Circumnavigation
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.
|
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.
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.
[World Sailing Speed Record Council Rules 2005-2008, sec. 26, Record Courses] 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.
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.
[FAI Sporting Code Section 2: Powered Aerodynes: Speed around the world non-stop and non-refuelled]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).
[FAI Sporting Code Section 1: Aerostats: Around-the-World Records]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.
*
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).
*
Henry the Black, ?–
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 Sebastian Elcano.
They were the first to circumnavigate the globe in a single expedition.
* The survivors of
Garcia Jofre de Loaysa's Spanish expedition,
1525–
1536. None of Loaysa's seven ships completed the voyage, but
Santa Maria 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 â€"
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, youngest (at age 18-20) and first American woman to complete a solo circumnavigation aboard 26' sailboat
Varuna."
* Kay Cottee, 1988, first woman to perform a solo non-stop circumnavigation.
* Dee Caffari, 2006, first woman to perform a solo westabout non-stop circumnavigation, in 178 days.Wrong-way sailor back on UK soil'', BBC News. Retrieved
May 21,
2006.
*
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.
* ,
1954, first vessel to circumnavigate
North America in a single voyage.
*
Bruno Peyron (
French), Januaryâ€"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),
2004â€"
2005, fastest
single-handed 71 days 14 hours 18 minutes 33 seconds.
*
Jon Sanders holds the world record for completing a single-handed triple circumnativagation.
*
Colin Angus Completed the world's first entirely human-powered circumnavigation by rowing, canoeing, cycling, skiing and trekking May 20th, 2006.
*
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.
[Round-the-World Flights, from WingNet. Retrieved May 14, 2006.]* 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.
[Fossett flies to non-stop record, from BBC News. Retrieved 11 February, 2006.][Steve lands as an uninvited guest!, from Virgin Global Flyer. Retrieved 11 February, 2006.]* Steven Dutch,
Circumnavigations of the Globe to 1800
