When Phoenicia, a wooden ship built using traditional Phoenician construction methods and materials, rounded the Cape of Good Hope recently, the replica looked very similar to the way it would have 2,500 years ago with one notable exception—the high-quality Raymarine navigational equipment it has on board.

On their journey around the Cape, the international crew of 16 faced gale force winds and waves up to 23 feet high. According to expedition leader Philip Beale, “The Raymarine equipment was absolutely crucial in enabling us to successfully round the Cape. Sailing a sixth century BC Phoenician ship around the Cape…is a huge challenge in itself. We absolutely had to know where we were minute-by-minute and only Raymarine’s chartplotter was able to give us that level of confidence and navigational expertise.”

Log on to http://phoenicia.org.uk/ to get more information about Phoenicia and her expedition. You can also follow the vessel’s progress live at http://live.adventuretracking.com/phoenicia.

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