The Ice Cat Challenge

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How to estimate nautical miles travelled.

Yacht Statistics

Type: Catamaran.
Sloop rig.
Builder: Robin Chamberlin.
11.8m X 11m design.
Structure: Hulls - foam sandwich GRP Beams - aluminium.
Engine: 25hp Evinrude outboard.
Colours: Hull mauve with pink non skid on deck and cockpit floor. Sails - white, Mast - anodised aluminium.
Distinctive feature is the aluminium X-beam holding the mast and supporting the two hulls.
Fuel: 75 litres outboard fuel.
Average cruising speed under sail is 7 knots but varies widely with conditions.

Estimating distance travelled south (or north).

A nautical mile can be measured from the degrees and minutes of latitude (not longitude). A degree in latitude is 60 nautical miles and 1 minute of latitude is 1 nautical mile, there being 60 minutes in a degree.

Ignoring the fact that Excess did not travel due south, the distance Excess travelled towards the Antarctic between the 0800 hours sked position on 8 Jan 1999 and 0800 hours on 9 Jan 1999 was 135 nautical miles. (45 degrees 36 minutes minus 43d 21m = 2 degrees 15 minutes or 2 X 60 + 15 = 135).