Round the World. Well, not quite.

M

Major Catastrophe

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 May 2005
Messages
24,466
Visit site
Many of the papers and the online news feeds carry the story of Dave and Hazel McCabe who have just returned for a 4 year "round the world" honeymoon sailing trip, with just a two year old daughter to show for it.

Every news report carries the "Round the World" tag but it wasn't until I read The Sun that the true course they took was revealed. Devon - Caribbean - New York - The Azores - Canary Islands - Devon.

Not quite Round the World but the pictures on The Mail's website make up for the news agencies reporting deficiencies that most of the papers decided to print verbatim without checking.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/02/article-1217649-06A8074E000005DC-530_634x420.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/02/article-1217649-06A8035F000005DC-610_634x397.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/02/article-1217649-06A80742000005DC-935_634x339.jpg

All, and more, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/wor...year-honeymoon-sailing-world--daughter-2.html
 
Nice photos - and I suppose the 'Voyage around the World' is a bit more eye catching than (say) 'A slow potter around the North Atlantic'......

The Ros Ailithers are an amazing couple - I met them here, briefly, a few years ago after they had arrived at the harbour, and were checking in at the Customs.
They have a nice b-log about their 'Trawler Travels' at http://trawlertravels.blogspot.com/

What I didnt realise until afterwards was that they had picked up two extra crew 600 miles east of Barbados - all the details are in their b-log if you go back far enough, and I also posted a note on here about 'what happened next' re the boat their two new crew had abandoned - have a look at this thread :
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111396
 
not quite Round the World but the pictures on The Mail's website make up for the news agencies reporting deficiencies that most of the papers decided to print verbatim without checking.

I was banging on about this very thing the other day..... That story is from South West News Service... now the dominant freelance supplier of "Human Interest" stories in the UK. Pretty much anything they bang out is straight into the papers.

They did a piece the other day (Under their MASONS) brand, about a bloke inn Leics who was attacked at home.... according to the Masons/SWNS story he was "Stabbed in the Face 11 Times whilst feeding his baby!!"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...father-stabbed-11-times-face-6-000-Rolex.html

Well here is were they got that story.....

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co....-baby-son/article-1377154-detail/article.html


Note how he has gone from being slashed 4 times to stabbed 11 times.....

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

And if you think this is a rareity...... think again.
 
While accepting that inaccurate reporting is irritating, as far as I'm concerned anyone who leaves the continental shelf has as good as sailed round the world and deserves my admiration.
 
I don't want to belittle anyones trip, but their "Round the World" is similar to the many tales of people sailing "Round Britain" through the Caledonian Canal.
 
NormanS said:
I don't want to belittle anyones trip, but their "Round the World" is similar to the many tales of people sailing "Round Britain" through the Caledonian Canal.
Click to expand...

"Sailing round the world" now seems to mean "Sail down the Atlantic, do as small a circle as you can get away with round Antarctica, sail back up the Atlantic again". Which is fine, and far more than I would ever dream of doing myself, but not quite a true circumnavigation, I feel.
 
orbister said:
"Sailing round the world" now seems to mean "Sail down the Atlantic, do as small a circle as you can get away with round Antarctica, sail back up the Atlantic again". Which is fine, and far more than I would ever dream of doing myself, but not quite a true circumnavigation, I feel.
Click to expand...

Well, no-one sane would go south of 60 degrees south - you'd get wrecked by icebergs or pack ice in pretty short order. So, the distance by the route you suggest is about 7,000 nm down the Atlantic, 10,800 nm describing the small circle at 60 south, and then 7,000 nm back up the Atlantic. That's about 24,800 nm - approximate, of course. The equatorial circumference of the Earth is about 21,600 nm. So, the Southern Ocean route is actually further than the shortest circumnavigation! Of course, you'd save some of the distance by cutting corners in the South Atlantic, but it's still about the same distance.
 
orbister said:
"Sailing round the world" now seems to mean "Sail down the Atlantic, do as small a circle as you can get away with round Antarctica, sail back up the Atlantic again". Which is fine, and far more than I would ever dream of doing myself, but not quite a true circumnavigation, I feel.
Click to expand...

Quite so, a mere journey that covers two hemispheres and 360 degrees of longitude can't possibly count as a circumnavigation.;)
 
Major Catastrophe said:
Many of the papers and the online news feeds carry the story of Dave and Hazel McCabe who have just returned for a 4 year "round the world" honeymoon sailing trip, with just a two year old daughter to show for it.

Every news report carries the "Round the World" tag but it wasn't until I read The Sun that the true course they took was revealed. Devon - Caribbean - New York - The Azores - Canary Islands - Devon.

Not quite Round the World but the pictures on The Mail's website make up for the news agencies reporting deficiencies that most of the papers decided to print verbatim without checking.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/02/article-1217649-06A8074E000005DC-530_634x420.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/02/article-1217649-06A8035F000005DC-610_634x397.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/02/article-1217649-06A80742000005DC-935_634x339.jpg

All, and more, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/wor...year-honeymoon-sailing-world--daughter-2.html
Click to expand...

They're a local couple who for many years ran the Topsham to Turf (hotel/pub) ferry. He converted the boat from an old trawler over a period of a few years or more. Friendly popular couple, who really cares how far they went. Only that they had an interesting time and are now home safely with more than a few tales to tell. Good for them.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
Well, no-one sane would go south of 60 degrees south - you'd get wrecked by icebergs or pack ice in pretty short order. So, the distance by the route you suggest is about 7,000 nm down the Atlantic, 10,800 nm describing the small circle at 60 south, and then 7,000 nm back up the Atlantic. That's about 24,800 nm
Click to expand...
Of which only 10,800 miles is the "circumnavigation" - half the proper distance - and the rest is positioning. If it's only miles that matters, go round the Isle of Wight 400 times ...

Bah. Kids today.
 
Remember when Slocum arrived in South Africa on the last leg of his circumnavigation, President Kruger, a flat earther, said "You don't mean round the world, it is impossible! You mean in the world".
 
snowleopard said:
Show me anything even close to a great circle that is wholly navigable.
Click to expand...

Well, if the Arctic Ocean becomes ice-free, you might manage to get pretty close via the Denmark Strait and the Bering Strait. You'd have to detour a bit to miss Antarctica, though. We aren't going to see sea route across the South Pole in anything less than thousands of years - but it is worth noting that a lot of the continent beneath the ice is below sea-level (http://www.antarctica.ac.uk//bas_research/data/access/bedmap/examples/bed10.gif)
 
My opinion is that round-the-world should at least go north of Australia. And through the Caledonian canal is a circumnavigation of England and Wales, plus a visit to Scotland.
 
stevebrassett said:
My opinion is that round-the-world should at least go north of Australia. And through the Caledonian canal is a circumnavigation of England and Wales, plus a visit to Scotland.
Click to expand...
As the Volvo, Vendee globe and most other RTW races go South of Australia that's a contentious one. As for round Britain, if that is taken as mainland Britain excluding islands, the Caledonian is a valid route. The bit to the north is an island i.e. separated by water, connected only by bridges.
 
snowleopard said:
As the Volvo, Vendee globe and most other RTW races go South of Australia that's a contentious one. As for round Britain, if that is taken as mainland Britain excluding islands, the Caledonian is a valid route. The bit to the north is an island i.e. separated by water, connected only by bridges.
Click to expand...
I accept what you're saying, which is why I said it is my opinion. I am totally in awe of those who enter the rtw races - I just have a bit of a problem calling it a "Round the World" race, when it is really "Down the Atlantic, round the cold bit and back up the Atlantic".
 
snowleopard said:
As the Volvo, Vendee globe and most other RTW races go South of Australia that's a contentious one. As for round Britain, if that is taken as mainland Britain excluding islands, the Caledonian is a valid route. The bit to the north is an island i.e. separated by water, connected only by bridges.
Click to expand...

One or two canals in England too.... you might even miss out the Welsh bit if you try!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top