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dalet-us · 4 years

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What is Solo Human-Powered Polar Circumnavigation?

** Colin Angus rowing across the Atlantic Ocean 2014

My dear friend,

Perhaps when I use the term “Solo human powered polar circumnavigation” you are not so sure what I mean by the use of those terms. I am confident that pretty much everyone is a bit foggy of what that means. In actuality, there is not complete agreement among the experts of what any of these terms mean. There is not even a consensus of what constitutes a true circumnavigation of the Earth.

Therefore, with this post we will take a brief look at a few circumnavigations in the annals of history to get a little better idea of what the terms mean in application. In subsequent posts, I will expand on these topics as they come into view. The whole business is surprisingly complicated. It is not something that we want to fully analyze in a single blog post. If you look at the Wikipedia page on the topic, you will see what I mean. It is a fairly lengthy article, and it does hardly more that scratch the surface of the subject.

In the 1500’s there were a number of adventures that made attempts at circumnavigating the Earth in wooden sailing vessels, including Ferdinand Magellan and Sir Francis Drake. There is no lack of debate about who completed what journey, what ship they were on, and if it constituted a single voyage or not. Ever since then, men have debated about every circumnaviga-tion that has ever been attempted. Is it a circumnavigation in the truest sense of the word? Was it completed in a single set of consecutive uninterrupted voyages? Was it completed in the same vessel? Were the crew members all the same? On and on are these types of questions are bantered about. They are all good questions; however, there seems to be a great deal of splitting hairs among the experts and the onlookers and very little regard for the actual accomplishments.

If we go back in history and look at each of these attempts, we will find that the men and women that set out on these attempts all made great sacrifices and risked their lives. Many forfeited their lives. Most of them endured harrowing trials, that is until the invention of the airplane. (Obviously, my conquest has nothing to do with the airplane.)

Wikipedia also has an interesting list of notable circumnavigations. At the time of writing this, it lists 130 nautical circumnavigations that are notable for a great variety of different reasons. Then there is a list of thirteen human powered circumnavigations. Here are a few examples:

Nautical circumnavigations:

The Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation (1519-1522) – a voyage that took just shy of three years. Magellan died in route (1521) and Juan Sebastian Elcano took over as captain to completion.

Jeanne Baret, the first woman to complete a circumnavigation (1766–1769), as member of the Louis Antoine de Bougainville colonial expedition.

Robin Knox-Johnston, first to complete a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation (1969).

PlanetSolar, the first ever solar electric vehicle to circumnavigate the globe (2012).

Human powered circumnavigations:

Jason Lewis, first human powered circumnavigation, (1994-2007) 4,833 days, 46,505 miles (74,842 km), mountain bike across Europe, 111 days of pedal-boat across the Atlantic, rollerbladed across North America (including nine months of recovering from two broken legs), 53 days of pedal-boat to Hawaii, approximately 110 days from Hawaii to the Solomon Islands (where there was an active military conflict), 32 days to Australia, 88 days of cycling in Australia, 4 years of fundraising, six months to get to Singapore (pedal boat, kayak, & bicycle), and so on …

Erden Eruç, the first entirely solo human-powered circumnavigation of the globe (2007-2012) 1838 days, 1026 days (subtracting down time), 41,196 miles (66,299 km).

The one common element among all these circumnavigations is that every one of them was equatorial in their navigation. From what I have been able to determine, the only polar circumnavigations that have ever been executed are aeronautical. Perhaps there have been some manned spacecraft that have also done it. However, no one seems to have ever accomplished any manner of polar circumnavigation of the Earth (human, wind, or machine powered) by traversing on the surface of the Earth (land, sea, and/or ice). As of yet, I am unable to find anyone that has even begun to plan for such an attempt.

Why is this? Could it be because that it is impossible? By human power, yes, it is. By machine power, it seems like it should be possible, but maybe it is not especially feasible. Wind power would be not quite as impossible as human power, but it would be no less than exceedingly difficult.

It appears that no one has ever completed a solo unassisted (equatorial) circumnavigation on human power, neither has anyone completed a human-powered circumnavigation entirely self-sustained. These adventures always had to purchase and make arrangements for boats and bicycles whenever they made a transition from land to water (or water to land). Moreover, they never had a problem finding a store from which to buy food and supplies.

Unfortunately, they do not have grocery stores in Antarctica. Believe it or not, I could send packages of necessary supplies to three different locations in Antarctica via the US Postal Service (including the South Pole, 96598 zip code). Perhaps, I would need to do something like that. I do not yet understand what God has in store for me in that regard. Somehow, getting additional supplies as I pass through McMurdo does not seem like it is staying entirely true to the spirit of the quest, but it may be the only way to do it.

I am not vindicating that I try to make this expedition any more difficult that it has to be, but it is important that the quest be genuine in every sense. I cannot say that I am willing to lay down my life by attempting to do the impossible, and then climb into an airplane and fly around the poles as others have already done. God does not want me to take any shortcuts, else it robs Him of the glory.

The quest needs to be every bit as impossible as it sounds like it would be. It is imperative that the only single hope that I have of making it through this challenge alive is by the mercy and grace of my Lord and my God Jesus Christ. It is only when I put my life in God’s hands (fully and completely) that you will know that my love for my God is real and that my love for you is real. If I do just that very thing, then it enables God to use His faithful servant to prove His great love and mercy. In delivering me from certain death, He gets all the glory; He confirms and validates that He has sent me as His servant and His messenger; He proves that He loves His servant; and He verifies that it was His plan all along for His servant to lay down his life for you.

What is incredible is that while this plan is all for you, God will ultimately draw many souls unto Himself. When my sacrifice and love is substantiated by God’s mercy and grace, then everyone that sees it will understand that something amazing has been performed at the hand of God, and many will believe … not because of you or me … but because it draws their attention to the truth in the Word of God.

Jesus speaking of Himself in contrast to John the Baptist:

“36But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. 37And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. 38And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 39Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.“ – John 5:36-39 KJV

So you see then, it is not the works that I do. It is the works that God performs through me, as I have faith in my Lord Jesus Christ (the very Word of God).

Love Always,

Dale 😊

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