User:JoJoWallace

User:JoJoWallace Expedition 720⁰ is a human-powered solo circumnavigation project. Founded by Angelo Wilkie-Page in 2013 in his home town of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. It is Wilkie-Pages' ambition is to lead Expedition 720⁰ , around the globe from East to West and Pole to Pole, crossing all lines of latitude and longitude, using only human power, in other words, no motors and no sails. This journey will take a period of roughly 8 years, and will be the first of its kind. To date, an East to West and Pole to Pole circumnavigation has never before been achieved. Expedition 720⁰ will use this journey as a platform for conducting research about issues related to Food Security and raising funds for some of South Africa’s most impoverished communities. Expedition 720⁰ will have raised 1 million US Dollars by the end of the expedition for Heifer International South Africas' community upliftment projects.

Circumnavigation Records and Standards

In order for a true human powered circumnavigation to be achieved, it must meet the following criteria:

1. Start and finish in the same location, moving in one general direction
2. Pass through 2 antipodal points
3. Cross the Equator a minimum of 2 times
4. Cross all lines of Longitude
5. Cover a minimum of 40 0000 kilometers

The standards have been set by ExplorersWeb and Guinness World Records and further endorsed by other authoritative bodies in the field of exploration and human powered circumnavigation.

A History of Circumnavigation

Many human powered global circumnavigations have been attempted, however there have only been 2 successful endeavors. The first being by Englishman Jason Lewis, a 13 year journey that began in London, in 1994 with friend and fellow adventurer Steve Smith and ended with Lewis returning to London, England in October of 2007 . The second was achieved by Turkish born Erden Eruç who set out in mid 2007 to summit 6 major peaks while circumnavigating the globe . Eruç completed his solo circumnavigation, in July of 2012 in Bodega Bay, California, having met all of the stipulated requirements for a true human powered circumnavigation.

The Expedition

The expedition has been broken up into 4 legs for East to West and Pole to Pole, resulting in a total of 8 unique adventures.

The Big West Coast Ride

The First Leg will start in Los Angeles, California in August 2014. It will be a 90 day, 3150 mile cycle up the West coast of North America, through Canada to Anchorage, Alaska.

The Siberian Epic

The Second leg is one of the longest; a 12209 mile, 385 day journey that will take Wilkie-Page from Anchorage Alaska, to Magadan, Russia. Wilkie-Page will paddle in a purpose made sea kayak, hugging the Alaskan and Russian coastline all the way to Magadan where he will get back to the first known roads and be able to get back on his bike. Wilkie-Page will then cycle west to, Mongolia and Kazakhstan, finally entering Europe through Turkey cycling all the way to the finishing point of Lisbon, Portugal.

The Crossing

In the third leg Wilkie-Page will row from Lisbon, Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, touching on the North-West tip of Africa. He will then make his final departure across the Atlantic Ocean from Dakar, Senegal. Wilkie-Pages' Atlantic crossing will be a completely solo Leg, with no support crew involved in the 7549 mile, 145 day journey.

The Jungle Ride

This is the final leg of the East to West circumnavigation. Wilkie-Page will be cycling from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, down the East coast of South America to the Argentinean city of Comodoro Rivadavia. He will then make his way up the West Coast of South America over the rocky coastline of Chile, following the Andes north to Medellin, Colombia. From Colombia, Wilkie-Page will cycle up to Panama, over the land bridge of Latin America through more gentle terrain all the way to Mexico and finally finishing off the last installment in this 310 day, 10 283 mile leg in Los Angeles, California.

The Arctic Freeze

The first leg in the Pole to Pole circumnavigation. The journey starts in New York City with Wilkie-Page cycling up the East coast of North America to Canada, then paddling his way to Greenland and across The North Atlantic ocean to end off in Narvik, Norway.

The Long Haul

This is the second leg in the Pole to Pole, starting off in Narvik, Norway and finally ending off in Dunedin, New Zealand. This leg will be largely a cycling leg from Norway to Thailand. Wilkie-Page will then start the long row down through the many islands of South East Asia towards New Zealand. This row will take him through the seasonally turbulent Indonesian ocean, along the East Coast of Australia through to one of the most notoriously rough seas, the Tasman Sea. The journey will take approximately 402 days and will cross more than 15020 miles of land and sea.

The Antarctic Rush

The third leg of the Pole to Pole circumnavigation will start in New Zealand and end off in South America. The details of the leg however are still to be confirmed, due to the unpredictable nature of the Antarctic.

The Long Way Home

This is the final leg of the Pole to Pole circumnavigation, ending off in the city of New York. Wilkie-Page will start this leg on the most southern tip of South America in Argentina, near to the Cape Horn. He will then cycle his way through central Latin America then getting back into the water to row through the Caribbean islands towards Miami, Florida. From here he will get back on his bike and cycle to the city of New York, via New Orleans, Arkansas and Nashville.

Charity

Expedition 720⁰ has committed itself to raising 1 million US dollars by the end of the East to West and Pole to Pole circumnavigation, these funds will effectively raise 10 000 individuals/ 2100 families out of poverty in South Africa. Working with Heifer International South Africa, Expedition 720⁰ is raising funds to provide sustainable quality of life to many poverty stricken people living in South Africa. High levels of unemployment and malnutrition, and a degraded environment contribute to a poor quality of life, something Heifer International South Africa is working towards fixing. Providing the needy with more than just a hand-out. Heifer International South Africa partners with impoverished communities and provides; seeds, livestock and equipment, along with the requisite skills, training and resources that enable these communities to better their own lives by creating sustainable agricultural livelihoods. Not only does this instill a stronger sense of community and accountability, but is also an important contribution towards gender equality. Together with Heifer International South Africa, Expedition 720⁰ is doing its part to end poverty and hunger in some of the neediest communities around South Africa.

Food Security Research

Field research will be conducted while on route around the world. Expedition 720⁰ will collect data by survey, in the form of a series of pre-determined questions for local subsistence and small holding farmers. A series of generic questions, related to issues surrounding Food Security, will be put forward to each individual farmer in order to control the possibility of bias in research and thereby assuring the quality of the study. Expedition 720⁰ will also be journeying through areas where food is imported and agriculture is not the primary means of providing sustenance; in these areas Expedition 720⁰ will liaise with local authorities to gather relevant data. The research method carried out in such regions will be of a similar nature to those carried out in agricultural areas. A set of generic pre-determined questions will be asked and details of local socio-economic and political conditions will be recorded. The aim of the research is to provide information on the various issues surrounding Food Security in a manner that is academically accurate and educational, while also being fully accessible to public.