Routes around the world

[C James]

In the chapter 10 thread, Alphadog raised an excellent set of points. It's a complex issue, so I thought I'd start a new thread for it.

 

OK, I've caught up again.

 

He's heading UP the Gulf Stream with the intent of going to Australia? Hello! That has got to be the longest possible route to get there. He is not equipped clothing wise to cross the north Atlantic even in the summer. I grew up in New England and have been as far out as Georges Bank for summer fishing and it aint Florida. Plus once you take that right turn off the Maritimes the trade winds are no longer being warmed by a landmass. The North Atlantic has a well earned reputation for being a rough ocean. (Approx. 20-25% of all colonists btw 1500 and 1800 AD never made it to the New World/Colonies) I hope he pulls in to resupply and/or changes his mind and his route. After the crossing he still has two of the most dangerous passages on the planet ahead of him, for different reasons. The Cape of Good Hope has storms that sink modern merchant ships even now. Then there is the problem of a teenage boy sailing an expensive looking boat through the Eastern Med, the Suez Canal, and the always bad Red and Arabian seas. Piracy off the Horn of Africa and outside the Persian Gulf has always happened. We just hear about it more these last couple of years because they're not just going after pleasure craft. Sure there is a bit of piracy even in the Caribean, but not on the scale of the Red/Arabian Seas or the waters off Indonesia and Malaya. Much safer to take the (sorta) shorter route by way of the Panama Canal and then try to hit the south Pacific islands. Hhhhmmm, dammit I can't remember where the westerly traveling Spanish Fleets used to pick up the trade winds. God that Pacific is huge!

 

We don't know how good he is at navagation. It's one thing to GPS his butt around the Bahamas, but quite a bit different to cross say the southern Indian Ocean and hit Australia. He should do some sort of practise run like navigating by sun and stars to Burmuda. Maybe try for Ireland and if he hits Lands End he realises he's going to have to get help or get some nav education fast. GPS units are just another computer and they can crash or have battery failure.

 

I do hope that some where along the journey the boy gets to enjoy some sex. Personally I'd like to see him have a few flings and trists on the way to Australia and then maybe meet someone more serious who travels with him back to the USA. Lots of adventures either way!

 

Dave

 

Here are four hypothetical routes from Florida to Australia; I've highlighted the one that would fit for his current heading. The four routes are: West, via the Panama Canal, South and then west, via Cape Horn (tip of S. America) South and then east,via cape hope (South Africa) or east, via the Mediterranean and Suez Canal.

 

The antipodal point (point on the opposite side of the globe) for Ft Pierce (Trevor's home) is in the central southern Indian Ocean, about a thousand miles west of Australia. Therefor, the shortest route would be via the Panama Canal. But... it's not that simple. The deciding factor is winds. The route via Panama and a direct transpacific run would put Atalntis in headwinds or the intertropical convergence zone (doldrums, where there can be periods of no wind for weeks) and would be extremely difficult (the only way to sail into the wind is to tack back and forth, making for very slow and difficult going and more than doubling the actual length sailed for those areas). Atlantis could avoid this by striking east from Panama and beating close hauled (slightly upwind) towards Hawaii, and then heading west, and then south. That would solve much of the wind problem, but still leaves the doldrums issue. This route is feasible, but would actually end up being longer and slower than the eastbound routes. However, it's a viable route.

 

Similar would hold true for rounding Cape Horn; the roaring 40's have eastbound winds, so same problem, but far harder to fix with a route change. This route is technically possible but would be incredibly difficult (the roaring 40's also hold some of the roughest seas on earth.)

 

Rounding South Africa is an option. Once Atlantis reached it, she'd have generally following winds, but getting there is a sizable detour, and from Florida to South Africa would be difficult; the winds often vary by season, and in the southeast Atlantis are often northerly so it would be difficult sailing, and crossing the central Atlantic would also be difficult (the prevailing winds run from northern Africa towards the Americas) but it is a feasible route, just long and potentially very difficult. It would also require crossing the Indian Ocean at about 30 degrees south latitude, and those can be stormy waters. However, it is a viable route.

 

The fourth option would be to head up the US cost from Florida, riding the gulf stream, and then take the eastbound winds across to southern Europe. Where would depend on the position and existence of the Bermuda High, though for mid summer, turning to a northeastern track around Cape Hatteras would be a likely option, taking a great circle route, passing close to the Azores, towards Spain. Then go via the Mediterranean and the Suez canal, down the Red Sea, and into the north Indian Ocean, then cut across the NE trades by heading rough south and then bending east. This also puts you in the doldrums in the central Indian Ocean, and this route is more prone to seasonal wind changes (that's why sailors often use the term "weather window"; a forecast for winds favorable for their direction of travel). However, this is also a very viable route.

 

Piracy is indeed an issue for yachting in some areas. Several yachtsmen have been murdered, many more have been robbed, beaten, held hostage, etc. Also, there have been mysterious disappearances that could be due to piracy.

 

The Red Sea - Horn of Africa route goes close to Somalia, but as you mention, there are other trouble spots; Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the South China Sea, Brazil, the Caribbean (mainly in the far south) etc. There have also been attacks in areas not known for piracy.

 

Another routing that fits Trevor's current course would be to cross the Atlantic almost to Europe, and then turn south, following the southerlies that usually blow in the area, past the Canary and Cape Verde islands, and then tack across the northeast trades towards Brazil, then turn south until reaching the westerlies to head towards South Africa and around Cape Horn.

I'll see if I can find some links to seasonal wind maps to post. One thing to bear in mind; weather changes, and winds might not always blow in the direction they normally do.

 

 

I'll add more to this thread once we know more of Trevor's plans, but if anyone has any questions, please ask!

 

Edit: Okay, here's one link, but, it shows current wind and weather, not historical or seasonal.

http://www.passageweather.com/

[Graeme]

The wikipedia article on Circumnavigation includes some maps of typical sailing routes (one for someone doing a simple circumnavigation and another for yacht racing, that avoids the Suez and Panama canals).

[C James]

The wikipedia article on Circumnavigation includes some maps of typical sailing routes (one for someone doing a simple circumnavigation and another for yacht racing, that avoids the Suez and Panama canals).

 

That's an interesting article and information, thanks!

 

One thing to bear in mind; a modern yacht can go against the wind by tacking, but it's slow and arduous, often called "beating and bashing". Also, a catamaran like Atlantis and also some monohull yachts are faster moving across the wind than running before it. So, if the wind is from the west, a sailboat could easily use it to go east, north, south, or even north by northwest or south by southwest. A sailboat, when tacking, is actually moving into the wind at an angle. If not tacking and just doing, say, a course of northwest when the wind is out of the west, it's called sailing close hauled.

 

Further complicating things is that different types of sailboat would look at the same conditions and chose different routes. A 30 ft monohull would favor different conditions than a far faster catamaran. Also, fast boats, like a Catamaran, Trimaran, or a very fast monohull like an open 50, don't worry as much about storms en route; they are fast enough to outrun or dodge them. This is not the case for a 30 foot monohull that probably has a hull speed (maximum speed) in the 6 knot range; they are very much at risk of being caught by weather.

 

BTW, by "Weather" I include wind, waves, ocean currents, fog, rain, low and high-pressure systems, and tropical events (Tropical storms, hurricanes, etc). Waves are probably the most critical weather element since they have the greatest potential effect on a vessel's stability and its ability to make progress toward a given destination.

 

Basically, one can sum up route planning like this; if you're going west, you'll stay mainly in the tropics. If you're going east, you'll be in higher latitudes (further north or south) and exposed to more severe weather and sea conditions, but also to faster times.

[Gandalf]

Hi CJ and all. I just returned to GA after a long hiatus and found this story. As some of you may have remembered I sailed my 32' cutter from Maine to the Keys and then back up the Stream to NC thence transatlantic to the Azores, Portugal and Spain. I then returned to Florida and Maine but did talk alot with other world cruisers and considered accompanying a Brit thru the Med thence down the Suez and down the Indian Ocean and to Austrailia. By following the right weather predictions this is a feasible route although the more traditional route from Florida would be down the Carribean chain and through Panama Canal to the Galapagos thence to Tahiti , NZ and then OZ. This is far the most common route and relatively easy by waiting for the right season as you move along. This is true of all ocean passages. There are seasonal current and weather patterns which will move you around the world fairly easily and safely(especially a substantial boat such as Atlantis). Unfortunatly climate change has been playing with the patterns so they are not as predictable and reliable as they were since the Royal Navy first charted and tracked them several centuries ago.

 

I am enjoying the story a great deal. I had read part of one of your stories before I stopped reading GA and enjoyed it. I have read the first 10 chapters in the last two days. Recognise many of your locations in FL. Thanks CJ and hope to chat some more on your forum. Pax Steve S/V Gandalf currently in Maine.

[JamesSavik]

There are two places that have been known for killing sailors for centuries:

 

Tierra del Feugo- the Southernmost point of South America; the transition between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

 

Cape of Good Hope- the southernmost point of Africa; the transition between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

 

Both places are known for terrific storms, unpredictable tides and currents and strange tidal conditions caused by differences in the temperature of the waters.

 

If you are going to kill your sailor, those two places would be likely candidates.

[C James]

Hi CJ and all. I just returned to GA after a long hiatus and found this story. As some of you may have remembered I sailed my 32' cutter from Maine to the Keys and then back up the Stream to NC thence transatlantic to the Azores, Portugal and Spain. I then returned to Florida and Maine but did talk alot with other world cruisers and considered accompanying a Brit thru the Med thence down the Suez and down the Indian Ocean and to Austrailia. By following the right weather predictions this is a feasible route although the more traditional route from Florida would be down the Carribean chain and through Panama Canal to the Galapagos thence to Tahiti , NZ and then OZ. This is far the most common route and relatively easy by waiting for the right season as you move along. This is true of all ocean passages. There are seasonal current and weather patterns which will move you around the world fairly easily and safely(especially a substantial boat such as Atlantis). Unfortunatly climate change has been playing with the patterns so they are not as predictable and reliable as they were since the Royal Navy first charted and tracked them several centuries ago.

 

I am enjoying the story a great deal. I had read part of one of your stories before I stopped reading GA and enjoyed it. I have read the first 10 chapters in the last two days. Recognise many of your locations in FL. Thanks CJ and hope to chat some more on your forum. Pax Steve S/V Gandalf currently in Maine.

 

The prevailing winds in the tropics are usually east to west, so Trevor's choice of an eastbound circumnavigation was a bit unusual, and in many cases heading for Panama would make sense for a tropical circumnavigation. On the other hand, if he heads south, the roaring 40's are eastbound, so for higher latitudes eastbound would make more sense.

 

One factor is his boat type; Catamarans can sail closer into the wind than monohulls, and they are faster. The latter gives him the ability to use short-range forecasting to plot weather windows. He's definitely paying attention to seasonal issues; it's mentioned in passing that he needs to wait in the eastern med for his a weather window in the Indian Ocean.

 

Thanks Steve, and welcome back!!!

 

There are two places that have been known for killing sailors for centuries:

 

Tierra del Feugo- the Southernmost point of South America; the transition between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

 

Cape of Good Hope- the southernmost point of Africa; the transition between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

 

Both places are known for terrific storms, unpredictable tides and currents and strange tidal conditions caused by differences in the temperature of the waters.

 

If you are going to kill your sailor, those two places would be likely candidates.

 

Cape Horn (Terra Del Fuego) is indeed notorious. It's the furthest south of the great capes, and has very unpredictable weather. I've rounded it two ways; the Magellan passage to the north, and also by rounding the cape itself. (both times on big ships). Oddly, and unusually, the sea was dead calm when I rounded the cape. Then a few days later off the Falklands, it was rough as hell and a constant gale.

 

The Cape of Good Hope is a perilous one, and most everyone thinks it's the southernmost point of Africa and also the dividing line between the Indian and Atlantic oceans. In much the same way, most people believe that Gibraltar is the point of Europe closest to Africa, and that Gibraltar sits astride the narrowest point of the strait. None of the above are true.

 

The southernmost point in Africa is Cape Agulahs, a hundred miles southeast of the Cape of Good Hope. It is also the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. The cape of good hope protrudes far out from the coast, and marks the point where a ship coming down the African Atlantic coast would turn generally eastward, so it is the more famous of the two. It also has some wild weather. There's even a surfing beach near the tip of the cape. I've walked along that beach, but the waves were way too big and wild for me to try. (I was never a big wave surfer; I don't have the skill).

 

Rounding a great cape is indeed hazardous. The mercurial and unforgiving sea holds a great many dangers, and those rank high on the list.