john0714 wrote:
On Sep. 6, 1522 the Spanish ship Victoria of the Magellan exposition
completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth. It even managed to
sail thousands of miles of open sea.
IIRC it is possible to circumnavigate the Earth and never get more than
2300 miles from land, the stretch between Easter Island and South
America, the next largest stretch is less than 1900 miles between the
Pitcairn Islands and Easter Island. Otherwise one can rermain much
closer to land. Was the Victoria the first ship capable of sailing
around the world had the crew known what to do? I wonder when the first
ships seaworthworthy enough to do so were built?

It seems to me the hardest part for the best ships of two thousand
years ago would be the stretch from Brazil around the horn to the
Pitcairn Islands. Were any of the ships that ancient seaworthy enough
to do so?

I believe if you move from Eurocentered history you will find many
examples of open ocean voyages. Though the documentation may not be as
good.

Examples are Chinese visits to the America's west coast prior to 1492.
(There is some indication that they were in the Atlantic.) The
colonization voyages of the pacific islands, etc.

After reading many books for many years I believe the seafaring
capabilities of early sailor and their accomplishments are greatly
underrated. I have come to think of the early sailors as the truck
drivers of their times.






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Keith Nuttle
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