Marianne Sunderland said her son, Zac, was forced to celebrate both Thanksgiving and his 17th birthday alone on his 36-foot sailboat while trying to become the youngest person to sail around the world all alone, the Los Angeles Times said Thursday.

Zac is thankful for the relatively calm weather he has enjoyed to date, his mother said.

"Zac is well and entering the danger zone as far as weather off of Africa," she said. "So far he has had pretty light winds and so though he's not making great progress, he is happy to not be getting his butt kicked."

Sunderland said in a Thanksgiving Day blog that everyone who has supported Zac, who is now beyond the halfway point of his journey, deserved special holiday thanks, the Times said.

"On behalf of Zac and the entire Sunderland family we thank you all for supporting and encouraging all of us in this endeavor," she said.