In order to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first round the world, Jimmy Cornell is preparing to recreate the historical route of the first circumnavigation carried out by Fernando Magallanes and Juan Sebastián Elcano, in a fully electric powered boat.

Published 4 years ago

In order to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first round the world, Jimmy Cornell is preparing to recreate the historical route of the first circumnavigation carried out by Fernando Magallanes and Juan Sebastián Elcano.

It is actually the Basque navigator who must be credited with the feat of the first circumnavigation, as he set sail with Magellan at the beginning of the expedition in 1519, assumed command of the fleet upon the death of Magellan in the Philippines, and the circumnavigation culminated in 1522. In recognition of its feat, this project is called ELCANO CHALLENGE.

Another objective of this symbolic journey is to be the first to complete the circumnavigation in a fully electric powered boat, in line with the growing concern for the environment so present in today’s society. That is why the project is called EL.CA.NO – to represent Electricity. CARBON NO!

The Aventura Zero is an innovatively designed catamaran, an Outremer 4E, based on the conjunction of characteristics of the Outremer 45 and the 4X, but with a number of modifications. Based on the García Exploration concept, the objective is to combine comfort and simplicity in its handling by a limited crew.

Circumnavigation Route

The Elcano Challenge trip will faithfully follow the historical route and will stop only at the places where the original expedition stopped.

It will depart from Seville in October 2020, and after landing in Tenerife, it will continue its route to Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and Puerto Julián, before entering the Strait of Magellan. A symbolic stopover in Punta Arenas will precede the long passage to the island of Puka Puka, in the Tuamotu Islands.

From there Aventura Zero will head to Guam in the Mariana Islands, where it will make a stopover before reaching the expedition’s equator in Cebu, Philippines. The first part of this commemorative navigation will conclude with a visit to Mactan, where Magellan was killed in 1521.

The second part of the circumnavigation will begin at the point where Juan Sebastián Elcano took command of the expedition. After calling in Palawan, Brunei, Tidore, Ambon and Timor, Jimmy’s contemporary Nao Victoria will cross the southern Indian Ocean to Port Elizabeth in South Africa.

Once the Cape of Good Hope has been rounded, the expedition will head north to cross the Equator towards Ribeira Grande in Cape Verde. From there, it will head to Sanlúcar de Barrameda and finally make a stop in Seville.

It is estimated that the expedition will take between 8 and 9 months to complete the 30,000 mile voyage, leaving Seville in October 2020 and with an estimated return date in July 2021.

The Elcano Challenge project has been included in the list of official commemorative events of the V Centenary of the First Around the World.

Further Reading:

• Zero Adventure: Elcano Challenge (Cornell Sailing)
• https://cornellsailing.com/
• Fundacion Nao Victoria