Circumnavigation

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“Round the world” redirects here. For the airline ticket, see round-the-world ticket.

To circumnavigate a place, such as an island, a continent, or the Earth, is to travel all the way around it by boat or ship. More recently, the term has also been used to cover aerial round-the-world flights.

[edit] World circumnavigation

The route of a typical modern sailing circumnavigation, via the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal is shown in red; its antipodes are shown in yellow.

A basic definition of a world circumnavigation would be a route which covers at least a great circle, and in particular one which passes through at least one pair of points antipodal to each other. In practice, different definitions of world circumnavigation are used, in order to accommodate practical constraints depending on the method of circumnavigation.

[edit] Sailing

The map on the right shows, in red, a typical sailing circumnavigation of the world by the trade winds and the Suez and Panama canals; overlaid in yellow are the points antipodal to all points on the route. It can be seen that the route roughly approximates a great circle, and passes through two pairs of antipodal points. This is a route followed by many cruising sailors; the use of the trade winds makes it a relatively easy sail, although it passes through a number of zones of calms or light winds.

The route of a typical yacht racing circumnavigation is shown in red; its antipodes are shown in yellow.

In yacht racing, a round-the-world route approximating a great circle would be quite impractical, particularly in a non-stop race where use of the Panama and Suez Canals would be impossible. Yacht racing therefore defines a world circumnavigation to be a passage of at least 21,600 nautical miles (40,000 km) in length which crosses the equator, crosses every meridian in the same direction and finishes in the same port as it starts.^[1] The map on the left shows the route of the Vendée Globe round-the-world race in red; overlaid in yellow are the points antipodal to all points on the route. It can be seen that the route does not pass through any pairs of antipodal points.

[edit] Aviation

Aviation records take account of the wind circulation patterns of the world; in particular the jet streams, which circulate in the northern and southern hemispheres without crossing the equator. There is therefore no requirement to cross the equator, or to pass through two antipodal points, in the course of setting a round-the-world aviation record. Thus, for example, Steve Fosset's global circumnavigation by balloon was entirely contained within the southern hemisphere.

For powered aviation, the course of a round-the-world record must start and finish at the same point and cross all meridians; the course must be at least 36,787.559 kilometres (22,858.729 mi) long (which is the length of the Tropic of Cancer). The course must include set control points at latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic circles.^[2]

In ballooning, which is totally at the mercy of the winds, the requirements are even more relaxed. The course must cross all meridians, and must include a set of checkpoints which are all outside of two circles, chosen by the pilot, having radii of 3,335.85 kilometres (2,072.80 mi) and enclosing the poles (though not necessarily centred on them).^[3]

Most recently have been attempt at polar circumnavigation; tracing a great circle around the globe 'vertically' i.e. through both poles, which is of course only possible by air.

[edit] Notable global maritime circumnavigations

• Ferdinand Magellan, 1511–1521 (multiple voyages). In 1511 he visited the Moluccas (longitude about 128°E). He returned to Portugal and set out in 1519 to circumnavigate the globe. He discovered and sailed through the Strait of Magellan and reached the Philippines in 1521, where he was killed at Cebu (longitude about 124°E).
• Enrique of Malacca, ?–1521, Magellan's interpreter (multiple voyages). He was captured in Sumatra as a child and taken to the Moluccas where he was sold to Magellan in 1511; he accompanied Magellan on his circumnavigation and ended up on Cebu in the Philippines.
• The 18 survivors of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, 1519–1522, in Victoria. After Magellan died in the Philippines in 1521, the circumnavigation was completed under the command of Juan Sebastián Elcano. They were the first to circumnavigate the globe in a single expedition.
• The survivors of García Jofre de Loaysa's Spanish expedition, 1525–1536. None of Loaysa's seven ships completed the voyage, but Santa María de la Victoria reached the Moluccas before being wrecked in a Portuguese attack. Fernando de la Torre and eight survivors return to Spain on a Portuguese ship.
• Francis Drake, 1577–1580, in Golden Hind. Discovered the Drake Passage but entered the Pacific via the Strait of Magellan.
• Thomas Cavendish, 1586–1588, in Desire.
• The survivors of the expeditions of Jacques Mahu and Olivier van Noort, 1598–1601. Of Mahu's five and Van Noort's four ships only two returned.
• George Spilberg, 1614–1617.
• Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire, 1615–1617 in Eendraght. Discovered Cape Horn; the first expedition to enter the Pacific via the Drake Passage.
• Jacob l'Hermite and John Hugo Schapenham, 1623–1626.
• Giovanni Francesco Gemelli Carreri, 1693–1698. The first tourist to circumnavigate the globe, paying his own way on multiple voyages, crossing Mexico on land.
• William Dampier (English) 1679–1691; 1703–1707; and 1708–1711. First person to circumnavigate the world twice.
• George Anson, 1st Baron Anson, 1740–1744, in HMS Centurion.
• John Byron, 1764–1766, in HMS Dolphin. First circumnavigation in less than two years.
• Samuel Wallis and Philip Carteret, 1766–1768, in Dolphin and HMS Swallow. Carteret had served on Byron's expedition. Dolphin was the first ship to survive two circumnavigations.
• James Cook, 1768–1771, in HMS Endeavour. The first circumnavigation to lose no personnel to scurvy.
• Tobias Furneaux, 1772–1774, in HMS Adventure. The first circumnavigation from west to east. (Furneaux was a veteran of Byron's expedition so he was also the first person to circumnavigate in both directions.)
• James Cook, 1772–1775 in HMS Resolution.
• Robert Gray, 1787–1790, first American circumnavigation.
• Adam Johann von Krusenstern, 1803–1806 first Russian circumnavigation.
• Robert Fitzroy, 1831–1836, in HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin.
• The first Galathea expedition, 1845–1847, first Danish circumnavigation.
• Joshua Slocum, 1895–1898, first single-handed circumnavigation.
• Harry Pidgeon, 1921–1925 1932–1937, second single-handed circumnavigation, first person to circumnavigate solo twice.
• USS Triton, 1960 first underwater circumnavigation.
• Irving Johnson, 1934–1958, sail training pioneer together with his wife Electa "Exy" Johnson, circumnavigated the world 7 times with amateur crews.
• Robin Lee Graham, 1965-c. 1970, youngest at the time (at age 16-21) solo circumnavigation aboard 24' sailboat Dove.
• Sir Francis Chichester, 1966–1967, first single-handed circumnavigation with just one port of call.
• Robin Knox-Johnston, 1968–1969, first single-handed non-stop circumnavigation.
• Chay Blyth, 1971, first westwards single-handed non-stop circumnavigation.
• Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz, 1976–1978, first woman to perform a single-handed circumnavigation.
• Naomi James, 1977–1978, first woman to perform a single-handed circumnavigation via Cape Horn.
• Marvin Creamer (USA), December 21, 1982 – May 17, 1984, only known person to circumnavigate the globe by boat with no nautical aids, not even a compass or watch [1].
• Tania Aebi, 1985–1987, American woman who completed a solo circumnavigation by the age of 20, one 80 nautical mile stretch with crew disqualified her from an official record.
• Kay Cottee, 1988, first woman to perform a solo non-stop circumnavigation.
• Jesse Martin, 1999, youngest person (aged 17-18 years) to perform a solo non-stop circumnavigation.
• Dee Caffari, 2006, first woman to perform a solo westabout non-stop circumnavigation, in 178 days.^[4]

[edit] Other notable maritime circumnavigations

• Phoenician expedition sent by Pharaoh Necho II, c. 600 BC, first circumnavigation of Africa.
• Roman Governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola, c. 80, first circumnavigation of Britain.
• Jacques Cartier, 1534–1535, first circumnavigation of Newfoundland.
• James Cook, 1769–1770, first circumnavigation of New Zealand.
• Matthew Flinders, 1801–1803, first circumnavigation of Australia.
• Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, 1878–1879, first circumnavigation of Eurasia.
• RCMP St Roch — first vessel to circumnavigate North America. 1940-1942, Vancouver to Halifax, via the Northwest Passage. 1950, Halifax to Vancouver, via the Panama Canal.
• HMCS Labrador, 1954, first vessel to circumnavigate North America in a single voyage.

[edit] Record maritime circumnavigations

• Bruno Peyron (French), January–March 2005, fastest circumnavigation 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes 4 seconds.
• Jean Luc van den Heede (French), 2004, fastest westward single-handed circumnavigation, 122 days 14 hours 3 minutes 49 seconds.
• Ellen MacArthur (English), 2004–2005, fastest single-handed 71 days 14 hours 18 minutes 33 seconds.
• Jon Sanders holds the world record for completing a single-handed triple circumnavigation.

[edit] Notable aerial circumnavigations

• United States Army Air Service, 1924, first aerial circumnavigation, 175 days, covering 44,360 kilometres (27,553 miles).
• LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin, 1929, piloted by Hugo Eckener set a record for the fastest aerial circumnavigation, 21 days, which was also the first circumnavigation in an airship.
• On July 1, 1931, pilot Wiley Post and navigator Harold Gatty completed their circumnavigation of the world in a Lockheed Vega aeroplane, Winnie Mae, in 8 days, 15 hours and 51 minutes; the record for fastest circumnavigation was once again held by an aeroplane.
• In 1932 Wolfgang von Gronau flew around the World with a twin engine Dornier seaplane, Gronland-Wal D-2053, in nearly 4 months, making 44 stops en route. He was accompanied by co-pilot Gerth von Roth, mechanic Franzl Hack, and radio operator Frtiz Albrecht.^[5]
• In 1933 Wiley Post repeated his circumnavigation by aeroplane, but this time solo, using an autopilot and radio direction finder. He made the first solo aerial circumnavigation in a time one day faster than his previous record: 7 days, 19 hours, 49 minutes, in which he covered 25,110 kilometres (15,596 mi).
• In 1949 the United States Air Force B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II made the first non-stop aerial circumnavigation in 94 hours and 1 minute. 4 in-air refuelings were required for the flight, which covered 37,743 kilometres (23,452 mi).
• In 1961 Yuri Gagarin made the first human flight in space, and completed the first orbit of the Earth, in Vostok 1.
• Geraldine Mock, 1964, first woman to complete a solo aerial circumnavigation.
• Don Taylor, 1976, first general aviation circumnavigation by homebuilt aircraft.
• Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, 1986, Voyager, first non-refueled circumnavigation in an airplane, 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds.
• Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, 1999, first non-stop balloon circumnavigation in Breitling Orbiter 3, 19 days, 1 hour and 49 minutes, covering 42,810 kilometres.
• Steve Fossett, 2 July 2002, first solo balloon circumnavigation.
• Steve Fossett, 3 March 2005, first non-stop, non-refueled solo circumnavigation in an airplane, 67 hours, covering 37,000 kilometres.
• Steve Fossett, 11 February 2006, longest non-stop, non-refueled solo flight (with circumnavigation) in an airplane, covering 42,469.5 kilometres (26,389.3 mi), in 76 hours and 45 minutes.^[6][7]

[edit] External links

• Steven Dutch, Circumnavigations of the Globe to 1800

[edit] References