Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-29
COLUMBUS OUTDONE,
To Circumnayigate the Globe
In a Boat.
The Start To Be Made From The
Needles Soon.
The Trip as Planned Will Occupy
Somewhat Over Two Years.
Godfrey Sykes and Charles Mclean Will
Attempt This in Boat Twenty
two Feet Over All.

the minds of sailors has beer conceived
at The Needles, in San Bernardino
county, in this state, and steps are now
being taken to put the scheme in opera
ton. Godfrey Sykes and Charles Nc
Lean are the men whose bold brains
have planned the most hazardous trip
ever undertaken by men. They propose
to circumnavigate the globe in an open
boat only twenty-five feet in length
They are now about to start, and the
plan OF their trip is thus given in the
San Francisco Examiner:
They will launch their little craft on
the Colorado river and pull down the
river light to Yuma, where they will
ballast and provision her and then make
for the gulf below.
Their trip, as roughly and briefly
mapped out, will be as follows: Reach
ing the Gulf OF California at the mouth
of the Colorado river, they will follow
the Mexican and Central American
gellan straits, thence up the east coast
as far as Cape St. Rogue. From Cape
St. Rogue they will cross the Atlantic
and go to Sierra Leone on the African
coast, thence east along the European
coast to the British islands. They will
then return through the Bay of Biscay
into the Mediterranean sea, through the
Suez canal and Red sea to the Indian
ocean, along the coast of China and
Japan, passing Singapore, Hongkong
and Yokohama, up the Russian coast.
Leaving the Russian coast at Petropol-
ofsky, they will cross the Pacific ocean
at the Aleutian islands, and thence
come down the coast of Alaska and Ore
gon to San Francisco.
They calculate that the trip, provided
no unusual amount of bad luck over
takes them, will occupy the best part OF
two and hall years, and they hope to
be back in time to attend the worlds
fair in Chicago.
The boat in which these daring nayi-
gators propose to make this trip around
the world is % feet overall, 20 feet keel,
and feet inches beam. 1t is built
after the Mackinaw pattern, though the
lines are finer than those of the Macki-
nav boat. and there is more bulge amid
ships. The material used is we'll
seasoned selected Arizona pine, and she
has 2l strong steel ribs. She is provided
with four water-tight lockers for stow
ing books and instruments, and two air
chambers forward and aft capable OF
bearing up 600 pounds each out OF
water.
She has a six-foot deck forward and
the same size deck aft, which, with the
washboards, will be covered with heavy
canvas and painted. Light, she draws
10 inches, and loaded and ballasted, %
inches. The craft is double-ender and
weighs $50 pounds. The sails are three
in number. being mainsail. foresail
and jib, and are OF the Pound pattern,
combination of topsail and mainsail.
Believing that the American plan OF
center-board is preferable, both for
speed and safety, the builders have
rugged her with one of boiler iron, with
when in position from nothing forward
to 2 feet ait. At present she will carry
only $50 square feet OF SAIL but after ar
rival into their first port on the coast
this is to be doubled.
A sextant, barometer, compass, chro-
nometer and log-ship, with probably a
Photographic outfit, viii comprise the
useful and scientific armament of the
boat, while small condenser will be
carried, to be used in case the crew run
out OF water. 1t is calculated that she
can be easily victualed for the two men
for four months. Besides the symmet-
rlcal and buoyant appearance of the
| little craft, the men claim that she will
prove last sailer, and they propose to
win some money from the Britishers on
their trip through English waters. An
other source OF pride to them is the
claim that she is the first seagoing boat
built 1000 feet above sea level.
The hazardous undertaking Is not the
result OF moments thought. On the
contrary, both men have cherished the
idea for years, and each only awaited
meeting man who would take the
same view of the matter as he did. In
a ''cow camp" in Arizona the two men
met more than year ago, and there and
then the journey was agreed to.
Charles Mclean, the elder of the two
men. is a native of Paisley, Scotland,
and is between thirty and thirty-one
years of age. He has had seven years.
| experience before the mast in whaling
and coasting vessels, and is an expert in
sailing a small boat. He is very quiet,
unobtfuslve young man, and though re-
| tiring and unassuming in conversation,
has an air OF decision and determination
about him. He says he knows and ap-
PiCSldoco VIC WHICH he Will
have to undergo, but he is confident of
success.
"For years,," said he, 81 was planning
trip of this kind, and ] had it all laid
out ready to be put into execution, but
could find no one whom thought was
just exactly the man to accompany me.
Finally d,ifted into Arizona and went
into the cattle business, where met
Red Sykes.
"One night, after hard days round
up, we lay in camp smoking and talk
ing, when casually referred to my pet
scheme"
=" What's that, Charlie, said Red.
Edo you want to coast it around the
world, too?'
d" Yes, / have dreamed OF it. and
thought Of it for years
" Then, my boy, we will put the
scheme through, for /, too, have long
desired to make such trip, ajad you are
the very man to go with me.'''
Thus was the compact entered into.
and from that day until this they have
worked and looked forward to the day of
sailing.
Godfrey Sykes, Familiarity called
s"Red" Sykes because of the auburn hue
of his locks and the ruddy, rosy glow of
his face, is a native of "Merrie Eng
land" having been born in London
twentv-sayen wears apO Ha 10 q ooni,,c