# Navigtion Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigtion-question/162023>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 17, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigtion-question/162023 "2003-03-17T16:12:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aubries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@aubries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aubries)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigtion-question/162023/1 "2003-03-17T16:12:44Z")

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Hypothetically, I am sailing from the Chesapeake Bay to a point in the Indian Ocean exactly halfway around the globe from New York City. I have four choices: Panama Canal, Cape Of Good Hope, Suez Canal, Cape Horn. I assume Suez is the most direct. Let us further suppose that, for whatever reason, I have no way of knowing whether the canals are still there, so if I get to the Suez and it’s blocked, I have to turn around and go back out to the Atlantic and start over.

Recommendations?

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**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigtion-question/162023/2 "2003-03-17T17:44:01Z")

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I don’t know why you’d elect for the Suex route. The great circle route (shortest length) passes just a little north of the shorthern tip of Africa, so the shortest water route goes around the tip of Africa, FWIW…

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**Author:** ![aubries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@aubries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aubries)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navigtion-question/162023/3 "2003-03-17T17:46:37Z")

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Aha. I was looking at a map instead of a globe. Duh.