01/08/08b VOTE NOW!!

 

The first serious vote that’ll determine in which direction I’ll be circumnavigating the world is now online. This one is for real so log into the forum at http://www.w2n.co.uk/forum.html, take a look at the options and use your vote carefully! Put simply, there are only four options to choose from and they are the two canals ( Panama or Suez ) or the two capes (Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn ). This vote will run until the 20th September when the winning route will be announced and the dice will decide the first landfall.

So, from Portsmouth , the options...

1. Heading SW via the Channel Islands before crossing the Bay of Biscay and following the coast of Spain and Portugal before turning left at Gibraltar and committing to an Easterly circumnavigation via the Mediterranean. This would appear to be the most comfortable option - and it is for a while, except that an easterly lap would inevitably include a cold and dangerous North Pacific passage.

2. Heading SW, again down the Spanish / Portuguese coast to Madeira or the Canary Islands before continuing south and rounding South Africa the long way via the Cape of Good Hope. Again, this starts by following the recognised cruising routes but going the long way around South Africa wouldn't be everybody's choice. Just as with option 1, this route would include an easterly crossing of the Indian and Pacific oceans although it would include a fascinating cruise around much of Asia and up the eastern Chinese coast.

3. Perhaps the most favoured westerly cruising route. Heading SW either directly from Portsmouth via the Channel Islands and across the Bay of Biscay or W to Lizard and directly to the Madeira or the Canary Islands before following the trade winds to the Caribbean. Traditionally, this route would then continue through the Panama Canal from where there are dozens of fascinating Pacific Islands to choose from. The biggest danger with this option would be catching the tail end of the 'Tropical Storm' season in the Atlantic .

4. Starting just as in option 3, but instead of following the trade winds to the Caribbean, option 4 would head straight for South America . This would of course be fascinating but having committed to a westerly circumnavigation, I would be faced with the reality of negotiating the Straits of Magellan or perhaps even Cape Horn, the most feared Cape in the world. It really would be an epic adventure that would make any sailor proud to have achieved but it is a notoriously dangerous prospect.

Option 1 Mediterranean

Option 2 South Africa

Option 3 Caribbean

Option 4 South America

Okay, so there are the options. You can change your vote as often as you like but the option with the most votes on 20th September 2008 WILL be the one I'll commit to. The winning option will determine the general direction and the dice will then decide each landfall on that route.

Be nice!