Every now and then I have a nice (whatsapp) discussion with a friend. A very nice guy from a sweet family. I have absolute respect for him and his family. I like them and am happy to know them. He is a convinced flat-earth supporter and I….. am not. We regularly share theories with each other. I try to take him along in my thoughts and fortunately he me too. Always with respect, humor and with regular fun, I think that applies to both sides… We always get bogged down in ‘facts’. Facts that I provide, but according to him have never been proven. And so he also comes up with facts, to which I then say the same thing.

Now, there was a sailing competition going on in recent months, which was won by a Frenchman (numbers 2 and 3 also came from France, but that’s besides the point). The competition started in France and ended there too. “The Vendee Globe”, that’s what this Mount Everest is called among sailors. See here the route on the world map as we all know it. And which is distorted for everyone. We know one thing for sure, this map is wrong…

Now I thought, could this race teach us something about the earth? Could this race show that either the flat earth is impossible, or the spherical theory is nonsense. The fact is that we know how they sailed and the fact is that we know how long it took them. We don’t know speeds, but we can calculate them if we know distances, after all, we know the winner’s time. We also know distances, which can be googled. In my opinion, there can be little doubt about that.

My attempt starts by making some assumptions:

First fact:

They sailed from France around the Cape of Good Hope (Cape Town) and then followed their path under Australia, under Argentina (Ushaia), back to France. So they sailed around the South Pole (according to the spherical theory) or around the world (according to the flat earth theory).

Second fact:

If we start with the flat earth theory, the North Pole is the center of the circle. See also the logo of the UN which is often used as evidence that the elite has known for a long time that the earth is flat, their logo is after all the correct world map…

Third fact:

The distance from the North Pole to the furthest point of the land mass can therefore be called the radius of the circle of the earth. For convenience I leave out the body of water (about 1000 km), between this furthest point and the ice wall that represents the end of the flat earth. The sailing trip around that furthest point is actually a bit further, but we calculate with that for convenience. Those few extra kilometers at such distances will not cost him his head, is my feeling.

Then a few distances, easy to find on the internet, which, I think, are agreed upon in both theories. These distances are not up for discussion in both representations of the world:

1. North Pole to Ushuaia: 15,500km (rounded for convenience)
   1. So this should be at least the radius of the circle (flat earth)
2. France to Cape of Good Hope: 12,500km
   1. For the sake of convenience, I am not taking into account the fact that they have to go around the Horn of Africa, but here too, those few kilometers will not make much difference over those distances.
3. Ushuaia to France back: 13,000km
   1. Because they also have to go back to France
4. Ushuaia to Cape of Good Hope: 6,700km
   1. After all, they don’t sail that part.

Now we are going to calculate the distance in a few scenarios. First a brief explanation of the calculation used. The circumference of a circle is Pi (approximately 3.14 (for convenience) times the diameter. The Diameter (D) is 2 times the radius (A, in the above table A – D).

First scenario:

The scenario where we assume the known distances of the land mass from the center of the flat earth, the North Pole:

The circle that the sailboats sail is therefore (Pi x (2 x A)) The distance between Ushaia and the Cape of Good Hope (D) must then be subtracted from this, and the journey to the south (B) and back to the north (C) must be added again.

• 3,14 * (15.500 + 15.500) = 97.390 km
• So D goes from 97,390 – 6700 = 90,700 km
• Then add B and C to get the total: 90,700 + 12,500 + 13,000 = 116,200 km

We know that the winner took 64 days, 19 hours and 22 minutes between leaving France and returning back again. So now we can convert this to km/hour. To know the speed of his sailing yacht, follow the flat earth theory. And again for the convenience, I assume 20 hours. He went a little faster, but that won’t matter much at this distance.

• 64 days: 64 x 24 = 1,536 hours + 20 hours = 1,556 hours.
• 116,200km in 1556 hours is a speed of: 75km/hour

The record of a sailing boat (however, that is a completely different type of sailing yacht than that which may be used for this trip) is 121 km/h. a mandatory part, however is that they must sail at least 2500 nautical miles with a minimum speed of 7 knots (that is approximately 13 km/h). So everyone can easily achieve that or can you conclude from this that they will sail much slower than 13 km/h? Or that it is difficult to achieve a good speed continuously? In other words, this speed is impossible. A sailing boat cannot sail around the (flat) world. It simply cannot achieve that speed constantly (not even the fastest is able to achieve that).

Conclusion first scenario: The flat earth cannot be true in this scenario…

Second Scenario:

In this scenario we assume an average speed of 30 km/h. If we turn it around it also becomes interesting. The speed record of a sailing yacht is 121 km/h, but the ones who are allowed in the race can sail around don’t even get close to this record. So they have to sail at least 2500 miles at a speed of 13 km/h. Let’s assume that the winner succeeds. In fact, he sails at a speed of 25 knots/h. If you sail for 1,556 hours, you then cover (1556 x 25) 38,900 km. So at top speed continuously the winner can cover this distance. The outward and return journey must be subtracted from the 38,900 km, but the distance from Cape Town to Ushaia is then added (because the circle must be complete). So 12,500 + 13,000 – 6700 = 18,800 km is deducted from the distance to measure the circle that is sailed. 38,900 – 18,800 = 20,100 km would be the circumference of the circle that remains, right?

Now that we know the circumference, we can calculate back how big the radius is (the center – the North Pole to the southernmost point IUshiaia). After all, the circumference of the circle divided by Pi and then divided by 2, to get from diameter to radius…. 20,100 / 3.14 = 6,400 km and then divided by 2 to get the radius, it is a radius of approximately 3,200 km. How does the distance of the north pole to Ushaia (16,000km) in…. Then you are almost 13,000km short… With 3,200km you are still in Canada from the North Pole. So you will never make it…. So also from this scenario it is impossible that the earth and the distances we know fit into the circle that a sailing yacht can cover in this time. If we assume a speed of 30km/hour.

Conclusion second scenario: So even with this reasoning the flat earth as proposed by the community itself cannot be true.

Third scenario:

Finally, for the sake of completeness… An over-the-top reasoning: Suppose the speed record of a sailing yacht is continuously achieved… Feasible? Absolutely not… Then the 7-knot rule would be very strange and unnecessary, but just to make it complete. A sailing yacht continuously sails 150 km/h (almost 47 days steered by a solo sailor…). The photo shows the sailing yacht that can achieve this speed in the most favorable conditions.

If you sail for 1,556 hours, you will cover (1556 x 150) 233,400 km. So the winner can cover this distance while continuously sailing at top speed. Now we will of course include the sailing back and forth to the edge of the earth on the flat earth map, after all, this is about 25,500 km. (I have to include that part that they do not sail (Cape Town to Ushaia, 6,790 km), since it is part of the circle that lies around the flat earth. Then, once we know the circumference, we can calculate back how big the radius is (the center – the North Pole to the southernmost point Ushaia).

Let’s look at the numbers again:

• Travel kilometers: 233,400km
• Distance from France to Cape Town: 12,500km
• Distance from Ushaia to France: 13,000km
• Distance from Ushaia to Cape Town: 6,700km

Travel kilometers minus the distances to and from France plus the distance between Ushaia and Cape Town is the circumference of the circle. So 233,400km – 12,500km – 13,000km + 6,700km = 214,600km

The circumference divided by Pi and divided by 2 is the radius. That becomes 214,600 / 3.14 / 2 = 34,170km

With a radius of almost 35,000 km. Then you would do just fine. Because 16,000 fits easily into 35,000. But then the sailor has to have full wind behind him for more than 46 days, all by himself, and sail everywhere and continuously at full (world record) speed. A world record that was sailed with a special type of sailing yacht and which may therefore not be used for this competition. And the record was only sailed for a short while (not even hours), which was enough to set the record but is a long way from 1556h which are needed for this scenario.

Conclusion third scenario: This scenario is also really impossible.

The spherical theory:

Let us also take a look at the spherical theory. According to the competition (check the website of the Vendee Globe), the route that is sailed in this competition is approximately 40,000 km. This is approximately equal to the circumference of the earth (around the equator according to the globe-believers), which is why it is seen as a lap around the world. An Imoca 60 sailing yacht must be used for this competition. The record of this yacht is a fast 65 km/h, and lasted only (!) 500 meters.

But back to the race. With the distance and the time that the fastest one takes, we arrive at an average speed of: 40,000 / 1556 = 25 km/hour. This is very fast, but it is also the toughest race for the sailor, and considering the top speeds that it can reach, feasible. The race is compared to climbing Mt. Everest. But it is credible that it is possible, provided that it is a sphere, because then the world also fits in it. In the flat earth theories simply not…

Whatever belief or distrust there is among flat earth supporters, in governments, other elites, or in science. That may all be true, perhaps even (partly) justified. Or let me put it this way: I do not find it unhealthy to doubt certain things. It is good to doubt, to do research and – whether or not – to draw your own conclusions. That is what makes us human! In fact: That IS what defines a human!! But if there are no scientific or high-hat claims or elites that simply demonstrate with simple calculations and numbers that we know and trust on both sides. And that it then turns out that it is simply not possible, then you just have to believe it…

Final conclusion:

The earth is NOT flat! Because with everything we all know for sure it simply just does not FIT. This sailing competition shows this irrefutably!