Circumnavigate the globe using only human power: Expedition 360

[archerships]

http://www.expedition360.com/reference/pedal_boat.htm

Two major obstacles we faced when planning how to circumnavigate the world using only human power were the two big oceans: the Atlantic and the Pacific. In order to stand even a remote chance of success we needed a very special craft that could carry enough provisions for two people to survive for up to six months at sea without resupply, but which was streamlined enough to travel quickly through the water.

The result was 'Moksha', a 26ft x 4.5ft wooden boat powered only by pedals. The word Moksha means 'freedom' or 'liberation' in the ancient language of Sanskrit.


Unique in the world, Moksha has to date successfully carried Jason, Steve and a handful of other expedition participants across 15,000 nautical miles of open ocean. She also carries the names of over 3,000 people on the side of her hull who have helped the expedition on it's way around the world.


Expedition 360 owes much to this tiny bundle of wood and glue. More than the sum of her individual parts, Moksha has been both teacher and guardian to those of us lucky enough to have crossed an ocean in her.

Comments

weak in the knees

[polyanarch.livejournal.com]

I'm confused about the basic premise behind this craft. It propounds to be capable of circumnavigating the globe using only human power. Therefore she does not have sails because that would be harnessing _wind_ power. But I don't think that wind power can be totally taken out of the loop. The wind has an effect so are the crew going to take steps to make sure wind effects are cancelled out so as to not give any advantage or disadvantage? For example, if this ship has a tail-wind the entire way then she is not operating solely on human power.

Even more of an effect is current. Is their course going to attempt to avoid all ocean currents? If they so much as cross a major ocean current this is either going to move them closer, or further, from their goal.

I'm assuming that there will be no land crossings in their circumnavigation since this craft does not seem to be portageable so all of the globe will have to be crossed on ship or a land crossing would have to start on one side of a major continent like Spain and meet the ship on the other sideof Eurasia in, perhaps, Korea -then sail the rest of the way back to the starting point, perhaps going through the Panama canal? Or are they planning on a sea-only course? It seems like an awfully far distance to peddle. I'd much rather put up a sail then peddle. To each their own though :)

Neat ship though.