The biggest change he'll face when he comes home will most likely be the difference in the country's political climate, with a new president and a more challenging economy, she said.

Neither sounds like a problem that can't be handled by a boy who just traveled the world by himself without becoming a pirate hostage or shark bait.

Zac crossed the Pacific Ocean, went above Australia, through the Indian Ocean, beneath Africa at the Cape of Good Hope, over the Atlantic Ocean, through the Caribbean Sea and the Panama Canal and then up the coast of Central America and Mexico on his way back to California.

His boat is equipped with a solar oven and other cooking equipment, but he's survived mostly on Top Ramen noodle soup, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, beef jerky, fruit and canned tuna.

He's kept in touch with his family using a satellite phone.

Zac grew up on boats. His father is a boat builder and captain from England, and the family has sailed together to places such as Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.

The Sunderland children are home-schooled. Zac is taking a year off from official schooling, but his education continues, his mother said. He writes to his fans on www.zacsunderland.com.

When he arrives in California, he will become the world's youngest solo circumnavigator of the globe. Then he'll worry about completing high school and learning to drive a car.